The Obituary Roll Of Lucy, First Prioress Of Hedingham tituli 30 to 38

Lucy de Vere was the founder and first prioress of the Benedictine nunnery of Hedingam in Essex. When she died, probably around 1225 her successor, Agnes, sent this roll -- now over 19 feet long and composed of several strips of parchment sewn end-to-end -- out to other religious houses, announcing Lucy's death and asking them to pray for her soul. As it passed around East Anglia and back and forth across southern England, each of them added an inscription asking for reciprocal prayers.Religious houses in Telford signed this part of the roll (tituli 30-38), including the abbeys of St Mary and Holy Sepulchre. The communities used different styles of handwriting, including more ordinary ones used to copy textbooks, the more dignified style used for liturgical books and the impressive charter style.