Sibton Abbey
Encyclopedia
Sibton Abbey, an early Cistercian abbey located near Yoxford
, Suffolk
, was founded about 1150 by William de Chesney, High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
. A sister house of Warden Abbey, near Bedford
, Bedfordshire
, Sibton Abbey was the only Cistercian abbey in East Anglia
.
Sibton Abbey was founded by the normal complement of 13 monks, but by the thirteenth century the numbers of monks and lay brothers had grown, and the Abbey had grown rich, owning lands across southeast England, including estates in Norfolk
, Suffolk
and on the borders of Cambridgeshire
, as well as within 10 parishes of the city of Norwich
. From the beginning of the thirteenth century the Abbey also hosted a hospital at its gate dedicated to St. John the Baptist which cared for the sick. The Abbey was one of the main religious houses under control of the Bishop of Norwich
in the See of Norwich. Sibton's architectural style was in the austere Cistercian model.
In the intervening years, Sibton grew rich on proceeds from the wool trade, which built so many grand English churches
. Although Suffolk wool wasn't of the finest quality, according to some historians, often stained with tar or grease, it was nevertheless in great demand, particularly in East Anglia, which had many Flemish weavers anxious to convert it into exportable cloth.
At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, Sibton Abbey's annual income was £250, a hefty sum which should have bought the Abbey an additional couple of years before it was dissolved. But the recently-appointed Abbot William Flatbury, installed at the insistence of the Duke of Norfolk, apparently was prevailed upon by the Duke and by Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
, to hasten the Dissolution, and yield the jewel to those in Royal favour. The engineering of Flatbury's appointment, according to a contemporaneous observer, had been done with the "connivance of Cromwell on purpose to bring about a speedy surrender."
In 1536 the Abbey and its riches were transferred to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
. The Duke subsequently sold the Abbey again to Thomas Godsalve, who in turn sold it to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
.
In 1610 the Abbey and Manor were sold to John Scrivener, son of Ralph Scrivener, an Ipswich
barrister grown rich in the wool trade, and the family built an estate nearby. John Scrivener's brother Matthew
was an early Governor of the Virginia Colony, where he drowned in 1609. John Scrivener's sister Elizabeth was married to Harbottle Wingfield of Crowfield Hall, Suffolk, cousin of Edward Maria Wingfield
, the first President of the Jamestown Colony
. John Scrivener's son, Thomas Scrivener Esq., married Mary Bedingfield, only daughter and heir of William Bedingfield, of Fressingfield
, Suffolk
and a relation of Sir Henry Bedingfield.
Today Sibton Abbey is a picturesque ruin, largely overgrown, with the refectory and the south wall of the nave still visible. The Abbey and the Manor remain in the hands of the Scrivener heirs, today's Levett-Scrivener
family, and the ruins are private. Many of the chartularies of the old Abbey were transferred to the East Suffolk Record Office by J.E. Levett-Scrivener Esq., who also transferred some of the Abbey's early medieval music.
In centuries past, the Levett-Scrivener family sometimes made the ruins available to county historical societies and historians. The Abbey ruins and the adjoining estate are Grade II listed buildings. The buildings are not open to the public.
Yoxford
Yoxford is a village in the east of Suffolk, England close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve , Aldeburgh and Southwold.-Location and features:...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, was founded about 1150 by William de Chesney, High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually by the Crown. He was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county and presided at the Assizes and other important county meetings...
. A sister house of Warden Abbey, near Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, Sibton Abbey was the only Cistercian abbey in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
.
Sibton Abbey was founded by the normal complement of 13 monks, but by the thirteenth century the numbers of monks and lay brothers had grown, and the Abbey had grown rich, owning lands across southeast England, including estates in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and on the borders of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, as well as within 10 parishes of the city of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. From the beginning of the thirteenth century the Abbey also hosted a hospital at its gate dedicated to St. John the Baptist which cared for the sick. The Abbey was one of the main religious houses under control of the Bishop of Norwich
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
in the See of Norwich. Sibton's architectural style was in the austere Cistercian model.
In the intervening years, Sibton grew rich on proceeds from the wool trade, which built so many grand English churches
Wool church
A wool church is an English church built primarily from the proceeds of the mediaeval wool trade. Wool churches are common in the Cotswolds and in East Anglia, where enormous profits from the wool business spurred construction of ever-grander edifices....
. Although Suffolk wool wasn't of the finest quality, according to some historians, often stained with tar or grease, it was nevertheless in great demand, particularly in East Anglia, which had many Flemish weavers anxious to convert it into exportable cloth.
At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
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...
, Sibton Abbey's annual income was £250, a hefty sum which should have bought the Abbey an additional couple of years before it was dissolved. But the recently-appointed Abbot William Flatbury, installed at the insistence of the Duke of Norfolk, apparently was prevailed upon by the Duke and by Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
, to hasten the Dissolution, and yield the jewel to those in Royal favour. The engineering of Flatbury's appointment, according to a contemporaneous observer, had been done with the "connivance of Cromwell on purpose to bring about a speedy surrender."
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
. The Duke subsequently sold the Abbey again to Thomas Godsalve, who in turn sold it to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Admiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden....
.
In 1610 the Abbey and Manor were sold to John Scrivener, son of Ralph Scrivener, an Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
barrister grown rich in the wool trade, and the family built an estate nearby. John Scrivener's brother Matthew
Matthew Scrivener
Matthew Scrivener was an English colonist in Virginia. He served briefly as acting governor of Jamestown, when he was succeeded by Captain John Smith...
was an early Governor of the Virginia Colony, where he drowned in 1609. John Scrivener's sister Elizabeth was married to Harbottle Wingfield of Crowfield Hall, Suffolk, cousin of Edward Maria Wingfield
Edward Maria Wingfield
Sir Edward Maria Wingfield, sometimes hyphenated as Edward-Maria Wingfield, was a soldier, Member of Parliament, and English colonist in America...
, the first President of the Jamestown Colony
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
. John Scrivener's son, Thomas Scrivener Esq., married Mary Bedingfield, only daughter and heir of William Bedingfield, of Fressingfield
Fressingfield
Fressingfield is a small village in Suffolk, England, east of Diss, Norfolk. It has a population of over 900, with two shops a medical centre and three churches, with Anglican, Baptist and Methodist congregations. Fressingfield once had five public houses...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and a relation of Sir Henry Bedingfield.
Today Sibton Abbey is a picturesque ruin, largely overgrown, with the refectory and the south wall of the nave still visible. The Abbey and the Manor remain in the hands of the Scrivener heirs, today's Levett-Scrivener
Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener
Captain Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener was a Royal Navy Flag Lieutenant and aide to Vice Admiral George Willes in the Far East. He was later promoted to Captain, and following his retirement became Bursar of Keble College, Oxford University...
family, and the ruins are private. Many of the chartularies of the old Abbey were transferred to the East Suffolk Record Office by J.E. Levett-Scrivener Esq., who also transferred some of the Abbey's early medieval music.