Hulton Abbey

Coordinates: 53°02′22″N 2°08′33″W / 53.03944°N 2.14250°W / 53.03944; -2.14250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Hulton Abbey
Monastery information
Virgin Mary
People
Founder(s)Henry de Audley
Site
LocationAbbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Coordinates53°02′22″N 2°08′33″W / 53.03944°N 2.14250°W / 53.03944; -2.14250
Public accessYes

Hulton Abbey is a

dissolved by Henry VIII
in 1538, with its land and assets being sold.

Little remains of the abbey today, but continued excavations have revealed the foundations of a number of the principal

Heritage at Risk. The site is now owned and managed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council
.

History

Origins and foundation

Between the late 6th century and the reign of

self-sufficiency. Many of their abbeys traditionally supported themselves through agriculture.[1]

Hulton Abbey was founded in 1223 by a local landowner, Henry de Audley, as a daughter house of the Cistercian Combermere Abbey in Cheshire. The site chosen, like those of many Cistercian abbeys, was remote, being situated on the eastern side of the upper Trent valley; some of the donated land was inherited by Henry from his mother, with the remainder being specially purchased.[2] It was the last of three Cistercian monasteries built in Staffordshire, the first two being Croxden Abbey and Dieulacres Abbey.[1][3] Audley founded the abbey, like many noblemen of his time, for the benefit of his family's souls; the monks would be expected to celebrate mass for the souls of "Henry, Henry's predecessors and successors, and all the faithful departed". Further grants of land were made in the mid-thirteenth century by other local landowners, including Simon de Verney and Henry de Verdon at Normacot and Bucknall, respectively.[3]

Later development

The abbey continued to benefit from the patronage of the Audley family.

advowsons to the abbey throughout the 1340s, including that of Biddulph, Staffordshire in 1340, Marwood, Devon in 1348 and Audley, Staffordshire in 1349. Royal licence had not previously been secured for the 1349 grant and a 200 mark fine was imposed by the king before they were allowed to retain the church.[3] Despite its estate holdings, the abbey was relatively poor and this fine was reduced by half in 1351.[1] James was subsequently buried in the church, along with his son Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley and his wife Elizabeth, who left the abbey a sum of 400 marks in her will.[3]

Although mainly sheep farmers in the 13th century, the monks also engaged in other activities. A

Hanley.[1][3] Hulton Abbey was relatively small, with its poverty, when compared to other Staffordshire religious houses, only Brewood Priory being more impoverished. Due to the low income, in 1351, the 1349 fine of 200 marks was halved by the king "out of compassion for the poverty of the house". Their finances worsened with the onset of the Black Death; the abbey's annual income fell from over £26 in 1291, to just £14 by 1354.[3]

Dissolution

See also:
Dissolution of the Monasteries

Initially prompted by a dispute over the annulment of the marriage of

parliament passed the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535. The act ordered the suppression of all religious houses with an annual income of less than £200, with their assets and lands being passed to The Crown.[5]

With an income of only £87 10s. 1½d in 1535, the abbey should have been dissolved.[3][6] Despite this, the Crown granted an exemption in exchange for a fine of £66 13s. 4d.[3] In 1538 Brian Tuke, Treasurer of the Household, petitioned the Crown to grant the abbey and its lands to his son-in-law, George Tuchet, 9th Baron Audley, claiming that the abbot was willing to resign. However, when the abbot did surrender the abbey in September 1538, the property did not pass to Lord Audley but was instead sold to Edward Aston. The king granted the monks pensions, with the last abbot, Edward Wilkyns, receiving a sum of £20 a year. Following the Dissolution, the abbey quickly fell into ruin. The bells were sold, the roof lead removed and the stone used as a source of new building material.[3]

Architecture

Archaeological evidence suggests that the site included a number of principal buildings, including the abbey church,

dormitories and refectory. These main structures were arranged around a square cloister, with the church positioned on the northern side. The church was of a standard, cruciform design. It measured 42.5m long and 32m wide, was built in stone and had a relatively short nave.[7] Each end of the transept featured two adjoining chapels.[3] The chancel and the south transept are thought to have been built first, with the remainder of the church being constructed later. The chapter house is of a rectangular design and was built in 1270.[1]

Excavations have shown that the chapter house and church featured some of the earliest examples of bar tracery windows in the British Isles.[8] There is further evidence of the tracery bars being replaced several times throughout the 14th century.[9]

Archaeology and conservation

By the 19th century the site was used for entirely for agriculture, on land owned by Carmount Farm. It was not until 1884, during drainage works in the area, that the abbey was rediscovered. Small scale archaeological excavations were completed throughout the 20th century, with the first major programme of work being undertaken between 1987 and 1994 by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The works uncovered the eastern half of the church's nave and its north aisle, as well as the chapter house, dormitories, a kitchen and a refectory.[1][10] The church foundations remain visible while the majority of the other abbey structures "survive well as buried features".[1]

In 1963, Hulton Abbey was designated a

Heritage at Risk, with the visible remains identified as "vulnerable to weathering and stone decay". The site's condition is described as "poor" and in need of repair.[12]

Burials

The main graveyard was situated to the north-east of the church.

wax seal, with the impression of the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome, was found with one set of remains.[14] Professor John Cherry has posited that the seal was attached to an indulgence obtained whilst on a pilgrimage.[15]

The graves of the Audley family, other local aristocracy and senior clergy members can be found in the church itself.[1] Originally, burial here would have been reserved only for the Audley family, but by 1322 this right had been extended to anyone who had contributed to the construction of the church.[9]

Hugh Despenser the Younger

During the 1970s, the remains of a

hung, drawn and quartered.[17] Radiocarbon analysis dated the body to between 1050 and 1385, and later tests suggested it to be that of a man over 34 years old.[16]

In 2008, Dr

favourite, and purported lover, of Edward II, he held great influence at court; Despenser's political manoeuvrings earned him a number of enemies, including the king's estranged wife Queen Isabella. These enemies proved to be his downfall when, in 1326, Isabella and her ally, Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, deposed Edward II and sentenced Despenser to death as a traitor.[16] On Isabella's orders, he was hung, drawn and quartered.[17]

On 24 November 1326…Despenser was roped to four horses…and dragged through the city to the walls of his own castle, where enormous gallows had been specially constructed…Despenser was raised a full 50 feet…and was lowered onto the ladder. A man climbed along side him sliced off his penis and testicles, flinging them into the fire below…he then plunged a knife into Despenser's abdomen and cut out his entrails and heart…the corpse was lowered to the ground and the head cut off. It was later sent to London, and Despenser's arms, torso and legs were sent to be displayed above the gates of Newcastle, York, Dover and Bristol.[17]

Lewis based her identification on a number of factors including Despencer's relationship to the abbey's benefactors, the age of the remains and the cause of death. The missing bones were also cited as proof; in 1330, Hugh de Despenser's widow, Eleanor de Clare, petitioned the crown for the return of her husband's remains, but is said to have only secured his head, thigh bone and a number of vertebrae.[17][18]

Other burials

Notes

  1. ^ Hugh Despenser the Younger was married to Eleanor de Clare, whose sister Margaret de Clare was the wife of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester. Through their mother Joan of Acre, Eleanor and Margaret were granddaughters of Edward III, and thus nieces of Edward II.[17]

References and sources

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Historic England. "Hulton Abbey: a Cistercian monastery adjacent to Leek Road, Abbey Hulton (1021284)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  2. ISBN 9780141439945
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baugh, G. C.; Cowie, L. W.; Dickinson, J. C.; Duggan, A. P.; Evans, A. K. B.; Evans, R. H.; Hannam, Una C.; Heath, P.; Johnston, D. A.; Johnstone, Hilda; Kettle, Ann J.; Kirby, J. L.; Mansfield, R.; Saltman, A. (1970). Greenslade, M. W.; Pugh, R. B. (eds.). "A History of the County of Stafford". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  4. ISBN 9780142001257
    .
  5. ISBN 9780199659623
    .
  6. ^ "The Monthly Review or, Literary Journal". 21. London. 1759: 275. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Boothroyd and Klemperer, p. 25
  8. ISBN 9781842170298
    .
  9. ^ a b Boothroyd and Klemperer, p. 194
  10. ^ a b Boothroyd and Klemperer, pp. x-xii
  11. ^ "Archaeology - Scheduled Monuments". Scheduled monuments in Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke-on-Trent City Council. n.d. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Hulton Abbey, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent - Stoke-on-Trent, City of (UA)". Historic England. n.d. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  13. ISBN 9780754651109
    .
  14. ISBN 9780415185509
    .
  15. ^ Cherry, John (n.d.). "Seals from Glastonbury" (PDF). Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Clout, Laura (18 February 2008). "Abbey Body Identified as Gay Lover of Edward II". The Telegraph.
  17. ^ a b c d e "The Death of a Traitor: are these the Bones of Hugh Despenser the Younger?". University of Reading. n.d. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  18. ISBN 9780415842198
    .

Sources

External links
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