BURIAL-PLACE OF ROBERT, Dux E OF NORMANDY.—During some res- torations
which have recently been made in the Chapter House at Glou- cester some discoveries were made possessing considerable antiquarian in- terest. Leland, who died in 1552 states that several persons of great emi- ence were buried in the Chapter House, and mentions the names of siz per- sons painted in black letter on the walls. A correspondent of the Glou- cestershire Chronicle says: on the nerd] wall, in one of the niches, by the removal of the calcareous crust, there can now be traced, though very faintly, the following inscriptions :—'Hic jacet Rogerous Comes de Here- ford.' On the south wall, in a panel or niche : Hie jacet Barnardus de Novo Mercato. lie jacet Paganus de Cadurcis.' In the adjoining panel : =Bic jacet Robart Cortus. Rio jacet Adam de Cadureis.' Of these in- scriptions only three are to be found in the old record, but additional ones contain the most interesting name of all—we mean that of Robert Cortus, most likely a contraction for Robert Curthose, or Robert, Duke of Nor- mandy, son of William the Conqueror. Tradition is uncertain as to his place of burial. It is true that his effigy, in Irish oak, used to stand be- fore the High Altar, and that afterwards, being broken to pieces by the Parliamentary army, the pieces were collected by Sir Humphrey Tracy, of Stanway, who kept them until the Restoration, when they were deposited in the chapel of the Holy Apostles, on the north-east side of the choir. But it by no means follows that the remains of the unfortunate Duke were de- posited near his monument, and, therefore, taking the authority of Leland as correlative testimony, we may reasonably infer that Robert Duke of Nor- Mandy was interred in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral."
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