Revesby Abbey
Encyclopedia
Revesby Abbey was a Cistercian monastery located near the village of Revesby
in Lincolnshire
, England. The abbey was founded in 1143 by William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln
. The first monks came to the abbey from the great Yorkshire
house of Rievaulx Abbey
. They were led by Aelred of Rievaulx, a former courtier who was to go on to become abbot of Rievaulx itself and a noted historian and theologian. He eventually became a saint.
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in the 16th century, the Abbey became a country house. The most notable owner was the naturalist Joseph Banks
. The current house was built in the mid 19th century. As of 2011, it is in private ownership, but it is poor condition, and listed on the English Heritage
"At Risk" register.
Over the latter part of the twelfth century a stone monastery was constructed on the site. There was a large cruciform
church with a nave
of seven bays, an aisled presbytery
and numerous chapels. South of this stood the domestic buildings, arranged around two cloister
s. This core was surrounded by gardens, fishponds, orchards, barns, guesthouses, stables, a farmyard and industrial buildings. A wall protected the monastic grounds and entry was controlled by gatehouses.
Very little is known of the internal history of the abbey, which seems to have been uneventful. Revesby had been given a fairly substantial endowment and hence had a comfortable income. In the thirteenth century the house was fairly prosperous, however, in the fourteenth century the monks were hit hard by government exactions, unpaid debts from the king, animal plagues that killed all the stock and barreness of the abbey lands. In 1382 the abbey received an additional grant of property which may have gone some way towards allievating the situation, but it is likely that the decline (not helped by mismanagement) continued though the fifteenth century. It was noted before the Dissolution
that the abbey buildings were already falling to ruin.
Despite this, in 1535 the abbey was valued in the Valor Ecclesiasticus
as having an income of £287 (placing it among the middle ranks of its order) which meant that it escaped being dissolved under the terms of the First Suppression Act, King Henry VIII's
initial move in the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which appropriated only the smallest religious houses. The respite was to be brief. No records survive as to exactly how or when Revesby Abbey fell, but it is likely that Abbot John and his monks were compelled to give their house to the king in 1538. It is likely that the abbot and monks were given pensions, though again no records survive. The abbey site was granted to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
and immediately fell to ruin.
was the great-grandson of the purchaser. In 1820 the estate passed by inheritance to the Stanhope family.
The current house was built in 1845 by William Burn
for James Banks Stanhope, in the Jacobean
style. It is approached from the south by a one kilometre drive. The house, gardens and stables are in private ownership. The current owner has made considerable progress with repairs to the Abbey. The property is Grade I listed, and remains on the English Heritage at risk register. English Heritage funded temporary emergency repairs and the Revesby Abbey Preservation Trust was formed a few years ago.
Revesby, Lincolnshire
Revesby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies south-east from Horncastle, east from Woodhall Spa and north from Boston, on the A155. The parish in includes the hamlet of Moorhouses to the south of Revesby village.Revesby Grade II listed...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. The abbey was founded in 1143 by William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln
William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln
William de Romare , 1st Earl of Lincoln, 2nd Baron of Kendall, Lord of Bolingbroke....
. The first monks came to the abbey from the great Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
house of Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx , near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.It was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England and was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538...
. They were led by Aelred of Rievaulx, a former courtier who was to go on to become abbot of Rievaulx itself and a noted historian and theologian. He eventually became a saint.
After 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 the 16th century, the Abbey became a country house. The most notable owner was the naturalist Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
. The current house was built in the mid 19th century. As of 2011, it is in private ownership, but it is poor condition, and listed on the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
"At Risk" register.
History
When the monks arrived there was a pre-existing village on the site. The population was moved and the village was demolished save for the church of St. Laurence, which the monks initially retained for their own use.Over the latter part of the twelfth century a stone monastery was constructed on the site. There was a large cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
church with a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
of seven bays, an aisled presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
and numerous chapels. South of this stood the domestic buildings, arranged around two cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
s. This core was surrounded by gardens, fishponds, orchards, barns, guesthouses, stables, a farmyard and industrial buildings. A wall protected the monastic grounds and entry was controlled by gatehouses.
Very little is known of the internal history of the abbey, which seems to have been uneventful. Revesby had been given a fairly substantial endowment and hence had a comfortable income. In the thirteenth century the house was fairly prosperous, however, in the fourteenth century the monks were hit hard by government exactions, unpaid debts from the king, animal plagues that killed all the stock and barreness of the abbey lands. In 1382 the abbey received an additional grant of property which may have gone some way towards allievating the situation, but it is likely that the decline (not helped by mismanagement) continued though the fifteenth century. It was noted before the Dissolution
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...
that the abbey buildings were already falling to ruin.
Dissolution
Valor Ecclesiasticus
The Valor Ecclesiasticus was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII....
as having an income of £287 (placing it among the middle ranks of its order) which meant that it escaped being dissolved under the terms of the First Suppression Act, King Henry VIII's
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
initial move in the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which appropriated only the smallest religious houses. The respite was to be brief. No records survive as to exactly how or when Revesby Abbey fell, but it is likely that Abbot John and his monks were compelled to give their house to the king in 1538. It is likely that the abbot and monks were given pensions, though again no records survive. The abbey site was granted to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
and immediately fell to ruin.
Remains of the medieval abbey
Very little of the abbey is visible today. Archaeologists have investigated some parts of the site, earthworks show where the abbey buildings lie buried and the site also has fishponds and moated enclosures that may be gardens. The remains are on farmland and are not open to the public.Country house
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Revesby Abbey estate passed through various hands. In 1715 it was purchased by Joseph Banks, an attorney who made his fortune by acting as land agent to several of the richest landowners in Yorkshire and the East Midlands, including the dukes of Leeds, Newcastle, and Norfolk. The medieval deer park was landscaped in the 18th century. The naturalist Joseph BanksJoseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
was the great-grandson of the purchaser. In 1820 the estate passed by inheritance to the Stanhope family.
The current house was built in 1845 by William Burn
William Burn
William Burn was a Scottish architect, pioneer of the Scottish Baronial style.He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School. After training with the architect of the British Museum, Sir Robert Smirke, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812...
for James Banks Stanhope, in the Jacobean
Jacobean
Jacobean indicates the period of English history that coincides with the reign of James I of England :*Jacobean era*Jacobean architecture*Jacobean literature*Jacobean English...
style. It is approached from the south by a one kilometre drive. The house, gardens and stables are in private ownership. The current owner has made considerable progress with repairs to the Abbey. The property is Grade I listed, and remains on the English Heritage at risk register. English Heritage funded temporary emergency repairs and the Revesby Abbey Preservation Trust was formed a few years ago.