Roche Abbey | |
---|---|
Type | Abbey |
Location | Rotherham, South Yorkshire |
Coordinates | 53°24′09″N1°11′00″W / 53.4025°N 1.1834°W |
Governing body | English Heritage |
Owner | Private |
Official name | Roche Abbey Cistercian monastery, including monastic precinct, gatehouse and 18th century landscape garden |
Designated | 8 February 1911 |
Reference no. | 1019059 |
Official name | Sandbeck Park and Roche Abbey |
Type | Grade II* |
Designated | 1 June 1984 |
Reference no. | 1001161 |
Roche Abbey is a now-ruined abbey in the civil parish of Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the valley of Maltby Dyke, known locally as Maltby Beck, and is administered by English Heritage. It is a scheduled monument and Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. [1]
The abbey was founded in 1147 when the stone buildings [2] were raised on the north side of the beck. The co-founders of Roche were Richard de Busli, likely the great-nephew [3] of the first Roger de Busli, the Norman magnate builder of Tickhill Castle, and Richard FitzTurgis. [4] When the monks first arrived in South Yorkshire from Newminster Abbey in Northumberland, they chose the most suitable side of the stream that runs through the valley to build their new Cistercian monastery. Twenty-five years later, at the end of the century, the Norman Gothic great church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, had been finished, as well as most of the other buildings. The control of the abbey was vested in the de Vesci family, lords of Rotherham, who in turn subfeuded the land to Richard FitzTurgis, lord of Wickersley (and who took Wickersley as his surname). [5]
From the start, the Abbey of Roche, built for the so-called White Monks, as the Cistercians were known, had an almost otherworldly air. It was, after all, built at the northern end of an area once covered by Sherwood Forest, and it was said that Robin Hood went to Mass here. (A diocesan pilgrimage is still made today on Trinity Sunday.) [6] At its height it supported a community of around 175 men, of whom about 60 were choir monks, the remainder being lay brothers, a Cistercian innovation. [7]
Eventually, on the death of co-founder FitzTurgis, [8] control of the abbey passed to his son Roger, now 'de Wickersley', [9] and then eventually to a granddaughter Constantia, who married William de Livet (Levett), a family of Norman origin who were lords of the nearby village of Hooton Levitt (or Levett). [10] The abbey continued in the Levett family until 1377, when John Levett sold his rights in the abbey to the London merchant Richard Barry. [11] By the time of the dissolution full control of Roche Abbey was held by Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, who came in for numerous grants at the Dissolution as he was married to the niece of King Henry VIII. [12] [13]
The Roche Abbey records have been either lost or destroyed, so there are no accounts of the abbey's activities, other than that there were 14 monks and an unknown number of novices at the time of the dissolution by Henry VIII on 23 June 1538. It was this that led to the abbey being reduced to ruins, although the surviving parts of the walls of the north and south transepts are still impressive. [14] The local community at time of the dissolution decided they had first right of claim on Roche Abbey and its possessions. Timber, lead and stone were also removed in vast quantities. [15]
Between 1567–1591, Michael Sherbrook wrote an influential account of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, The Falle of Religiouse Howses, Colleges, Chantreys, Hospitalls, &c. [16] Sherbrook was rector of nearby Wickersley while writing, and included a section on Roche Abbey. Sherbrook was a child at the time of the suppression and the account, "the most complete from any religious institution in England", was related to Sherbook by his uncle who had been present at the spoliation of the abbey. [17]
For the church was the first thing that was spoiled; then the abbot's lodging, the dormitory and refectory, with the cloister and all the buildings around, within the abbey walls. For nothing was spared except the ox-houses and swinecoates and other such houses or offices that stood outside the walls – these had greater favour shown to them than the church itself. This was done on the instruction of [Thomas] Cromwell, as Fox reports in his Book of Acts and Monuments. It would have pitied any heart to see the tearing up of the lead, the plucking up of boards and throwing down of the rafters. And when the lead was torn off and cast down into the church and the tombs in the church were all broken (for in most abbeys various noblemen and women were buried, and in some kings, but their tombs were no more regarded than those of lesser persons, for to what end should they stand when the church over them was not spared for their cause) and all things of value were spoiled, plucked away or utterly defaced, those who cast the lead into fodders plucked up all the seats in the choir where the monks sat when they said service. These seats were like the seats in minsters; they were burned and the lead melted, although there was plenty of wood nearby, for the abbey stood among the woods and the rocks of stone. Pewter vessels were stolen away and hidden in the rocks, and it seemed that every person was intent upon filching and spoiling what he could. Even those who had been content to permit the monks' worship and do great reverence at their matins, masses and services two days previously were no less happy to pilfer, which is strange, that they could one day think it to be the house of God and the next the house of the Devil – or else they would not have been so ready to have spoiled it.
— Michael Sherbrook's Account of the Spoliation of Roche [18]
Sherbook's account gives the impression of a frenzy with looting by locals, and that the spoliation at Roche Abbey happened in a short space of time. Reassessment of the source and comparison with the treatment of other religious houses suggests a more organised and structured approach, with lead from the roofs likely removed by Cromwell's men. A grant of 1546 mentions valuable materials, such as lead and glass, still on the site which the archaeologist Hugh Willmott suggests indicates that the process of spoliation took a longer time than implied by Sherbook. [19]
Left in ruin, the land passed through many private hands until the 4th Earl of Scarbrough decided it needed revitalising to enhance his adjoining family seat at Sandbeck Park. Lord Scarborough enlisted the talents of Capability Brown. With an astonishing[ according to whom? ] disregard for history, Brown demolished buildings, built large earth mounds and turfed the whole site. [20] Until the end of the 19th century Roche Abbey remained buried beneath Brown's work and wooded parkland. But subsequent excavation in the 1920s returned Roche to its former splendour.
The site is now in the care of English Heritage. The cliff path walk provides access to a view across the abbey grounds where its layout can be appreciated. Many of the buildings are low-standing but the walls of the church still stand to full height and the gothic French idealism thrust into its design and architecture is visible. Later additions to the buildings included a kitchen area and abbot's quarters, built on the other side of the beck and accessed by a bridge which still stands. The monks' latrines were over Maltby Beck so the running water took away the waste. The stream was dammed higher up to ensure fast-flowing water: quite a modern facility for the 13th century. There are several local legends concerning ghosts, tunnels to other buildings, and even a lost wishing well. [21]
The nave was the burial place for the lay brothers but others outside the immediate abbey community buried here include Peryn of Doncaster and his wife, Ysabel. There is also a tomb of the 14th-century Rilston family, presumably local worthies. [7]
Strata Florida Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey situated just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The abbey was founded in 1164. After the region around St Davids was firmly occupied by the Norman Marcher lordship of Pembroke by the early 12th century, with St Davids firmly under Norman influence thereafter, the princely Dinefwr family of Deheubarth transferred their patronage to Strata Florida, and interred many of their family members there.
Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton in North Yorkshire, 14 mi (23 km) north-west of the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, dedicated to St Mary in 1156. It is a Grade I listed building.
Netley Abbey is a ruined late medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite royal patronage, Netley was never rich, produced no influential scholars nor churchmen, and its nearly 300-year history was quiet. The monks were best known to their neighbours for the generous hospitality they offered to travellers on land and sea.
Tickhill is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, close to the border with Nottinghamshire. At the 2001 census it had a population of 5,301, reducing to 5,228 at the 2011 Census.
Maltby is a former mining town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Rotherham and 10 miles (16 km) north-east of Sheffield. It forms a continuous urban area with Hellaby, separated from the rest of Rotherham by the M18 motorway. It had a population of 16,688 at the 2011 Census.
Wickersley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, situated 3 miles (5 km) from the centre of Rotherham. The area is very near to road junctions for the M1 and M18. It is home to the secondary school and sixth form, Wickersley School and Sports College.
Broom Hall is a historic house in the City of Sheffield, England that gives its name to the surrounding Broomhall district of the city. The earliest part of the house is timber-framed; it has been tree-ring dated to c1498, and was built by the de Wickersley family, whose ancestral home was at Wickersley. The de Wickersley family descended from Richard FitzTurgis, who co-founded Roche Abbey in South Yorkshire. The de Wickersley family later dropped their Norman name (FitzTurgis) in favour of the village they controlled.
Jerpoint Abbey is a ruined Cistercian abbey, founded in the second half of the 12th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located 2.5 km south west of Thomastown on the R448 regional road. There is a visitor centre with an exhibition. It has been declared a national monument and has been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1880.
Whalley Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Whalley, Lancashire, England. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey was largely demolished and a country house was built on the site. In the 20th century the house was modified and it is now the Retreat and Conference House of the Diocese of Blackburn of the Church of England. The ruins of the abbey are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and are a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The Augustinian Priory of St Mary, most commonly referred to as Bridgetown Priory and also as Bridgetown Abbey, is a ruined 13th-century Augustinian monastery of the Canons regular of St. Victor. It is located in Castletownroche, County Cork, Ireland near where the River Awbeg meets the Blackwater. Once an affluent monastery, it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1541, and the ruins are currently managed by Cork County Council.
Pickburn is a hamlet in South Yorkshire, England, close to the village of Brodsworth and Brodsworth Hall.
Roger de Busli was a Norman baron who participated in the conquest of England in 1066.
Rosedale Abbey is a village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Pickering, 8 miles south-east of Castleton and within Rosedale, part of the North York Moors National Park.
Hooton Levitt is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England; one of four villages in the county that carry the name of Hooton, meaning 'farmstead on a spur of land'. It has a population of 110, increasing to 132 at the 2011 Census.
Levett is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from [de] Livet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories.
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. It was dissolved in 1536.
William Levett was lord of the manor of the South Yorkshire village of Hooton Levitt, a village named in part for his ancestors, and became the owner of the patronage of Roche Abbey on marriage to the granddaughter of the Abbey's cofounder Richard FitzTurgis, a Norman baron who co-founded Roche with the great-nephew of one of England's most powerful Norman barons, Roger de Busli.
Blyth Priory was a priory in Nottinghamshire, England, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.
Sandbeck Park is a Neo-Palladian country house in Maltby, South Yorkshire, England. The house dates to the 17th century and was extensively expanded and remodeled in the 18th and 19th centuries. The house is Grade I listed with Historic England and several outbuildings on the estate are also listed. The house has been the seat of the Earls of Scarbrough since the 18th century. The garden was designed by Lancelot Brown and is also Grade II* listed.
Oldcotes Dyke is the name of the final section of a river system that drains parts of north Nottinghamshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. Historically, it has supported milling, with seven water mills drawing their power from its water, and ran through the grounds of the Cistercian Roche Abbey. It is a tributary of the River Ryton.