Two of the Abbots of Henry VII’s reign, Abbot Esteney and Abbot Islip, did a good deal of building in the church and precincts. The great West Window was set up in Abbot Esteney’s time, and the tracery shows how entirely different the Perpendicular style of architecture is from the Early English, in which the rest of the Abbey is built. The glass of the West Window was put in much later, during the reign of George II.
In Abbot Islip’s time Henry VII’s Chapel was built, the Abbot himself laying the foundation-stone. The western towers were carried up as far as the roof, and some rooms were added to the Abbot’s house. One of these is the charming panelled room known as the Jericho Parlour.
In the Nave, just over the Dean’s entrance, is a wooden gallery, which is called the “Abbot’s Pew.” This, too, was put up by Abbot Islip. Islip also fitted up the beautiful little Chapel which is named after him, and in which he is buried. On the frieze of the Chapel are curious little carvings, representing the Abbot’s name. One is an eye, with a hand holding a branch, or slip: I-slip. Another is a man slipping from the branch of a tree: “I slip.” A little design like this is properly called a “rebus,” and there are many of them to be found on tombs erected about that time.
In the Chantry above Islip’s Chapel are the wax effigies, about which we have already read.
The last Abbot, John Feckenham, who was appointed in Mary Tudor’s time, had suffered much for his religion during the reign of Edward VI. But in spite of having himself been persecuted he was a kind and tolerant man, and was good to the Protestants who were persecuted in Queen Mary’s time.
Abbot Feckenham went to visit Lady Jane Grey in prison, and was with her on the scaffold, but he could not persuade her to give up her Protestant form of faith.
It was Abbot Feckenham who restored the Confessor’s shrine after it had been all dismantled and partially destroyed in the reign of Henry VIII.
The funeral of Anne of Cleves took place in Feckenham’s time. Anne had become a Roman Catholic. She died at Chelsea in 1557, and was buried with great state by Queen Mary’s order.
On 24th December 1558, Abbot Feckenham must have taken part in the last royal funeral service held in the Abbey according to the Roman Catholic rite. This was the service ordered by Queen Elizabeth on the death of the Emperor Charles V, who was Queen Mary’s father-in-law.
Feckenham quite refused to obey Queen Elizabeth’s laws concerning Church matters, although Elizabeth seems to have been very kindly disposed towards him.