Chertsey Abbey

Coordinates: 51°23′42″N 0°30′11″W / 51.3950°N 0.5031°W / 51.3950; -0.5031
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Chertsey Abbey
Frithuwald of Surrey
King Henry VI
Site
LocationChertsey,
Surrey, England
Coordinates51°23′42″N 0°30′11″W / 51.3950°N 0.5031°W / 51.3950; -0.5031
Visible remainsYes
Public accessYes
Richard I and Saladin in the British Museum
tiles

Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to

Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.[1][2]

It was founded in 666 AD by

Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same time he founded the abbey at Chertsey, Erkenwald founded Barking Abbey on the Thames east of London, where his sister Saint Ethelburga was the first abbess
.

The Founder, St Erkenwald, depicted in a state at St Albans Cathedral

In the 9th century it was sacked by the

King Henry VIII in 1537, but the community moved to Bisham
.

Remnants

The site was given to Sir William Fitzwilliam and now only slight traces remain amongst later buildings, although the abbey is remembered in many local names (for example: Abbey River, Monk's Walk, Abbey Fields). Some very fine medieval tiles from the abbey, some depicting the legend of

individual letter tiles dating to the second half of the 13th century were recovered.[4] They were assembled to form religious inscription texts on the floor and can be considered a forerunner of movable type printing.[5]

One of the Abbey's bells, cast by a

St Peter
's church, Chertsey, and is one of the oldest bells in current use in Surrey.

A medieval stained glass panel with the abbey's coat of arms is displayed in the Burrell Collection near Glasgow, and the two crossed keys (of Saint Peter) from the arms are also in the official Banner of Arms of Surrey County Council. Some illuminated manuscripts from the abbey survive in various collections. The Chertsey Breviary, c. 1300, is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Bodley Ms Lat. liturg. d. 42).

Chertsey Abbey is mentioned in William Shakespeare's Richard III, Act I, Scene 2, Line 27, where Lady Anne says, "Come now towards Chertsey with your holy load", referring to the body of Henry VI.

The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers holds the advowson of St Peter's, Chertsey, nowadays.

Later history of the site

After Sir William Fitzwilliam, Chertsey Abbey was owned by Dr John Hammond (c. 1555–1617), physician to the royal household under

death warrant
.

In the mid-19th century the site of the abbey was excavated under the supervision of the architect and archaeologist Samuel Angell, who published an account of the investigations, accompanied by a ground plan of the abbey church, in 1862.[6]

Known Abbots of Chertsey

  • Erkenwald
    founder and first Abbot of Chertsey Abbey.
  • Abbot Beocca, monastery sacked 875 by Vikings.[7]
  • Ordbert of Chertsey 964.
  • Wulfwold, Abbot of Chertsey, died 1084.
  • John de Rutherwyk, 1307–46.
  • John Corderoy, 1537.

Burials

Gallery

  • Ruined wall of Chertsey Abbey
    Ruined wall of Chertsey Abbey
  • Erkenwald teaching in the Chertsey Breviary (c.1300)
    Erkenwald
    teaching in the Chertsey Breviary (c.1300)
  • Folio 6r of the Chertsey Breviary
    Folio 6r of the Chertsey Breviary
  • Saladin tiles in the British Museum
    Saladin tiles in the British Museum
  • Conventual seal
    Conventual seal
  • Chertsey Abbey, plan of the Demesne from the Exchequer Ledger
    Chertsey Abbey, plan of the Demesne from the Exchequer Ledger
  • Plan of Chertsey Abbey, showing walls, &c., excavated in 1855
    Plan of Chertsey Abbey, showing walls, &c., excavated in 1855
  • Stone coffins excavated on site of Chertsey Abbey
    Stone coffins excavated on site of Chertsey Abbey

References

  1. ^ Brekle 1997, pp. 58–63
  2. ^ Lehmann-Haupt 1940, pp. 93–97
  3. ^ Richard and Saladin; Combat Series; Chertsey tiles, British Museum page
  4. ^ Lehmann-Haupt 1940, p. 96f
  5. ^ Brekle 1997, pp. 61f.
  6. ^ "Proceedings at Meetings of the Archaeological Institute". The Archaeological Journal. 19: 167–8. 1862.
  7. ^ Chertsey Abbey Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine history.

Bibliography

Further reading