notwithstanding this income and also important privileges and exemptions that were bestowed from an early date on the house by king edward ii and pope boniface viii, the nuns' income seems to have been modest to poor. in 1290 we find a reference to the poor state of the buildings, and in the 14th century the nuns were repeatedly let off both ecclesiastical and civil taxes on the grounds of their poverty. nevertheless, in that same century there came a series of substantial benefactions from influential figures, such as queen isabella, widow of edward ii, margaret, countess of norfolk and john of gaunt, duke of lancaster.