Lesnes

Richard's son Geoffrey would become bishop of Winchester, and continue a close relationship between the de Lucies and various Austin houses of his province, including Merton.

The remains of Lesnes, with Toby,
who runs the children's entertainment at
Merton Priory

 Lesnes Abbey was founded by Richard de Lucy in 1178.  Richard had had a distinguished career:  he started out serving Henry I, was governor of Falaise under Stephen, and became chief justiciar under Henry II, who didn't seem to mind that Richard had stood against him in the civil war.

As justiciar, Richard was instrumental in Henry's campaign to remove or reign-in Thomas Becket.  Becket's murder in 1170 rode on the European Zeitgeist and Becket was canonised (made a saint) in 1173 - a remarkably short time.  Thomas' sainthood did Henry II's reputation no favours, and he undertook a pilgrimage of penance in 1174 to Canterbury to get his former friend's forgiveness.  

Four years later, in 1178, Richard de Lucy founded Lesnes Abbey (at the Westwode in Lesnes).  As well as being dedicated to the BVM (the usual saint for Austin houses), Lesnes was dedicated was to St Thomas the Martyr, so we may imagine that this was Richard's penance.  Richard retired to Lesnes that year and died a few months later, in July 1179.

A seal survives, showing Thomas, vested for mass, right hand in benediction, left hand holding his staff of office. This is typical for episcopal seals; the cross of his crozier shows that he is archbishop.  The 12th century was the inventor of heraldry, and an important part of heraldry is canting, or punning.  Either side of Thomas are two great fish.  These are pikes - or luces, to give them their other name.

De Gray Birch's description: 13th cent. Pointed oval : St Thomas Becket, full-length, with mitre and pall, lifting up the r. h. in benediction, in the 1. h. a crozier. In the field, on each side a luce or pike hauriant palewise, in allusion to the arms of the founder, Richard de Lucy ; on the r. also a pierced mullet of eight points.  *SIGILL' ECCL'IE S THOME MARTIRIS DE LIESNES.

He also notes a small round counterseal with the mark of the matrix handle: St. Thomas, half-length.

De Gray Birch seems to be describing the seal of our image.  (The image of the seal is from lucy.net, which has lots more information on the Lucies and lots of pictures of Lesnes.)  However, his dating of 13th century seems too late to me. The style of Thomas' mitre is much more 12th-century, when they wore them side-on (at least, they did on seals). Compare Nigel of Ely (left).  I suspect that the Lesnes seal was made pretty soon after the abbey's foundation.

Lesnes Abbey makes a nice day out.