Owston Abbey was an
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
in
Owston,
Leicestershire,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
History
Owston Abbey was founded before 1161 by Robert Grimbald.
[ The abbey was endowed with the church and manor of Owston. By 1166 the abbey had also acquired the ]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 ...
s of the churches of Burrough, King's Norton
Kings Norton, alternatively King's Norton, is an area of Birmingham, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Worcestershire, it was also a Birmingham City Council ward (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, Engl ...
and Slawston
Slawston is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, north-east of Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast ...
, in Leicestershire; Tickencote
Tickencote is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is noted for St Peter's Church, with its Norman chancel arch. The population at the 2001 census was 67. At the 2011 census the populatio ...
in Rutland; and North Witham
North Witham is a small village and nominally a civil parish in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. The village is located along the upper course of the River Witham 1.5 miles downstream (north) of South Witham, and approximately south fr ...
in Lincolnshire. Around 1341 the abbey also gained the manor and church of Muston, Leicestershire
Muston (pronounced ''Musson'') is an village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bottesford, in the Melton district, in north-east Leicestershire, England. It is 18.6 miles (30 km) east of Nottingham, five miles (8 km) west ...
, and was granted the manor of Normanton by Robert de Golville.[Houses of Augustinian canons: The abbey of Owston]
''A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2'' (1954), pp. 21-23. Date accessed: 27 June 2013
Despite its endowment and rank, "Owston remained one of the smaller and poorer Augustinian houses".[ When the abbey was visited by ]William Alnwick
William Alnwick (died 1449) was an English Catholic clergyman. He was Bishop of Norwich (1426–1436) and Bishop of Lincoln (1436–1449).
Educated at Cambridge, Alnwick was an ecclesiastic priest. He was probably the same hermit who lived in ...
, Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.
The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...
, in 1440, the abbey was described as being in poverty. It had an annual income of only £40, but debts of 100 marks.[
In 1377 there were 17 canons at the abbey, and in 1440 there were 15. By 1534 the number had fallen again to 11 and by 1536 only 6 canons remained at the abbey.][
In 1534 the Abbot and 11 canons accepted King Henry VIII's royal supremacy over the church. In the ]Valor Ecclesiasticus
The ''Valor Ecclesiasticus'' (Latin: "church valuation") was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII. It was colloquially called the Kings books, a s ...
of 1535 the abbey was recorded among the smaller religious houses, with an annual income of £161.14s. 2d. The abbey was dissolved with the smaller monasteries in 1536. All of the canons of the abbey wished to give up their monastic lives and the abbot was awarded an annual pension of £18.[ By 1556 the abbey is described as being "ruined".][
The chancel and other fragments of the abbey church were incorporated into the present St Andrew's parish church on the site. A gatehouse at the south-west corner of the nave was demolished in the 18th century and remains of earthworks and foundations can be found to the south and south-west of the present church, along with several fish-ponds which have been environmentally investigated. The abbey's cloister is thought to have been to the south of the church, and some associated stonework exists below ground.][
The site is a ]scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
Abbots of Owston Abbey
List of Abbots of Owston Abbey:
*Odo, occurs in or before 1161.
*Edward, occurs 1183-4.
*Ralph, occurs 1202.
*Richard, admitted 1236.
*Peter of Leycestre, elected 1241, died 1264.
*William of Flamstead, elected 1264, died 1268.
*Ivo of Cosseby, elected 1268, resigned 1280.
*John Chaumberleyn, elected 1280, resigned 1284.
*Ivo of Cosseby, elected 1284, resigned 1286.
*Robert of Lincoln, elected 1286, died 1289.
*Ernald of Slawston, elected 1289, died 1298.
*Richard of Bokesworth, elected 1298, died 1316.
*Robert of Staunford, elected 1316, resigned 1322.
*William of Braunston, elected 1322.
*John of Kibbeworth, occurs 1344, died 1355.
*William of Cottesmore, elected 1355, resigned 1401.
*Robert of Nouesle, elected 1401, resigned 1421.
*William Kilpesham, elected 1421, died 1467.
*Robert Kirkeby, elected 1467, resigned 1481.
*Henry Medban, elected 1481, occurs 1497.
*John Belton, admitted 1504, resigned 1520.
*John Slawston, last abbot, elected 1520.[
]
References
{{Monasteries in Leicestershire , state=expanded
Monasteries in Leicestershire
Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation