Wessex . arty of mercenaries for thereinforcement of Warwick, only to learn that the King-maker had been slain, and her hopes frustrated. Shewas received on her landing by one of the most dis-tinguished of Wessexs sons, John Morton, Archbishopof Canterbury and a Cardinal of Rome, who, on learningof the disastrous defeat of the Lancastrians at Barnet,conveyed Margaret and her young son to sanctuary inthe Benedictine monastery at Cerne Abbas. Only far-off echoes of that troubled period of Englishhistory, when England was torn by the rival factions ofYork and Lancaster, appear to have reached Wes
Wessex . arty of mercenaries for thereinforcement of Warwick, only to learn that the King-maker had been slain, and her hopes frustrated. Shewas received on her landing by one of the most dis-tinguished of Wessexs sons, John Morton, Archbishopof Canterbury and a Cardinal of Rome, who, on learningof the disastrous defeat of the Lancastrians at Barnet,conveyed Margaret and her young son to sanctuary inthe Benedictine monastery at Cerne Abbas. Only far-off echoes of that troubled period of Englishhistory, when England was torn by the rival factions ofYork and Lancaster, appear to have reached western portion of the land seems to have takenbut little part in the battles which deluged central andnorthern England with the blood of her best nobles andsons, although doubtless some Wessex men must havefallen in the struggle which ended with the triumph ofEdward IV. at Tewkesbury on May 4, 1471. 20 THE GATEWAY AT CERNE ABBAS The Abbots Cernal of the Novels J > • » > > > > 1. c c CHAPTER II WESSEX IN MEDIEVAL, STUART, AND GEORGIAN TIMES Seeing that in Wessex there were many rich abbeysand monasteries, it is not to be wondered at that, whenthe time came for the suppression of the rehgioushouses by Thomas Cromwell in Henry reign,there ensued a period of disturbance and even ofdismay in Wessex, as well as in other parts of thecountry. For many years, as there were no poor-laws,workhouses, or hospitals, the dwellers in thesereligious foundations, scattered throughout the lengthand breadth of the country, had been the only meansby which those who suffered from poverty, sickness,or privation could gain relief. The attitude of themonks, speaking generally, towards the poor was wellsummed up by St Bernard in his words : The friend-ship of the poor constitutes us the friends of kings, butthe love of poverty makes kings of us. It is certain that until abuses crept into these institu-tions, which in a measure led to their dissolution in thelatter year
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