 He was a distinguished scholar and theologian who at times served as a diplomat for the crown.In 1321 he was given a relic of the Holy Cross by William de Gradisson, and the abbey became a centre of pilgrimage.Large parts of the 12th- and 13th-century buildings, including the north and south transepts and the interior columns, together with some tiles, wooden fittings and fragments of stained glass, remain in place today, incorporated into the later church.