Dissolution and remains
In the years leading up to dissolution, Coverham Abbey had been reduced to a modest size with fewer than a dozen monks, whose lands and comforts were managed by their monastic bailiff, Edward Loftus, father of the future Archbishop Adam Loftus. [4] Early in 1536, the King’s receiver William Blytheman, assisted by the Abbey's last seneschal Thomas Wraye, [5] [lower-alpha 1] sent inspectors to the Abbey to search for misdemeanours, record rents and compile an inventory of possessions, no doubt ably assisted by Loftus. [lower-alpha 2] By April, the Abbot was granted a pension, the monks offered the chance recant their vows and the monastery was stripped of all value, including “781 oz. of silver plate and 3 oz. Gold” included 6 brass bells and all the lead stripped from the roofs. [6] What was left was sold to Humphrey Orme twenty years later and rapidly fell into ruin.
The principal surviving remains include the ruins of the church and the guesthouse, which were incorporated into two houses: Garth Cottage, and another house built on the site in 1674. [7] This was replaced in the late 18th century by the current building known as Coverham Abbey House but still retains the surviving monastic features. It is in stone, and has a stone slate roof with stone copings and shaped kneelers. There are two storeys and an L-shaped plan, with a main range of five bays. On the south front is a Doric doorway with an entablature, a fanlight and an open pediment. The windows are sashes, the window above the door is tripartite and has a moulded hood mould. The older range is lower and on the east front is a long Latin inscription. [8] [9]
The ruins of the gatehouse at the entry to the grounds of Coverham Abbey are in stone with a stone slate roof, and consist of an archway and flanking gatehouse buildings. The arch is semicircular with two chamfered orders and moulded imposts. The buildings each has a small vent and a chamfered window, and the sides have been converted into barrel vaulted chambers for animal shelters. [10] [9]
There are many sculptural remains preserved. Two stone effigies have been set against a garden wall at Coverham Abbey House. The right effigy is the earlier, depicting a knight in chain mail with a surcoat, a long sword and a shield. The hands are folded in prayer, and the legs are crossed. The left effigy dates from the early 14th century, and depicts a knight, also in chain mail with a surcoat, a sword and a shield, and with crossed legs. Behind it is a scene of a stag chased by two hounds, with a third hound biting the shield. [11] [9]
The site is usually inaccessible to the public but can be glimpsed from the churchyard of Coverham's redundant medieval parish church, Holy Trinity Church, Coverham.
The exterior of the abbey and its grounds doubled as the home of Mrs Bond in two early episodes of the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small . [12]
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Coverham Bridge is a historic bridge in Coverham, a village in North Yorkshire, in England.
Garth Cottage is a historic building in Coverham, a village in North Yorkshire, in England.
