At the beginning of February 1113, King Henry I of England toured the monastery of Saint-Évroul. Orderic Vitalis noted that the visit, coinciding with Candlemas, was a joyous occasion during which Henry ‘sat for a while in the monks’ cloister, made a thorough examination of their establishment and, after noting the regularity of their monastic life, praised them warmly’. To emphasise the ties between the king and the abbey, and perhaps to prompt further generosity, the king may have been shown the precious liturgical vestments that his mother, Queen Matilda, had presented to Saint-Évroul. The queen had also provided funds for the monastic refectory. The following day, on entering the chapter-house, Henry ‘humbly asked to be admitted to their fraternity’. His request was granted and the king ordered a charter listing ‘everything that the abbey of Saint-Évroul possessed on that day’.

Later, when the document was brought to Henry at Rouen, he ‘willingly confirmed it, making a cross, and handed it to his magnates who were present to be similarly ratified with the sign of the cross’. Orderic explained that the charter had been made because the monks faced ‘greedy heirs’ seeking to recover possessions granted in alms to the abbey by their relatives. To counter these threats the monks had secured the king's confirmation of their lands, hoping that his charter would deter those wishing to challenge possession of the named properties. Those who wanted to make a claim against the monks were prohibited from doing so except in the king's court. Orderic ends his account of the king's visit by noting that Henry looked to strengthen his duchy's weak points against his enemies.

Although he does not explicitly say so, Orderic probably saw, met, and perhaps talked with the king in February 1113. Orderic was ‘of Henry's generation’, born just seven years after him. It is uncertain whether Orderic had encountered the king's father or his elder brothers, but when he wrote about contemporary rulers, it was probably with Henry I foremost in his mind. The Historia presents Henry I demonstrating qualities that medieval monks like Orderic expected in a king. He was pious and respectful of those who had entered the monastic life, and, moreover, such was his knowledge of monasticism that he was able to judge how far the monks of Saint-Évroul adhered to St Benedict's precepts.