Wykeham Abbey

Wykeham Abbey
Wykeham Abbey
	Wykeham Abbey, sketch c. 1923
	Location within North Yorkshire
General information
Type	Country house
Architectural style	Georgian
Location	Wykeham, Scarborough
Coordinates	54°13′26″N0°31′34″W / 54.2239°N 0.5262°W Coordinates: 54°13′26″N0°31′34″W / 54.2239°N 0.5262°W
Client	John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	13 December 1951
Reference no.	1173210

Last updated October 13, 2019

Wykeham Abbey is a Grade II* listed country house in Wykeham, North Yorkshire, England. It has been the seat of the Viscounts Downe since the early 20th century.

An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country. However, the term also encompasses houses that were, and often still are, the full-time residence for the landed gentry that ruled rural Britain until the Reform Act 1832. Frequently, the formal business of the counties was transacted in these country houses.

Wykeham is a small village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England, on the outskirts of Scarborough and the southern boundary of the North York Moors National Park.

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan county and the largest ceremonial county in England by area. It is located primarily in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber but partly in the region of North East England. The estimated population of North Yorkshire was 602,300 in mid-2016.

History

Wykeham Abbey was built on the side of the former Wykeham Priory, a Cistercian nunnery established between 1140-1160. Pain de Wykeham granted his house to the priory and his son Theobald gifted the nuns 48 acres of land. King Henry III granted them an additional 103 acres.^[1]

Wykeham Priory was a nunnery in Wykeham, North Yorkshire, England. It was established between 1140-1160 and was destroyed by fire during the reign of Edward III.

The Cistercians officially the Order of Cistercians, are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. They are also known as Bernardines, after the highly influential St. Bernard of Clairvaux ; or as White Monks, in reference to the colour of the "cuccula" or white choir robe worn by the Cistercians over their habits, as opposed to the black cuccula worn by Benedictine monks.

Henry III, also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry assumed the throne when he was only nine in the middle of the First Barons' War. Cardinal Guala declared the war against the rebel barons to be a religious crusade and Henry's forces, led by William Marshal, defeated the rebels at the battles of Lincoln and Sandwich in 1217. Henry promised to abide by the Great Charter of 1225, which limited royal power and protected the rights of the major barons. His early rule was dominated first by Hubert de Burgh and then Peter des Roches, who re-established royal authority after the war. In 1230, the King attempted to reconquer the provinces of France that had once belonged to his father, but the invasion was a debacle. A revolt led by William Marshal's son, Richard, broke out in 1232, ending in a peace settlement negotiated by the Church.

The nunnery was destroyed by fire during the reign of Edward III (between 1312 and 1377) and rebuilt. It was dissolved in 1539 and the lands granted to Francis Poole in 1544.^[2] The only relic of the nunnery is the north wall of the priory church, which dates from the end of the 12th century.

Edward III of England 14th-century King of England and Duke of Aquitaine

Edward III was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death; he is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. Edward III transformed the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe. His long reign of 50 years was the second longest in medieval England and saw vital developments in legislation and government, in particular the evolution of the English parliament, as well as the ravages of the Black Death.

The present house was built in the mid-18th century for Richard Hutchinson, who assumed the surname Langley after he became heir to his uncle Thomas Langley. His grandson, also Richard Langley, died childless in 1817, and bequeathed his estates to his cousin Marmaduke Dawnay, the younger son of John Dawnay, 4th Viscount Downe. In 1824, Marmaduke also assumed the surname Langley. He died in 1851, unmarried, and Wykeham Abbey has remained in the Dawnay family since.^[1]

John Dawnay, 4th Viscount Downe, was a British peer and Whig politician.

The house was considerably expanded in the 19th century; 1835 is the year marked on a datestone and the loggia was added in 1839. There were further additions in 1904 enlarging the house.^[3]

A loggia is an architectural feature which is a covered exterior gallery or corridor usually on an upper level, or sometimes ground level. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns or arches. Loggias can be located either on the front or side of a building and are not meant for entrance but as an out-of-door sitting room.

Wykeham Abbey has been the seat of the Viscounts Downe since 1909, and the surrounding estate spreads across 2,500 acres.^[4]

Like many country houses in England, Wykeham Abbey served as a Red Cross recovery hospital in World War I. From 1914 to 1919, more than 1,520 non-commissioned officers and soldiers from across the British Isles passed through the doors.^[5]

Listed buildings

The main house is Grade II* listed. Several other buildings surrounding the main house are Grade II listed:

Outbuildings and stables, designed in 1854 by William Butterfield
Gates, railings and gate piers, dated early 19th century
Medieval churchyard cross, approximately 35 metres east of the main house
12th-century priory remains consisting of a section of north wall, approximately 50 metres long, 10 metres east of the main house

Related Research Articles

Viscount Downe is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1675 for William Ducie. However, the title became extinct on his death in 1679. The second creation came in 1680 for John Dawnay. He had earlier represented Yorkshire and Pontefract in the English House of Commons. His son, the second Viscount, also represented these constituencies in the House of Commons. His grandson, the third Viscount, sat as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire but died from wounds received at the Battle of Campen in 1760. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Viscount, who represented Cirencester and Malton in Parliament.

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References

1 2 A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2. London: Victoria County History. 1923. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ Houses of Cistercians nuns: Priory of Wykeham — Victoria County History: A History of the County of York: Volume 3. British History Online. pp. 182–184. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ Historic England. "Wykeham Abbey (1173210)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ "The history of the Dawnay Estates". Dawnay Estate. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
↑ "Wykeham Abbey - War Hospital". Dawnay Estate. Archived from the original on 10 May 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

External links

Dawnay Estates website

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[history-1] 1 2 A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2. London: Victoria County History. 1923. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

[2] Houses of Cistercians nuns: Priory of Wykeham — Victoria County History: A History of the County of York: Volume 3. British History Online. pp. 182–184. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

[3] Historic England. "Wykeham Abbey (1173210)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 September 2015.

[4] "The history of the Dawnay Estates". Dawnay Estate. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

[5] "Wykeham Abbey - War Hospital". Dawnay Estate. Archived from the original on 10 May 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2015.