Although it rather lets us down in having no inscription, the iconography of the Bodiam Castle badge fits Bermondsey’s rood perfectly as far as I'm concerned. Christ is, once again, shown in Volto Santo style, but, as on the known Bermondsey badge, he has a distinctive forked beard - a feature seen on the actual Volto Santo of Lucca but that is missing on the Lucca pilgrim badges, which is odd. What sets the Bodiam badge apart is the water at the foot of the crucifix; perhaps a nod towards the legend of the miraculous discovery of the rood in the Thames.
Finally, the badge is set in a battlemented gateway - a feature not seen on other Volto Santo type badges, but one that fits perfectly with the Holy Rood of Bermondsey’s position on the abbey's Great North Gate. It is admittedly very different to the other Bermondsey badge, but that's not entirely unusual with pilgrim badges and may simply be due to different makers or different interpretations over the life of the pilgrimage.
Medieval journeys
As is often the case, we cannot say for sure where this badge came from. It’s beyond much doubt that it relates to one copy or another of the Volto Santo, but I believe that the evidence does point strongly towards the Holy Rood of Bermondsey. Perhaps we can imagine that, sometime in the late 14th or early 15th century, a member of the Bodiam Castle household made the sixty mile pilgrimage to the south eastern edge of London and there purchased a cheap pewter ‘sign’ to mark their visit, only to drop or dispose of it as they walked the final yards home across the castle bridge.
As for the fate of Bermondsey Abbey and its holy rood... It went the way of them all. The abbey surrendered in 1538; the great rood was taken down ‘by the King’s command’ and the pilgrims stopped coming. The abbey buildings became, at first, a large private dwelling, but gradually became fragmented and dilapidated as Bermondsey sank into its later fate as one of London’s most notorious slums.
Many of the buildings, including the Great North Gateway, survived until at least 1822; finally to be swept away as the area was developed. The site has been well excavated, giving us a good idea of where the buildings stood, but virtually nothing can be seen above ground today; just a few bits of wall and, rather oddly, two surviving iron hinge posts from the abbey’s former outer gate.
Of its treasures, we have just a few books, plus one or two souvenir pilgrim badges...