Abingdon Abbey ( '' " St Mary's Abbey " '' ) was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery located in the centre of

Abingdon-on-Thames Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historically the county town of Berkshire, since 1974 Abingdon has been ...

beside the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

. The abbey was founded c.675 AD in honour of The Virgin Mary. The

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 informs us that the abbey was a wealthy and powerful landowner : * There is nothing to see today of the abbey church. The existing buildings include : * Checker Hall ( Unicorn Theatre ). * The Checker. * The Long Gallery. * The Lower Hall. * Thames Street, the Mill and the Mill stream.

Extant buildings

There is nothing to see today of the abbey church. Apparent ruins in the Abbey Gardens are Trendell's Folly, built in the nineteenth century. Some of the stones may come from St Helen's Church. Associated monastic buildings do, however, survive, including the Abbey Exchequer, the timber-framed Long Gallery, the Abbey bakehouse, (all in the care of the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society) the Abbey gateway, St John's hospitium ( pilgrims' hostel) and the Church of Saint Nicolas. One of the original fireplaces was removed and is now still intact in Lacies Court, Abingdon School. The Unicorn Theatre is now located in part of the Abbey.

History

Early history

The abbey was supposedly founded in 675 either by Cissa, viceroy of

Centwine Centwine (died after 685) was King of Wessex from c. 676 to 685 or 686, although he was perhaps not the only king of the West Saxons at the time. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' reports that Centwine became king c. 676, succeeding Æscwine. Bede s ...

, king of the West Saxons, or by his nephew Hean, in honour of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, for twelve

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks. Cissa was buried here, as well. Endowed by successive West Saxon kings, it grew in importance and wealth until its destruction by the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

in the reign of

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who ...

, and the sequestration of its estates by Alfred because the monks had not made him a sufficient requital for vanquishing their enemies. By the 950s the abbey was in a decayed state, but in about 954 King

Eadred Eadred (c. 923 – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 26 May 946 until his death. He was the younger son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. His elder brother, Edmund, was killed try ...

appointed Æthelwold, later

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except ...

, abbot. He was one of the leaders of the

English Benedictine Reform The English Benedictine Reform or Monastic Reform of the English church in the late tenth century was a religious and intellectual movement in the later Anglo-Saxon period. In the mid-tenth century almost all monasteries were staffed by secular ...

, and Abingdon then became the second centre of the Reform (after

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

). There is a collection of 136 charters granted to this abbey by various Saxon kings. The '' Chronicle of the Monastery of Abingdon'' was written at the Abbey in the 12th century.

Sutton Courtenay

Sutton Courtenay Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon-on-Thames and northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The ...

, Abingdon Abbey constructed The Abbey as a

monastic grange Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by monasteries independent of the manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, most of which were largely ...

, used as an administrative centre for the abbey's land and tithe holdings. However, the owner of the hide of land, '' Alwin the priest ''* ( whose father* owned the land before him ),* agreed with the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

that he should retain Sutton with reversion first to his son and thereafter to the abbey, on condition of giving in Milton chapelry immediately. Almost certainly in the late twelfth century, Abingdon Abbey took two thirds of the tithes and the rector the remaining third. In 1258, following a dispute, the land was formally appropriated to the abbey and a vicarage was ordained. As it was close to Abingdon Abbey, it was probably run by the monks themselves rather than being left to a steward. In 1278, however, Hugh de Courtenay, Lord of the Manor of Sutton, sued the abbey for

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

. An allegedly biased jury was impanneled and in 1284 it found unexpectedly for Courtenay. Solomon of Rochester, the chief justice of the eyre, who presided over the jury, was the first to be partitioned by the Courtenays. The abbot of Abingdon Abbey alleged that in 1290, Solomon of Rochester had seized the goods in it belonging to the abbey. He also claimed that Solomon had extorted 40 marks from the abbey for alleged dilapidations to the rectory house. Rolls of Parliament, i. 58-9. He was not convicted of any offence.

Abbots

Abbots after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

included Faritius, physician to

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

(1100–17), and Richard of Hendred, for whose appointment the King's consent was obtained in 1262. He was present at the

Council of Lyon The Council of Lyon may refer to a number of synods or councils of the Roman Catholic Church, held in Lyon, France or in nearby Anse. Previous to 1313, a certain Abbé Martin counted twenty-eight synods or councils held at Lyons or at Anse. Some ...

in 1272. The last abbot was Thomas Pentecost alias Rowland, who was among the first to acknowledge the

Royal Supremacy The Acts of Supremacy are two acts passed by the Parliament of England in the 16th century that established the English monarchs as the head of the Church of England; two similar laws were passed by the Parliament of Ireland establishing the Eng ...

. With the rest of his community he signed the surrender of his monastery in 1538, receiving the manor of Cumnor for life or until he had preferment to the extent of £223 per annum. The revenues of the Abbey (26 Hen. VIII) were valued at £1876, 10s, 9d.

Burials

Ælfric of Abingdon Ælfric of Abingdon and also known as Ælfric of Wessex. (died 16 November 1005) was a late 10th-century Archbishop of Canterbury. He previously held the offices of abbot of St Albans Abbey and Bishop of Ramsbury, as well as likely being the abb ...

was originally buried here, before being translated to

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...

Sideman (bishop) __NOTOC__ Sideman (or Sidemann) was a medieval Bishop of Crediton. Sideman was elected to Crediton in 973. He died on 30 April or 1 May or 2 May in 977.Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 215 According to Byrhtferth of Ramsey, Sideman was ...

was buried here, too, as were Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, and

Fulk FitzRoy Fulk FitzRoy was an illegitimate son of Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was ...

. ;Other burials *

Robert D'Oyly Robert D'Oyly (also spelt Robert D'Oyley de Liseaux, Robert Doyley, Robert de Oiley, Robèrt d'Oilly, Robert D'Oyley and Roberti De Oilgi) was a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror on the Norman conquest, his invasion of Engl ...

and his wife Ealdgyth * Siward (Abbot of Abingdon) * Ralph Basset and his father Thurston Ralph Bassett *

John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle (April 1480 – 9 September 1504) was a British peer of the Tudor period. Upon his death the title Viscount Lisle became extinct, but the Barony of Lisle passed to his unborn daughter Elizabeth, his only child ...

* Margaret, Countess of Pembroke *

Mary of Waltham Mary of Waltham (10 October 1344 – September 1361),Some sources state 1362 as year of death Duchess of Brittany, was a daughter of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault and was the wife of John IV, Duke of Brittany, known in En ...

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * *

External links

Abingdon Abbey Buildings
The Friends of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust
Abingdon (St Mary), abbey of
Open Domesday
Sutton Courtenay
Open Domesday {{coord, 51, 40, 14, N, 1, 16, 31, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 7th-century establishments in England 1538 disestablishments in England

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The c ...

Anglo-Saxon monastic houses Benedictine monasteries in England Grade I listed buildings in Oxfordshire Grade I listed monasteries Monasteries in Berkshire Monasteries in Oxfordshire Christian monasteries established in the 7th century Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Churches completed in 675 7th-century church buildings in England