Benedictine Abbot

Benedictine Abbot - Bardney, Lincolnshire

The incised slab of Abbot Richard Horncastle in St Lawrence, Bardney. Abbot Hornastle was abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Bardney from 1466 to 1507. He died in 1508 and was buried in the abbey church. His incised slab was discovered in the abbey ruins when they were excavated just prior to the First World War. The slab shows Horncastle under canopy dressed in eucbaristic vestments and holding the sacred heart. Above his head his naked soul is shown being lifted up to heaven in a napkin.
Benedictine Abbot - Bardney, Lincolnshire

Benedictine Abbot - Bardney, Lincolnshire

Benedictine Abbot - Bardney, Lincolnshire
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The Religious Pícaro said…
I love the little soul in a napkin. Can you make out the inscription around the Sacred Heart?
26 June 2010 at 21:23
Allan Barton said…
'O bone Ihu' i.e. 'Jesu' and 'esto michi'... 'O gentle jesu, be to me' Which is very odd, begs the question as to what Jesus is to be to him. The inscription over his head reads. ' O domine ihu accipe spiritum meum. Esto michi reposita ex hec spe in simu meo', which roughly translates as 'O Lord Jesus receive my spirit. This is my hope laid up in my bosom'.
28 June 2010 at 15:41
The Religious Pícaro said…
The phrase in English rang a bell, so I ran a google search of the Latin, bringing up several references to "O bone Jesu esto mihi Jesus," as in "Oh gentle Jesu be to me a savior."

I also learned that the motto of Christ College, Australia, is "Jesus Christus esto mihi," which they translate as "Let Jesus be mine."

Keeping in mind the heart imagery, it reminds me a little of a Valentine's Day card: "Be mine."
1 July 2010 at 13:49
Canon Tallis said…
While he seems to have a crozier, it does not seem that he has been granted or used pontificals as there is neither mitre or dalmatic. Would you have a guess about that, Allan?
6 July 2010 at 03:57
Allan Barton said…
Despite the abbey being one of the more venerable foundations in Lincolnshire and abbot being entitled to a seat in Parliament, it doesn't appear that the abbot was ever 'mitred' by the pope. The abbey was forever getting into debt, so that may explain why and when Bishop Atwater made made a Visitation in the 1440s the monks were living in separate households with their own servants, having abandoned the dorter and frater.
13 July 2010 at 18:29
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