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Why was this made, and how was it used?

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Scholars agree that both the Tristan tiles and the combat tiles were probably commissioned to decorate the royal palace at Westminster in London. However, these tiles were made from molds, and later the molds seem to have been carried to Chertsey to make tiles there.  Much of Chertsey Abbey had burned in 1235 and the rebuilding took decades. These decorative tiles were laid in Chertsey's chapter house, a space dedicated to the monastery's business meetings.  The chapter house was also used to welcome important guests.  Guests would have admired the chapter house's fine pictorial floor.

Chertsey Abbey welcomed several English kings, very likely in their chapter house. King John was a routine visitor. John's son, King Henry III, held court in the Chertsey Abbey in the year of 1217. The king held a discourse on how to manage the King of France's Council which would be arriving in England soon. King Edward III also visited the Abbey frequently.

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  1. Isolde in the boat to Brittany, Tristan series tile (BM 1885,1113.8990) Brooke Hendershott

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