Beaulieu Abbey
Site | |
---|---|
Location | Beaulieu, Hampshire, England |
Visible remains | cloister, refectory (now the parish church) and west range, gatehouse, foundations of the church, many other ruins, earthworks |
Public access | yes |
Beaulieu Abbey was a
History
Foundation
The first
Monks from Beaulieu founded four daughter houses, Netley Abbey in Hampshire (1239), Hailes Abbey in Gloucestershire (1246), Newenham Abbey in Devon (1247) and St Mary Graces Abbey in London (1350).
Buildings
The abbey's buildings were of a scale and magnificence reflecting its status as an important royal foundation.
South of the church stood a
Exemption and sanctuary
Dissolution
In 1535 the abbey's income was assessed in the
The last abbot of Beaulieu was Abbot Thomas Stevens, elected in 1536, who had formerly been abbot of the recently dissolved abbey of Netley, across Southampton Water.[1] Though Beaulieu managed to survive until April 1538, at that point it was finally forced to surrender to the government.[1] Many of the monks were granted pensions, the abbot receiving 100 marks per year.[1] Abbot Thomas ended his days as treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral.[8] He died in 1550.[8]
At the
Country mansion
After Beaulieu fell there was much competition amongst courtiers to gain ownership of the abbey and its valuable estates, but eventually Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, won the struggle and King Henry granted him the abbey itself and 3,441 hectares of the Beaulieu lands.[6]
As soon as he took over, Wriothesley set about building himself a house on the site. He demolished the church, as was common practice but, unusually, instead of converting the buildings around the cloister into a home he chose the great gatehouse as the core of his mansion[6] (compare Wriothesley's other converted monastery at Titchfield Abbey or the conversion of neighbouring Netley Abbey). This survives – much extended – as the modern country house at Beaulieu known as Palace House. Lord Southampton preserved the monks' refectory, which he gave to the people of Beaulieu village to be their parish church,[6] a function it still serves today. The west range of the abbey, known as the Domus, was also saved. The rest of the abbey was allowed to fall into ruin.
Today
Although a great deal was destroyed at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, there is still much to see. The groundplan of the 102-metre-long church can be seen on the lawns. The position of the altar is marked by a cross and flanking trees. The Domus, once the lay brothers' refectory and lodgings and, later, chambers for important guests once the lay brothers had vanished, now houses an exhibition of monastic life prior to Thomas Wriothesley's takeover. Visitors can view a series of modern embroidered wall hangings made by Belinda, Lady Montagu,[9] depicting scenes from medieval monastic life and the history of the abbey since 1204. The abbey refectory survives as the parish church and there are substantial ruins of the other buildings round the cloister. The abbey cloister is a place of tranquillity, planted with fragrant herbs. Beaulieu remains in the hands of the descendants of Wriothesley, who still live there.
The Abbey is open to the public as part of the visitor attraction known as "Beaulieu", which includes:
- Beaulieu Abbey
- National Motor Museum
- Beaulieu Palace House
- World of Top Gear
- Secret Army Exhibition – an exhibit about the Special Operations Executive training at Beaulieu during World War II
- Gardens
- A monorail
- Rides
The Domus is regularly used for events, dining and corporate hospitality.[9]
Folklore
Foundation legend
Beaulieu Abbey was the sole religious foundation of King John. The legend of this event, first told in a Kirkstall chartulary, is related by the antiquarian William Dugdale, who incorrectly suggested that "King John being offended with the Cistercian order in England, and the Abbots of that Order coming to him to reconcile themselves, he caused them to be trod under his Horses Feet, for which Action being terrified in a Dream, he built and bestowed the Abby of Beau-lieu in Newforest for 30 monks of that order."[10][page needed] The legend was repeated in a later work by the topographer Thomas Cox.[11][page needed] Modern re-tellings[clarification needed] of the king's "babbling dream" state that he dreamed of being scourged with rods and thongs by the abbots he had commanded be trampled and he awoke to find his body still ached from the blows in his dream.[12][page needed][13][page needed][14][page needed] The king is said [by whom?]to have taken great interest in the construction of the abbey and even to have expressed a desire to be entombed beneath the high altar.[15][page needed]
Reported hauntings
Beaulieu, according to the official website, is one of the most haunted places in Britain, with reported sightings going back over a hundred years.[14][16][17][18][failed verification]
The sound of Gregorian chant, considered an omen by local tradition, have been reported by Mrs Elizabeth Varley, daughter of John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, and Michael C. Sedgwick, former curator of the National Motor Museum, amongst others.[13][14][18][19][unreliable source?][20][21]
Among the many reported sightings of monks (allegedly white and brown clad) in the abbey ruins and in the parish church,[13][19][unreliable source?] including one by the actress Margaret Rutherford,[13][17] is an often repeated tale[by whom?] involving a group of local boys sheltering from a storm in a disused boathouse who see a rowing boat making for the shore.[13][22]
The eccentric Reverend Robert Frazer Powles, Vicar of Beaulieu (1886–1939), claimed to have gone so far as to converse with ghostly monks whom he knew by name, and even to have celebrated candlelit midnight mass every Christmas Eve for them.[13][14][16][19][unreliable source?][23]
In culture
Beaulieu Abbey is the setting of the opening chapters in
Burials at the abbey
See also
- Great Coxwell Barn
- Titchfield Abbey
- Baron Montagu of Beaulieu
- List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches
Notes
- ^ ISBN 0-7129-0592-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7134-8392-5.
- ^ Graham, Rose. "Two Records of Plate and Vestments Removed from Beaulieu Abbey in 1399" (PDF). archaeologydataservice.ac.uk.
- ^ "Beaulieu Liberty". british-history.ac.uk.
- .
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7134-8392-5.
- ISBN 0-436-37557-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-901179-91-4.
- ^ a b "Historic Cistercian Abbey | Beaulieu, New Forest". beaulieu.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ Dugdale, William (1655–1673). Monasticon Anglicanum.
- ^ Cox, Thomas (1720–1731). Magna Britannia.
- ^ Klitz, Thomas (2003). Tales of the New Forest. Ann Perrett.
- ^ a b c d e f Scanlan, David (2013). Paranormal Hampshire. Amberley Publishing.
- ^ a b c d Underwood, Peter (2013). Where the Ghosts Walk. Souvenir Press.
- ^ Parr, Donald A. (1996). Web of Fear. Breedon Books.
- ^ a b Pearse, Bowen (2011). The Ghost-Hunter's Casebook. The History Press.
- ^ a b Brode, Anthony (1981). Haunted Hampshire. Countryside Books.
- ^ a b "Beaulieu Attractions". beaulieu.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ a b c "Beaulieu Fun Facts" (PDF). beaulieu.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ Bord, Janet & Colin (1990). Atlas of Magical Britain. Sidgwick & Jackson.
- ^ Brooks, John (1990). Britain's Haunted Heritage. Jarrold Publishing.
- ^ Lamont-Brown, Raymond (1972). Phantoms, Legends, Customs and Superstitions of the Sea. Patrick Stephens.
- ^ Yandell, Chris (31 October 2013). "Hannah Broughton claims she has photographed Beaulieu's ghostly Lady in Blue". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ^ "Youth and Age on Beaulieu River"[permanent dead link]
External links
- Beaulieu - official attraction site including the Abbey
- In-depth history of the abbey from the Victoria County History
- Beaulieu at The Heritage Trail
- Beaulieu on the Sheffield University Cistercian abbeys website
- Image of Palace House, the Tudor and later mansion built around the former monastic gatehouse. The mediaeval building is on the right
- Ruins of the chapter house of the abbey