Basingwerk Abbey ( cy, Abaty Dinas Basing) is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

ruined

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 ...

near Holywell,

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The abbey, which was founded in the 12th century, belonged to the Order of Cistercians. It maintained significant lands in the English county of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. The abbey was abandoned and its assets sold following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. The site is now managed by

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...

– the national Welsh heritage agency.

Medieval history

Basinwerk Abbey miniature by Moses Griffiths

The abbey was founded in 1132 by Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, who had already brought

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 from Savigny Abbey in southern

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. Likely the first location of the abbey was not at the current location at Greenfields but at the nearby Hen Blas. The abbey became part of the

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

Order in 1147. It was a daughter house of

Combermere Abbey Combermere Abbey is a former monastery, later a country house, near Burleydam, between Nantwich, Cheshire and Whitchurch in Shropshire, England, located within Cheshire and near the border with Shropshire. Initially Savigniac and later Cis ...

in Cheshire, of which Earl Ranulf was a great benefactor. However, in 1147 the abbot and convent of Savigny transferred it to

Buildwas Abbey Buildwas Abbey was a Cistercian (originally Savigniac) monastery located on the banks of the River Severn, at Buildwas, Shropshire, England - today about two miles (3 km) west of Ironbridge. Founded by the local bishop in 1135, it was spars ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. Twenty years later, the monks of Basingwerk challenged their subjection to Buildwas, but Savigny found against them and sent a letter notifying their decision to the abbot of Cîteaux, the head of the Cistercian order. An

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, and a ...

gave the manor of

West Kirby West Kirby is a resort town on the north-west corner of the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, to the north-east lies Hoylake, to the east Grange ...

to the Abbey. In 1157,

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great ( cy, Owain Fawr) and the first to be ...

encamped his army at Basingwerk, though at the Hen Blas site not at the current site, before facing the forces of Henry II at the

Battle of Ewloe The Battle of Ewloe (also known as the Battle of Coleshill) was a battle fought in July 1157 between a large army led by Henry II of England and an army led by the Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd. The location was marked with a plaque to commemora ...

. The Welsh Prince stopped at the abbey because of its strategic importance. It blocked the route Henry II had to take to reach

Twthill, Rhuddlan Twthill ( cy, Twtil) is a Norman castle located near the town of Rhuddlan, Denbighshire in Wales; historic names for the site include Toothill and Tot Hill Castle and it is also known as Old Rhuddlan Castle. It is a motte-and-bailey castle and ...

. In the fighting that followed, Owain Gwynedd split his army routing the English near

Ewloe Ewloe (; cy, Ewlo, ) is a village and electoral ward in the community of Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated close to the Flintshire/Cheshire sector of the Wales-England border. The A55 expressway passes through Ewloe and its m ...

. The abbey had significant lands in the English county of

. Henry II gave the monks a manor near

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manche ...

. The Monks' Road and the

Abbot's Chair The Abbot's Chair is the common name of a former monastic cross, the Charlesworth Cross. Only the socket remains of this boundary cross, built by the monks of Basingwerk Abbey in North Wales. Henry II of England gave the manor of Glossop to t ...

near the town are a reminder of the Abbey's efforts to administer their possession. In 1290 the Abbey gained a

market charter A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

for Glossop. The monks also got another charter for nearby Charlesworth in 1328. By the 13th century, the abbey was under the patronage of

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and ...

, Prince of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, an ...

. His son

Dafydd ap Llywelyn Dafydd ap Llywelyn (''c.'' March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was the first ruler in Wales to claim the title Prince of Wales. Birth and descent Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have ...

gave St Winefride's Well to the abbey. The monks harnessed the power of the Holywell stream to run a corn mill and to treat the wool from their sheep. In 1433, the monks leased all of Glossopdale in Derbyshire to the Talbot family, the future

Earls of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

(1442). A legend says a 12th-century Basingwerk Abbey monk was lured into a nearby wood by the singing of a

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

. He thought he had only been listening a short while, but when he returned, the abbey was in ruins. He crumbled to dust shortly afterwards. In 1536, abbey life came to an end with the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Its dissolution was made lawful by the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act and the lands of the abbey were granted to lay owners. Two centuries earlier a Welsh seer, ''Robin Ddu'' ("Robin the Dark"), said the roof on the refectory would go to a church under

Moel Famau Moel Famau is the highest hill in the Clwydian Range and the highest point (county top) of the county of Flintshire in Wales (both the historic county and the current council area). It lies on the boundary between Denbighshire and Flintshire. ...

. It did: when the abbey was sold, the parts of the roof went to St Mary's Church in

Cilcain Cilcain is a village and community, near Mold in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The village has an industrial history and includes the Millennium Woods, a post office, a public house, a parish church, a primary school (Ysgol y Foel) and a village ...

below the slopes of Moel Famau. Another section of roof was reportedly given to the Collegiate and Parochial Church of St Peter at

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas ...

, where it still covers the North Nave. Its Jesse window went to the Church of St Dyfnog at

Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch is a village and local government community in Denbighshire, Wales, including the villages of Llanrhaeadr and Pentre Llanrhaeadr and several hamlets, including Saron, Pant Pastynog, Prion, Peniel and part of Mynydd Hi ...

Present day

The abbey ruins are part of Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, and are managed by

. The abbey marks the starting point of the

North Wales Pilgrims Way The North Wales Pilgrim's Way ( cy, Taith Pererin Gogledd Cymru) is a long-distance walking route in North Wales, running from near Holywell in the east to Bardsey Island ( cy, Ynys Enlli) in the west. The first half of the trail takes an inlan ...

Footnotes

External links

Basingwerk Abbey in old booksgeograph.co.uk: photos of Basingwerk Abbey and surrounding area today
{{Authority control Ruins in Wales Cistercian monasteries in Wales Cadw 1132 establishments in Wales 1536 disestablishments in Wales Religious organizations established in the 1130s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Tourist attractions in Flintshire Buildings and structures in Flintshire Ruined abbeys and monasteries Grade I listed buildings in Flintshire Scheduled monuments in Flintshire Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation

Medieval history

Present day

See also

Footnotes

Further reading

External links