Hexham Abbey
Encyclopedia
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
and located in the town of Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, in northeast England. Since 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...
in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham.
History
There has been a church on the site for over 1300 years since Etheldreda, Queen of Northumbria made a grant of lands to WilfridWilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
, Bishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
c.674. Of Wilfrid's Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey, which was constructed almost entirely of material salvaged from nearby Roman ruins, the Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
crypt still remains; as does a frith
Frith
Frith is an Old English word meaning "peace; freedom from molestation, protection; safety, security".- Etymology :Derived from Old English friðu, friþ, it is cognate to Old Norse friðr, Old High German fridu, German Friede, Dutch vrede, West Frisian frede, Icelandic friður, Common Scandinavian fred...
stool, a 7th/8th century cathedra
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
or throne. For a little while around that time it was the seat
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
of a bishopric
Bishop of Hexham
The Bishop of Hexham was an episcopal title which took its name after the market town of Hexham in Northumberland, England. The title was first used by the Anglo-Saxons in the 7th and 9th centuries, and then by the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century....
.
In the year 875 Halfdene the Dane ravaged the whole of Tyneside and Hexham Church was plundered and burnt to the ground.
About 1050 one Eilaf was put in charge of Hexham, although as treasurer of Durham, he probably never came there. Eilaf was instructed to rebuild Hexham Church which then lay in utter ruin. His son Eilaf II completed the work, probably building in the Norman style.
In Norman times Wilfrid's abbey was replaced by an Augustinian priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
. The current church largely dates from that period (c.1170–1250), in the Early English style of architecture. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period.
The east end was rebuilt in 1860. The Abbey was largely rebuilt during the incumbency of Canon Edwin Sidney Savage who came to Hexham in 1898 and remained until 1919. This mammoth project involved re-building the nave, whose walls incorporate some of the earlier church and the restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
of the choir. The nave was re-consecrated on 8 August 1908.
In 1996 an additional chapel was created at the east end of the north choir aisle. Named St Wilfrid's Chapel, it offers a place for prayer or quiet reflection.
Stained glass
Four of the stained glass windows in the Abbey are the work of Jersey-born stained glass artist Henry Thomas Bosdet who was commissioned by the Abbey. The east window was the first project and was installed about 1907. Two smaller windows followed and the large west window was installed in 1918.Crypt
The crypt is a plain structure of four chambers. Here were exhibited the relics which were a feature of Wilfred's church. It consists of a chapel with an ante-chapel at the west end, two side passages with enlarged vestibules and three stairways. The chapel and ante-chapel are barrel-vaultedBarrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
. All the stones used are of Roman workmanship and many are carved or with inscriptions. One inscription on a slab, partially erased, is:
PERTINAXETIMPC
AVRANTONINV
VS
HORTE
VEXILLATION
FECERVNT SVB
Translated it means The Emperor Lucius Septimus Severus Pius Pertinax and his sons the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius Pius Augustus and Publius Geta Caesar the cohorts and detachments made this under the command of ….. The words erased are of great interest. After the Emperor Geta was murdered by his brother an edict was made at Rome ordering that whenever the two names appeared in combination that of Geta was to be erased. This was done but so poorly that the name can still be read.
Bishopric of Hexham
The first diocese of Lindisfarne was merged into the Diocese of York in 664. York diocese was then divided in 678 by Theodore of TarsusTheodore of Tarsus
Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury, best known for his reform of the English Church and establishment of a school in Canterbury....
, forming a bishopric for the country between the Rivers Aln
River Aln
The River Aln runs through the county of Northumberland in England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast of England.The river gives its name to the town of Alnwick and to the village of Alnmouth, and its source, Alnham in the Cheviot Hills...
and Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, with a seat at Hexham and/or Lindisfarne. This gradually and erratically merged back into the bishopric of Lindisfarne. Eleven bishops of Hexham followed St. Eata, of which six were saints.
No successor was appointed in 821, the condition of the country being too unsettled. A period of disorder followed the Danish devastations, after which Hexham monastery was reconstituted in 1113 as a priory of Austin Canons, which flourished until its dissolution under Henry VIII. Meantime the bishopric had been merged in that of Lindisfarne, which latter see was removed to Chester-le-Street in 883, and thence to Durham in 995.
Bishops
- EataEata of HexhamEata , also known as Eata of Lindisfarne, was bishop of Lindisfarne from 678 until 685, and of Hexham from then until his death...
, 'bishop of BerniciaBerniciaBernicia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England....
', with his seat at Hexham and/or Lindisfarne, died 685, succeeded by John of Beverley (BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
, Ecclesiastical HistoryEcclesiastical HistoryEcclesiastical History or ecclesiastical history may refer to:*Ecclesiastical history *Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum by Bede*Church History , pioneer work on the Christian Church by Eusebius of Caesarea...
IV.12) - TrumbertTrumbertTrumbert was a monk of Jarrow, a disciple of St. Chad and later Bishop of Hexham.-Life:He was educated at Lastingham by Ceadda, and was a teacher of Bede. He was the Bishop of the See of Hexham from 681 until he was deposed in 685 and was succeeded by Eata. He had previously been a monk at Ripon...
, 682, as 'bishop of Hexham', at the same time as Trumwine's installation, with Eata continuing as bishop at Lindisfarne - Cuthbert of LindisfarneCuthbert of LindisfarneSaint Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop and hermit associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria, at that time including, in modern terms, northern England as well as south-eastern Scotland as far as the Firth of Forth...
, 685, after Tumbert's deposition, moving his seat to Lindisfarne to become bishop of Lindisfarne (Bede, IV.28) - St. John of BeverleyJohn of BeverleyJohn of Beverley was an English bishop active in the kingdom of Northumbria. He was the Bishop of Hexham and then the Bishop of York which was the most important religious designation in the area. He went on to found the town of Beverley by building the first structure there, a monastery...
(685-705) (Bede, V.2). From then on, the seat was at Hexham, and the bishopric of Lindisfarne continued independently, with EadberhtEadberht of LindisfarneEadberht of Lindisfarne , also known as Saint Eadberht, was Bishop of Lindisfarne, England, from 688 until 698. He is notable as having founded the holy shrine to his predecessor Saint Cuthbert on the island of Lindisfarne, a place that was to become a centre of great pilgrimage in later years.It...
succeeding Cuthbert - St. WilfridWilfridWilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
, who, resigning the See of YorkArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, died as Bishop of Hexham in 709 - St. AccaAcca of HexhamAcca , Bishop of Hexham.Born in Northumbria, Acca first served in the household of Bosa, the future Bishop of York, but later attached himself to Saint Wilfrid, possibly as early as 678, and accompanied him on his travels. On the return from their second journey to Rome in 692, Wilfrid was...
, Wilfrid's successor, from 709 (Bede, V.20) - FrithubeorhtFrithubeorhtFrithubeorht was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 8 September 734. He died on 23 December 766.-References:...
734–766 - St. Eahlmund 767–781
- TilbeorhtTilbeorhtTilbeorht was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 2 October 781. He died in 789.-References:* Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961...
781–789 - ÆthelberhtÆthelberht of WhithornÆthelberht was a 8th century Anglo-Saxon bishop. His consecration as Bishop of Whithorn can be placed using the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle on 15 June in either 776 or 777, and took place at York. In either 789, 790 or 791 he became Bishop of Hexham; he was succeeded at Whithorn by Beadwulf. He died on...
789–797 transferred from WhithornBishop of GallowayThe Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known... - HeardredHeardred of HexhamHeardred was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 30 October 797. He died in 800.-References:* Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961-External links:*...
797–800 - Eanbehrt 800–813
- TidfrithTidfrith of HexhamTidfrith or Tidferth was an early 9th century Northumbriah prelate. Said to have died on his way to Rome, he is the last known Anglo-Saxon bishop of Hexham. This bishopric, like the bishopric of Whithorn, probably ceased to exist, and was probably taken over by the authority of the bishopric of...
, last bishop in this line, who died about 821
Rectors
- George Busby
- Canon Barker 1866 - 18[98?]
- Edwin Sidney SavageEdwin Sidney SavageCanon Edwin Sidney Savage MA was an English clergyman.Savage was educated at New College, Eastbourne, University College London and Oxford University Magdalen College, Oxford and was notable for his many achievements, some of which are listed below.He married Jane McEwan who died during birth of...
1898 - 1918 - Canon Hardy
- Roland Lemon
- Timothy Withers Green
- Michael Middleton
- Canon Michael Nelson
- Graham Usher 2004-
Notable burials
- Eata of HexhamEata of HexhamEata , also known as Eata of Lindisfarne, was bishop of Lindisfarne from 678 until 685, and of Hexham from then until his death...
- FrithubeorhtFrithubeorhtFrithubeorht was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 8 September 734. He died on 23 December 766.-References:...
- Acca of HexhamAcca of HexhamAcca , Bishop of Hexham.Born in Northumbria, Acca first served in the household of Bosa, the future Bishop of York, but later attached himself to Saint Wilfrid, possibly as early as 678, and accompanied him on his travels. On the return from their second journey to Rome in 692, Wilfrid was...
- Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of SomersetHenry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of SomersetHenry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, since the title was re-created for his father after his uncle died...
Organ
In 1856 the Abbey acquired a second-hand organ from Carlisle CathedralCarlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
dating from 1804. In 1905 this was rebuilt by Norman and Beard
Norman and Beard
Norman and Beard were a major pipe organ manufacturer originally based in Norfolk. They were founded in Diss in 1870 by E.W. Norman, but soon moved to Norwich to a building which still exists, and formerly had its own rail link. The company merged with Hills of London in 1916, moving its production...
with Sir Frederick Bridge
Frederick Bridge
Sir John Frederick Bridge was an English organist, composer, teacher and writer.From a musical family, Bridge became a church organist before he was 20, and he achieved his ambition to become a cathedral organist by the age of 24, at Manchester Cathedral...
of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
as the consultant.
In 1974 a new instrument by Lawrence Phelps of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
was installed. It is a two manual 34-stop mechanical action instrument.
Organists
- William Turner ???? - 1834 - 1855 - ????
- John Nicholson 1865 - 1878
- James Price 1878 - 1882 (afterwards organist of St. Margaret's Church, Ipswich)
- Thomas Simpson Camidge 1882 - 1889
- Richard Seaton
- Ronald Richardson Potter 1909 - 1911
- Newell Smith Wallbank 1911 - 1917 (later organist of Wakefield CathedralWakefield CathedralWakefield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of Wakefield and is the seat of the Bishop of Wakefield. The cathedral has Anglo Saxon origins and the tallest cathedral spire in Yorkshire...
) - Harry William Tupper 1917 - 1918 (afterwards Organist of Southwell MinsterSouthwell MinsterSouthwell Minster is a minster and cathedral, in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is six miles away from Newark-on-Trent and thirteen miles from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.It is considered an outstanding...
) - Hubert H. Norsworthy 1918
- Newell Smith Wallbank 1918 - 1926 (later organist of Wakefield CathedralWakefield CathedralWakefield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of Wakefield and is the seat of the Bishop of Wakefield. The cathedral has Anglo Saxon origins and the tallest cathedral spire in Yorkshire...
) - Cecil S. Richards 1926
- Reginald Tustin Baker 1928–1929
- Thomas Christy 1933 - 1945 (formerly sub-organist of Newcastle CathedralNewcastle CathedralSt Nicholas's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne...
1928 - 1933) - Alfred Southcott Morrish 1945 - 1948
- Frederick Hudson 1948 - 1949
- Dr Reginald Cooper
- Ronald Womersley
- Terence Atkinson 1965 - 1985
- John Green 1985 - 2000 (also Director of Music at Dame Allan's Schools, Newcastle, 1967–1990)
- Michael Haynes 2000 - 2011
- Marcus Wibberley 2011 -
Assistant organists
- Colin Basil Fanshaw 1947 - 1949
- Dorothy Alder
- John Green 1961 - 1968
- Ron Lane 1969 - 1977
- John Green 1977 - 1983
- Henry Wallace 1983- 1999
- Hugh Morris 2001 - 2009
- Alexander Woodrow 2009 - 2012
Choirs
The Hexham Abbey Boys Choir sings choral evensong on Wednesdays and morning and evening services on Sundays. The choir has made two CDs in recent years and has toured to Milan (2005), Paris (2007) and Rome (2009), in addition to several tours within Great Britain. Several past members of the choir have gone on to win choral/ organ scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge colleges. The choir has appeared on BBC Songs of Praise.The Hexham Abbey Girls Choir sings choral evensong on Thursdays and evensong on the first Sunday of the month. The choir began in September 2001 and is composed of girls aged 10–18. The choir has gone from strength to strength and appeared on BBC Songs of Praise. The choir has toured to Dublin (2007), Glasgow (2008), Paris (2009), Hannover (2011) and several other places.
The Hexham Abbey Chamber Choir is mainly made up of adults and meets once or twice a term for services or concerts. The chamber choir has recently appeared live on BBC 4 Sunday Worship.
Triforium is a recently formed choir, composed principally of senior girl choristers and former boy choristers and current choral scholars. The choir meets occasionally to sing for special events.