towards his building fund. The account of the laying of the first stones of his new abbey is very remarkable. Five thousand persons were assembled and feasted on the spot, and many distinguished people took part, each laying one stone and placing on it a handsome offering of money, or titles to property, or patronage, or land, or possession of yearly tithes of sheep, gifts of corn or malt or stone, or the service for so many years of quarriers at the stone pits, with carriage of stone in boats.
Croyland lost a good friend by the death of Queen Maud, wife of Henry I., in 1118. She had been the especial patroness of the abbot Joffrid, and had founded the first Austin priory in England in 1108. Twenty years later King Stephen gave a fresh charter to the abbey, in the time of Abbot Edward, who commenced to re-build the abbey in 1145. The beautiful west front of the nave, some of which remains, was possibly planned by Henry de Longchamp in 1190, but was not finished till the time of Richard de Upton, 1417-1427. His predecessor, Thomas de Overton, had rebuilt the nave in 1405, and it was during his abbacy that Croyland became a mitred abbey.
THE MASTER MASON The architect and master mason under Richard de Upton was one William de Wernington, or William de Croyland, whose monument is in the tower now. The effigy wears a monk's cowl and long robe, and holds a builder's square and compasses and has this inscription: "ICI: GIST: MESTRE: WILLM: DE: WERMIGTON: LE: MASON: A: LALME: DE: KY: DEVY: P" SA: GRACE: DOVNEZ: ABSOLVTION."
The noble west window, which has lost all its mullions and tracery, must have been one of the very finest in England.
In the days of Henry II. a dispute arose between the Abbot of Croyland and the Prior of Spalding, the prior going so far as to claim Croyland as a cell to Spalding. This quarrel continued through the reigns of Richard I. and John, when the Abbot of Peterborough joined the fray with a fresh dispute about the rights of common and pasture, and the payment of tolls at Croyland bridge. In these controversies Croyland generally was worsted.
John de Lytlyngton succeeded Abbot Upton and ruled for forty years. In his time Henry VI. and Edward IV. both visited Croyland, the latter being on his way to Fotheringay. A three months' frost, followed by two years of famine, and later a
