West Dereham Abbey
Encyclopedia
West Dereham Abbey was an abbey in Norfolk
, England
.
St Mary’s Abbey
, West Dereham, was founded in 1188 by Hubert Walter
, Dean of York, at his birthplace. It was to be a daughter house of Welbeck Abbey
, Nottinghamshire
, for canons regular
of the Premonstratensian
order.
The canons were to pray for the souls of the founder and his parents, his brothers and sisters and all his relatives and friends.
It was surrounded by a moat and was to become one of the larger religious houses in Norfolk
, with up to twenty six canons in the late 13th century, and was also quite wealthy, with extensive estates.
The last recorded Bishop’s visitation took place 10 August 1503. Bishop Redman of Ely found several insufficiently taught; therefore he recalled Brother Robert Watton from the university, to be joined in office with the prior, and diligently to teach his brethren. Thomas Fychele was removed from the subpriorship for his negligence in his duty; otherwise the condition and discipline of the house were good.
Leading up to the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, Thomas Cromwell's
agent Sir John Prise
reported in 1536: the canons were all lacking self restraint, and were ready to confess themselves as such, longing to marry, and believing that the king had been divinely sent on earth to bring this about. He then in 1538 petitioned Cromwell
for the lands for himself.
However, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1539, the site and associated lands were granted by Henry VIII to Thomas Dereham of Crimplesham
.
A house built on the site in the later 16th century was altered and extended in the 1690s by a Sir Thomas Dereham on his return from Italy, where he had been envoy to the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. This house was largely demolished in around 1810, the remaining part being converted to a farmhouse, the ruins of which were restored in the 1990s. Almost all the abbey buildings have been demolished, but buried foundations survive and can be seen as cropmarks on aerial photographs, as can other earthworks and fishponds.
Norfolk Heritage Explorer
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
St Mary’s Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
, West Dereham, was founded in 1188 by Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...
, Dean of York, at his birthplace. It was to be a daughter house of Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, for canons regular
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
of the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
order.
The canons were to pray for the souls of the founder and his parents, his brothers and sisters and all his relatives and friends.
It was surrounded by a moat and was to become one of the larger religious houses in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, with up to twenty six canons in the late 13th century, and was also quite wealthy, with extensive estates.
The last recorded Bishop’s visitation took place 10 August 1503. Bishop Redman of Ely found several insufficiently taught; therefore he recalled Brother Robert Watton from the university, to be joined in office with the prior, and diligently to teach his brethren. Thomas Fychele was removed from the subpriorship for his negligence in his duty; otherwise the condition and discipline of the house were good.
Leading up to 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...
, Thomas Cromwell's
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
agent Sir John Prise
John Prise
Sir John Prise was a Welsh public notary, acting as a royal agent and visitor of the monasteries. He was also a scholar, associated with the first Welsh printed publication Yn y lhyvyr hwnn.-Life:...
reported in 1536: the canons were all lacking self restraint, and were ready to confess themselves as such, longing to marry, and believing that the king had been divinely sent on earth to bring this about. He then in 1538 petitioned Cromwell
Cromwell
- People :* Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex , English statesman in the reign of Henry VIII of England* Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell - People :* Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (c.1485–1540), English statesman in the reign of Henry VIII of England* Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell...
for the lands for himself.
However, following 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 1539, the site and associated lands were granted by Henry VIII to Thomas Dereham of Crimplesham
Crimplesham
Crimplesham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated 4 km west of the small town of Downham Market, 20 km south of the larger town of King's Lynn, and 60 km west of the city of Norwich....
.
A house built on the site in the later 16th century was altered and extended in the 1690s by a Sir Thomas Dereham on his return from Italy, where he had been envoy to the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. This house was largely demolished in around 1810, the remaining part being converted to a farmhouse, the ruins of which were restored in the 1990s. Almost all the abbey buildings have been demolished, but buried foundations survive and can be seen as cropmarks on aerial photographs, as can other earthworks and fishponds.
Further reading
British History OnlineNorfolk Heritage Explorer