Holmcultram Abbey
Encyclopedia
Holmcultram Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1150 in what is now the village of Abbeytown
in Cumbria
in England
but at the time of foundation was in territory in the possession of David I of Scotland
, who together with his son, Henry, founded it in 1150. The mother-house was Melrose Abbey
, of the filiation of Cîteaux
.
The community established a daughter house at Grey Abbey
in Northern Ireland
in 1193.
The area was re-claimed in 1157 by Henry II of England
and the abbey's Scots origins did not protect it thereafter from attacks by Scots raiders, from whom it suffered repeatedly from 1216 onwards, with a particularly severe attack in 1319. It was dissolved
in 1538, when the parish petitioned for, and obtained, the use of the church.
Of the monastic buildings, nothing survives. The former abbey church underwent a series of structural accidents (such as the collapse of the tower in 1600) and alterations as a result of which it gradually shrank to comprise the first six bays of the nave, without aisles. In addition the roof was lowered to the height of a single storey and there were two energetic restorations in 1883 and 1913. This nevertheless left a large enough building to continue to serve to the present day as the parish church of Abbeytown.
The church was severely damaged by arson
on 9 June 2006, when original records of the monastery, including the cartulary, were destroyed.http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1795423,00.html
Abbeytown
Abbeytown, also known as Holme Abbey, is a village in Cumbria, England. It was built around the former Cistercian Holmcultram Abbey, the nave of the church of which now serves the parish as St. Mary's Church...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but at the time of foundation was in territory in the possession of David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
, who together with his son, Henry, founded it in 1150. The mother-house was Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
, of the filiation of Cîteaux
Cîteaux Abbey
Cîteaux Abbey is a Roman Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. Today it belongs to the Trappists, or Cistercians of the Strict Observance . The Cistercian order takes its name from this mother house of Cîteaux, earlier Cisteaux, near Nuits-Saint-Georges...
.
The community established a daughter house at Grey Abbey
Grey Abbey
Grey Abbey is a ruined Cistercian priory in the village of Greyabbey, County Down, Northern Ireland, currently maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1193.
The area was re-claimed in 1157 by Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
and the abbey's Scots origins did not protect it thereafter from attacks by Scots raiders, from whom it suffered repeatedly from 1216 onwards, with a particularly severe attack in 1319. It was dissolved
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1538, when the parish petitioned for, and obtained, the use of the church.
Of the monastic buildings, nothing survives. The former abbey church underwent a series of structural accidents (such as the collapse of the tower in 1600) and alterations as a result of which it gradually shrank to comprise the first six bays of the nave, without aisles. In addition the roof was lowered to the height of a single storey and there were two energetic restorations in 1883 and 1913. This nevertheless left a large enough building to continue to serve to the present day as the parish church of Abbeytown.
The church was severely damaged by arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
on 9 June 2006, when original records of the monastery, including the cartulary, were destroyed.http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1795423,00.html
Sources
- New, Anthony, 1985: A Guide to the Abbeys of England and Wales. London: Constable ISBN 0 09 463520 X
- Robinson, David (ed.), 2002: The Cistercian Abbeys of Britain. London: B.T. Batsford ISBN 0 7134 8727 5
External links
- Pictures of the church before and after the fire
- British History Online: The Register and Records of Holm Cultram: the full text of the cartulary and other records of the abbey
- Solway Plain past and present - The Abbey