Abbotsbury Abbey
 Abbotsbury Abbey remains and the abbey barn | |
  Location within Dorset | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Benedictines |
| Established | 11th century |
| Disestablished | 1539 |
| Dedicated to | St Peter |
| Site | |
| Location | Abbotsbury, England |
| Coordinates | 50°39′52.1″N 2°35′55.4″W / 50.664472°N 2.598722°W |
| Visible remains | tithe barn, parts of a building (possibly the abbot's house) |
| Public access | yes |
Abbotsbury Abbey, dedicated to
King Cnut's thegn Orc and his wife Tola, who handsomely endowed the monastery with lands in the area. The abbey prospered and became a local centre of power, controlling eight manor houses and villages. During the later Middle Ages, the abbey suffered much misfortune. In the time of the dissolution of the monasteries
, the last abbot surrendered the abbey and the site became the property of Sir Giles Strangways.
Today, a small part of the former Abbey estate, including the abbey's remains, and those of the nearby St Catherine's Chapel, are in the guardianship of English Heritage.
Foundation
The first reference to the site of Abbotsbury may be in a
TRE.[3] Orc also established his own guild, which according to the extant statutes, had its hall at Abbotsbury and protected the minster's interests.[2][4]
Last period and dissolution
During the 14th century the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. Under the last Abbot of Abbotsbury, Roger Roddon, the Abbey was dissolved in 1539,[5] following a visit from Dr. Thomas Legh (Leigh, Lee).[6]
Upon the surrender of the abbey, on 12 March 1539, Abbot Roger Roddon, along with the prior and eight brethren received pensions: the abbot, £80; the prior, Thomas Bradford, £9; Thomas Tolpuddle, £7; six other brethren, including William Grey and John Vynsant, £6 to £5 each; Thomas Holnest, 40s.[7] Sir
£1,906, 10s (equivalent to £1,360,000 in 2021).[9] On the one hand Strangways' own father had in fact been buried in the Abbey, and when he himself died in 1546 his will bequeathed £6 13s.4d. a year for two years for a priest to say Mass for the repose of his soul and the souls of his wife and son.[10]
Much of the land still belongs to Strangways' descendants, the Earls of Ilchester.
Remains
As was customary in such cases, Abbotsbury Abbey was largely demolished to maximize profit from the sale and to allow its stone to be reused.
The 14th century Great Barn, which at 272 ft by 31 ft is reputedly the largest
thatched tithe barn in the world,[11] was spared. Though now only half roofed, the still impressive structure has two porches, each surmounted by a watching chamber. Also spared from the general destruction was St Catherine's Chapel, used at one time as a lookout across the sea and conversely as a landmark for mariners. Both are currently Grade I listed buildings and scheduled monuments
. In the churchyard to the south of the present parish church, traces of the old abbey church can be found. A further survivor is part of the end wall of what may possible have been part of the abbot's lodging, where two fireplaces can be seen. Other ruins visible on the site may have formed part of the guesthouse customary in monasteries. Often simple in style, these nevertheless offered much sought after safe shelter for travellers. Not far away, the Abbey's former swannery has become part of an internationally famous nature reserve.
Known Abbots of Abbotsbury
| The Abbot of Abbotsbury | |
|---|---|
Shield | Azure three sets of two keys addorsed paleways bows interlaced wards in chief.[12] |
| Incumbent | In office | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Æsuuerdus | ? | appears in 1075[13] |
| [ Roger, bishop of Salisbury ] | 1107–1139 | [13] |
| Geoffrey | 1140 | [13] |
| Roger | ? | appears in 1129 x 1150.[13] |
| Geoffrey II | ? | appears in 1166.[13] |
| vacant | 1175, 1–8 July | [13] |
| Ralph? | ? | [13] |
| Roger II | ? | appears in 1201.[13] |
| Hugh | ? | appears in 1204 x 1205.[13] |
| vacant | 1213, 15 July | [13][14] |
| Hugh II | ? – 1246? | [14] |
| Roger de Brideton | 1246–1258? | [14] |
| Joan of Hilton (Helton) | 1258–1284 | [14] |
| Philip of Sherborne | 1284–1296 | [14] |
| [William of Kingston] | [14] | |
| Benedict of Loders (Lodres) | 1297–1320 | [14] |
| Ralph of Sherborne | 1320–1321 | [14] |
| Peter of Sherborne | 1321–1324 | [14] |
| William le Fauconer | 1324–1343 | [14] |
| Walter de Saunford | 1343–1348 | [14] |
| Walter de Stokes | 1348–1354 | [14] |
| Henry (of) Toller (or Tolre) | 1354–1376 | [14] |
| William Cerne | 1376–1401 | [14] |
| Robert Bylsay | 1401–1426 | [15] |
| Richard Percy | 1426–1442 | resigned in 1442[15] |
| Edward Watton | 1442–1452 | [15] |
| William Wuller | 1452–1468 | [15] |
| Hugh Dorchester | 1468–1496 | [15] |
| John Abbotsbury | 1496 (elected) | [15] |
| John Portesham | 1505 (elected) | [15] |
| Roger Roddon | 1534–1539 | last abbot, surrendered.[15] |
Henry VIII granted the abbey site to Sir Giles Strangways.[15]
Burials
- Humphrey Stafford (died 1413) and wife Elizabeth d'Aumale Mautravers Stafford
- Sir John Mautravers
- Humphrey Stafford (died 1442)
Notes
- ^ a b Keynes, "The lost cartulary of Abbotsbury", p. 207.
- ^ a b c d Keynes, "The lost cartulary of Abbotsbury", p. 208.
- ^ Keynes, "The lost cartulary of Abbotsbury", p. 209.
- ^ Dorothy Whitelock, English Historical Documents, no. 139.
- ISBN 978-0-521-86508-1.
- ^ 'Houses of Benedictine monks: The abbey of Abbotsbury', in William Page (ed.), A History of the County of Dorset: Volume 2, London, 1908, pp. 48-53. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/dorset/vol2/pp48-53 [accessed 22 September 2020].
- ^ 'Houses of Benedictine monks: The abbey of Abbotsbury', in William Page (ed.), A History of the County of Dorset: Volume 2, London, 1908, pp. 48-53. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/dorset/vol2/pp48-53 [accessed 22 September 2020].
- ^ "Houses of Benedictine monks: The abbey of Abbotsbury | British History Online".
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/strangways-sir-giles-i-1486-1546#footnote8_rohmb6j [retrieved 22 September 2020].
- ^ "Abbotsbury". jurassiccoast.org. 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ John Woodward (1894). A treatise on ecclesiastical heraldry.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Knowles, Brooke and London (2001), The heads of religious houses: England & Wales, I. 940–1216, p. 23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Smith and London (2001), The heads of religious houses: England & Wales, II. 1216–1377, pp. 15–6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Page, ed. (1908), The Victoria history of the county of Dorset, pp. 48–53.
References
- Keynes, Simon (1989). "The Lost Cartulary of Abbotsbury". .
- Knowles, David; C. N. L. Brooke; Vera C. M. London, eds. (2001). The Heads of Religious Houses: England & Wales, I. 940–1216 (2nd ed.). Cambridge: CUP.
- Page, William, ed. (1908). The Victoria History of the County of Dorset. Vol. 2. London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Online: archive.org (PDF) and british-history.ac.uk (pp. 48–53) - Pitt-Rivers, Michael (1968). Dorset. London: Faber & Faber.
- Smith, David M.; Vera C. M. London, eds. (2001). The Heads of Religious Houses: England & Wales, II. 1216–1377. Cambridge: CUP.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abbotsbury Abbey.
- Historical reconstruction of Abbotsbury Abbey from the air
- History of Abbotsbury
- Abbotsbury Abbey at English Heritage
- St Catherine's Chapel: English Heritage
