Cradle of Henry V the son of Mary de Bohun and Henry Bolingbroke, and the grandson of John of Gaunt. Monmouth was among Henry of Bolingbroke's possessions and it was where the newly married couple lived for several years. Mary was to die in 1394; Henry Bolingbroke ousted king Richard II and became Henry IV, King of England, in 1399. The young Henry of Monmouth succeeded his father to become King Henry V in 1413. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the cradle was famous locally and its claim to be a genuine relic of Henry V's childhood was generally accepted. It was
Stephen, King of England also risen to power under Henry I. Henry of Blois had become a Cluniac monk and followed Stephen to England, where the King made him Abbot of Glastonbury, the richest abbey in England. The King then appointed him Bishop of Winchester, one of the richest bishoprics, allowing him to retain Glastonbury as well. The combined revenues of the two positions made Henry of Winchester the second-richest man in England after the King. Henry of Winchester was keen to reverse what he perceived as encroachment by the Norman kings on the rights of the church. The Norman kings had traditionally exercised