ABSTRACT
William of Malmesbury had never heard of Arthur in connection with Glastonbury, although in his Gesta Regum he relates in detail the life and deeds of Arthur as an historical character who defended Britain against the Saxons. Arthur laid siege to it, but Gildas and the abbot of Glastonbury managed to make peace between the two kings and Gwenevere was restored to Arthur. On St Urban’s Day, May 25th, 1184, everything at Glastonbury was destroyed, excepting the Bell Tower built by Henry of Blois. The only genuine indulgences at Glastonbury seem in fact to be those referred to in a document existing in 1247 called ‘Days of Indulgence for Glastonbury, of which we have not the Charters, though we once had them’. In seeking the origin of the Grail, it can be well understood why the monks of Glastonbury refrained from associating it with Joseph of Arimathaea.
