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subject to the authority of the Baronial Council, although their hold varied in severity, this re-
stricted his ability to obtain money for his work on the Abbey. One can only marvel that so
much was achieved, not least the construction of something as complex as the Great Pavement.
Comparing that time with today's secular society, it is hard to see how a saint can be such a
force in defining how such work could be carried out. But Henry saw St Edward as "a saint of
mighty power," supporting him in this life and standing ready to guide him to the next. One
might say Henry was more concerned with his soul that his role in life and to this end claimed
St Edward as his own and hence spent a considerable effort in reconstructing the Abbey.
In today's world of political spin (especially in the United Kingdom) one could be forgiven
for thinking that it had been invented recently with the advent of mass communication. The ba-
ronial council was manipulating the king so that he was forced to beg them to carry out his
wishes rather than he commanded them. David Carpenter makes it clear that today's politicians
could learn a lot from history. So while Henry was claiming Edward for himself, they made
sure they got a piece of the action. Edward the Confessor would protect the kingdom as well as
the king and the members of the council were not averse to making sure their presence was
noted. So their armorial shields are placed in the wall arcades of the aisles flanking the liturgi-
cal choir.
The timetable for reconstruction was not just driven by money, there were symbolic reasons
too. Edward's shrine had been moved once before defining his greatest feast day on 13 October,
which was a Sunday in 1163. Henry freed himself to a large extent from the control of the ba-
ronial council by 1263. He now had a target date for the translation of the shrine – 13 October
1269, which was also a Sunday. Such symmetry and calculated days might seem coincidental,
but David Carpenter provides evidence that there was a great deal of credence placed on this.
Apart from this date setting the agenda, Henry was getting old and was concerned for his
salvation. He was also hoping for help from Edward the Confessor with the disorder in the
kingdom and his financial difficulties (added to which, he wanted to send his son Edward on a
crusade).
So 1269 was to be the greatest event of his reign and he knew he was "meant" to live that
long. The reconstruction work was completed, including the pavement in 1268, but the event
itself did not go off well. Quarrels broke out during the ceremony and the bishops did not form
a procession behind the body of Edward the Confessor. This carried on afterwards, so while
Henry may have gained some prestige, the remaining three years of his reign were not smooth.
THE CONTEXT AND FABRIC OF THE WESTMINSTER
ABBEY SANCTUARY PAVEMENT
Richard Foster's book on the pavement [1991] was the one that first interested me in the
subject. It makes a companion book for these papers, explaining the reasons why the pavement
was built and providing a great more detail on the structure and symbolism of it. This paper ex-
tends the book. In its description, he prefers the term opus sectile rather than Cosmati, seeing
the former as a broader term and contrasting it with the technique of mosaic, where the pieces
are the same size.
He fills in the background on the why and how Cosmati work came to Westminster rather
than the adopting the local technique of glazed tiling described above. The largest stretch of
undisturbed Cosmati pavement is in the crypt of Anagni cathedral. Richard de Ware arrived at
Anagni in 1260 for papal confirmation as the new abbot of Westminster. The Cosmati work
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