DOCSLIB.ORG

REPORTS a Prehistoric Enclosure at Eynsham Abbey, Oxfordshire

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
REPORTS a Prehistoric Enclosure at Eynsham Abbey, Oxfordshire REPORTS A Prehistoric Enclosure at Eynsham Abbey, Oxfordshire B) A 13 \RCI_~\, A 13m If and C.O. Ktf\lu. with contributions by A. BAYliS'>, C. BRO,\K Ibw,E1, T Ol RIl~,\, C. II \\ Ilf', J. ML L\ ILLf., P. ORIIIO\ f Rand E Rm SL i\IM.\R\ Part oj fl pr,hi\lnric ",rlm,,,.,. ditch U'(l\ e;vm'llltd Imor 10 Ilu' '.\/t'Il\lOU of Iht' grm't')"nd, of tlU' r/1IlJ(lit'\ oj St. Pt'tn\ mill St, LI'fJ1wrd\ E.lJl.\IUlm, O.t/orrN,i,.". I .nlr Rrtltlu- JIK' arttlarh u'rrt' jOlmd ;'llht lIppl'r Jt/t\ oj tlw (III(h Iml "L\ pn ....HUt that II U'flj (Q1uJru{/ed fllllln. ""IWI)' mill, Xfoli/hl(. UOPl~idt thl' lair 8m"ZI Igt' Ina/rna/, arltjar(\ oj StOWhl( and Bruhn/nat) 8wIIU' tw' datI' lL'f'I" (li\l) wl'ntified I pm."bll' lOlWdlw/HI' glllly. a l1wnhn oj /,i/\ and pm/lwft'\, mlll arl'W oj grmmd HlrjlICf. aI/ oj lalt 8r01l:..I' IKl'dalr ll'err joulld malIn IIIf' rnrlO\ll1f. Si.\ radu){mluJJI d(ltt,.~ tl'l'rt' obl/lllmi till mll/fnal dfrnmzgjl"Om til,. mrlo\llrt' ditch JiI/\ ami LIII' In""i~/{Jnr Kl'tul1Id ,\/irlflu, 11\ I ROIH ClIO~ hc Oxford Archaeological Unit (O.\l) eXGI\:~Ht'd an area of approximatel)' I HOOm.2 T \vilhill the Inner Ward or COUll of l-~y nsham .\boc) during 1990~92, The eXGI\,HIOnS were 1ll~\(lc nece:-.sall b) proposed cel11eter~ extensioll'i, and were \\holl) funded b) English Iledt4tgl'. Ihe abbey excavations will be reponed on else\\ here. I The typic-,ll depth of slrallgraph, \\i:\ 2.5 m., although some clcep fealllre~ were ClillO a depth substantiillh belO\\ this. 'I'he ()('cupatioll of the site con1Jllen(cd with the (OnSlnlClion of a Large enclosure during the :\eolilhi( or Brollte .\ge, Following lhe )(llC Brollte .\ge. a hiatus in occupation off. 1500 ye~l1 s was followed b~ the establishment of a Sa\.on ..,eulel1lem characterised by sunken· featured bUildings. LOCAl 10" . \~D GI:.OLO(,Y I-he village of Ey Ilsham sits 011 the calcareous Sccond (,nt\'el Terrace overl)ing Oxford Cla~ belwel'n the confluences of the ri\er Evcnlocie and the Chi! brook with the ri\'er I hames. sOl11e 9 km, west and up~lream of O,Cc)rd. and 4.5 kill. CJst of \\'iLncy (Fig. I) .•\ natural fording poim of the Th~ll11cs. no\\ (xclipied by Swinfculi Bridge. lies immediate" to lht, ea..,l of the 1O\\n on the road to Oxford. Thus the to\\l1 Sils close to an Illlponam control point. a natlllal ad\'Jntf1ge which h,IS been eploitcd since ~1I least the Bronze Age. I \ lIolrch .. \ Dodd and G D. h.ee\i1I. f.Vllt¥llImu at j':pl\lulm IbI",. 1989·1992 (Th.:une~ \<lllt,\ Llnd".lpt." \fullogr.tph. Innhuunlng). 1()6 \ I~ \ R (: 1 \ \ \ 1\ ()" I 1 \ .... 1) (~I) "to. to \ I I I .. I \ I ,\RCII \E(lLOGICAL BACh.GROL '\D rhe to\\ 11 ht'':I in an area rich in prehistoric. Roman and pagan Saxon sClllcment.2 \ \ariel) of prehislOrit' felltures "ere excavated north of the town at Cil\, Fann,:'l and pn:\'iolls exca\'illiOIlS 011 the sile ohhe abbe~ have produ('ccl prehistoric, Roman and Saxon material. I N t o • 1 FolClev Farm 2 nrnlon ~ J ~IUIIIl\ , " Rod .... e1I.md II . lutTIel. II/llollf /i'U'I/11I/ (h/rmJ./wJ'.' tI SlIn'l') (// til" \'t'I/' Crill/II) (1\)7'1). Il:l. llIilp I :~ IIJ c.I't', '\ Ha\ne, "'. SU:(.' ll', ( •. \\t'n .md II "'uh · lmt · I~lt· l . 'r,t.l\..I110m at ( :,,\ 1·'llm.II<lIlh()roll~h , (holl' O\tI1""'\/(I, ,xi,·", ( )9().! -.;), 1-9X. ~ \1 (;,," ilnd '\ Cla\lOn. F,X( .I\;lIlon ... olllht, "lIt' 01 hn .. h.un \bht"\ . IlJil . 0'((1,,,,,,1\111. Y\.\.IU (HI7K), IOO-:?:!. APR E II I S r 0 R J C E r.; L LOS L REA I E \ N S 1-1 M A B BE" 107 Se\'eral large excavation and sa lvage projects have taken place in the Eynsham area during the last century (Fig. 1). The principal reason for this has been the continuation of gravel extrdction extending from Lhe nonhern half of Eynsham parish, eastwards into Cassington parish. Yarnton. and on LOwards Kidlingtoll. i otable discoveries include the Bronze Age ring ditches at New \Vinues Farm, Eynsham,5 the Bronze Age barrow cemetery at Foxle) Farm, Eynsham,6 and the multi-period site at Yarmon.7 Evaluation and subsequent excavation along the rOllte of a Thames \Vater pipeline. located (. 0.2 km. to the south of the prehistoric enclosure (Fig. 2), was carried out b) the OAt; in February and March 1992. These excavations uncovered a palaeochannel and possible gully,. as well as a thin layer of waterlogged clay probably representing an m Stlu deposit within the original course ofLhe Chi I brook. A small assemblage of worked and burnt N f m Fig. 2. E} nsham Abbey: plan sho .... ing excavation areas. 5 R, Kenward, 'A Neolithic Burial Enclosure at e\\ Wintles Farm, E}nsham', in IfJ. Case and A.W.R. Whinle (eds.), Si!lIftmnlt Pallerns In 'he Oxford IUgion: ExCn1ICiJOnJ allht Abmgdun Causrul(1)ed £nciostH? and OlherSl~-s (eBA Res. Rep. 44,1982),51-4. 6 O. Benson and 0, Miles, The Upper Thamts lalley: (111 Archatologiral SUrt't') of the RIlI!r Gravels (OAU Sune) 2, 1974), map 20. 7 C. Bell and G, lie)', Tilt Neolithic and BrCnJU Age Stll/emtnl and loo.lmd.~(ajN at lorn/on mlames Valle}' Landscapes, in prep,). 8 G oo D. Keevill, In Han."J's HfWSt alld In Coo's HOUff: £xrotllllimu at EJ'tl.lhI1m Abbty, J 991-3 (Thames Valle) Landscapes 6,1995), 7. IOH \ I:L\ R (. l.\' \ B 0' I." \ :-'.1) (. I) ..... I· \. 1 I. 1 I· I \ I unworkcd flint, ranging in date froTll Me~olithic to l\eolithiClBronze \ge was recovered. all or which, however. was residual in later contexts"" I he nmure of Ihe IOpography suggests that 'HI<h material is unlikel)' to have travelled far b) n ..Hural processes, but the only deposits which mighll-eprcsent In ,~ilu prehistol"lc material wcn." layers of mottled sand)' cia\- o\crh-ing the natural substrate which \\CIC Cut by se\eral Roman fcalures. These la\-cr!\ were lem,"ivl'ly tdCnllfied a, a (possibly laler) prehistoric subsoil or ploughsoiLIO A small number of Iron Age sheT'ds and one flint-tempered ~herd believed to be lale Bronze Age in dale were also rc('()\'cl-ed. 11 It b conceivable that features 01 MC"iolithic andJor Neolithic date were dcstrop:d In later OlniviL}. The prehiswric lopogr.lphical situation would not have been ullauratli\'e, c.:onsiMing of small saneI\- islands merl)ing gravel, close {Q a minor Mream nO\\ ing into the ·Ihames about I km, to lhe east. Case noted the apparent significdlKe of the distllbuuon ortatel MesoliLhic material associated \\ ilh lhe river F\'enlode,12 and Mesolilhic corcs have.' been found 10 the north of E~llsham"l~ Mon? recently a scalter oflaler Mesolilhic flinl has been found at Mead Lane. 11 In advance of a proposed eXlension LO the WC~I end of St. Pelcr's church. funhcl exca\dtions LOok place in 1993 whi<:h unco\'cred limited prehistoric evidence in the \'icinil~ of the ahbey.15 A la\cr of sandy silt. equi\'alem to the prehistol-ic layer found in Ihe main cx(avallon~ descnbed below, was Ic)(:alcd, Five shercl"i 01 earl\. Saxon pottel-~ \\el'e rec.:o\cred {i'om thIS c.:ontext which could. hO\\'(·\<.'I", be intrll''1ivt'" .\3 well as IwO undiagn():,ti( v,:orked nint~, one in it Saxon dark earth laycl', and the Olhcl in a post-medieval robber trench. fOUl shercl!\ 01 prehistoric. pOlleT! werc ~tho found. two in a quan/itewlempered hlbnt almoM n'rtal1ll~ middle to laiC' Bronze Age in dale. and i.l third in a soft dnd oxidi3ed fabric (S:l) whic-h could also be Bronze Age_ It) BACKGROLND \0 111EEXCAVAll0NS I lit." l"'p.IIl~I(J1l C)I lhl' IIw<iIt.'\dl chul't1n.trd 01 S(' l.eonald\ \\,I~ ~t'H'reh con"lli.llned by the ("xi'lI("IlU' ul tht' ,Ibhe, 10 Ihe ~()lllh. I h("lallcr\ di\!;ohnion, andlhe gr<ldlMIIt'mm<t1 of all tr<lCt"~ 01 its buj\ding~. op('ned up mon° land 101 burial. "-lost (If Iht" prt"ullu \\;t~ n:t.lilled III »1 1\ ,lie hands" howe\el'. and it <;('('m~ that onh tht, ;ll>lx', dltlnh 'me \\a~ taken o\'er for Ihe n .' mell'r" III lilt' Uhll ;tnd Hhh telllUlles. B\ the eillh 211111 ll'ntUI\ 111(' {l\'.ul"blt' ~IMce w .. , lIndl'1' (·()II~iderahlelll."~~urt', In HUn 111(' (t"nWlen w .. ~ ('"ended 10 tilt: ~OIHh. in.t 11;1110\\ ~I1IJl 1>0rd("llII).;' the "illr~q' Fielel. 1 Ihlllllg lile Jalt" 1!I:~O~ bUIJdlllg' ..... ()I k wmll1en('cd Oil Ihe Roman Couholi( dllll('h uf St. P("ll'l, I to! \ small .11 ea inullt'dialeh to Ihe north of lht" t hun h I'.d.) used 101 il .. tl'llll'lt'J'\, It hMI h('Wrnl' app.u-l"m 1)\ Ihe late 19X(h" howl"H'I. th:lltht" U'lIlt."teries 01 both SI. Peter"s and <';1. L.('onard\ \\Oldd "'Win h(' full.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hunting and Social Change in Late Saxon England
    Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 2016 Butchered Bones, Carved Stones: Hunting and Social Change in Late Saxon England Shawn Hale Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in History at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Hale, Shawn, "Butchered Bones, Carved Stones: Hunting and Social Change in Late Saxon England" (2016). Masters Theses. 2418. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2418 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Graduate School� EASTERNILLINOIS UNIVERSITY " Thesis Maintenance and Reproduction Certificate FOR: Graduate Candidates Completing Theses in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree Graduate Faculty Advisors Directing the Theses RE: Preservation, Reproduction, and Distribution of Thesis Research Preserving, reproducing, and distributing thesis research is an important part of Booth Library's responsibility to provide access to scholarship. In order to further this goal, Booth Library makes all graduate theses completed as part of a degree program at Eastern Illinois University available for personal study, research, and other not-for-profit educational purposes. Under 17 U.S.C. § 108, the library may reproduce and distribute a copy without infringing on copyright; however, professional courtesy dictates that permission be requested from the author before doing so. Your signatures affirm the following: • The graduate candidate is the author of this thesis. • The graduate candidate retains the copyright and intellectual property rights associated with the original research, creative activity, and intellectual or artistic content of the thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Cberfseg Q& Bbeg a Gxizfence of Be Past
    CBerfseg Q&BBeg G i fen o { e a x z ce f B (past. B Y W L U C Y H E E L E R . ' I/Vzt fi Pr qfac e by S IR W N FE N S I EADY . T A B B Y H R ’ ‘ ARMS 09 T HE MON AS T E RY OF S . PE E R, E C U C H, C HE R I S EY . Eonb on D. W E LL GARDN E R DARTON c o . LT S , , , Pat r n s r i ldi n a V r i a t r t W B u s E n d i c t o S e e S . e o te C. 3 , g , , 44, , PREFAC E THE History of Chertsey Abbey is of more than loc al interest . Its foundation carries us back to so remote a fi x e d period that the date is uncertain . The exact date i i AD 6 66 from n the Chertsey register s . but Reyner, ’ ’ Ca rave s Li e o S . E r ke n wala wi p g f f , ll have this Abbey D 6 0 . to have been founded as early as A. 3 That Erken wa d u e l , however, was the real fo nder, and before he b came s Bishop of London , admit of no doubt . Even the time ’ Erke n wald s c ac i i of death is not ertain , some p l ng it n w Hi 6 8 h i e i 6 .
    [Show full text]
  • Chertsey Abbey : an Existence of the Past
    iii^li.iin H.xik i ... l.t.l loolcsdlen and K.M kliin.l : .. Vil-rTii Str.-t. NOTTINGHAM. |. t . tft <6;ri0fence of Photo, by F. A. Monk. [Frontispiece. TRIPTYCH OF TILES FROM CHERTSEY ABBEY, THIRTEENTH CENTURY. of BY LUCY WHEELER. With. Preface by SIR SWINFEN EADY. ARMS OF THE MONASTERY OF S. PETER, ABBEY CHURCH, CHERTSEY. Bonbon : WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO., LTD., 3, Paternoster Buildings, E.C., and 44, Victoria Street, S. W. PREFACE THE History of Chertsey Abbey is of more than local interest. Its foundation carries us back to so remote a period that the date is uncertain. The exact date fixed in the is A.D. but Chertsey register 666 ; Reyner, from Capgrave's Life of S. Erkenwald, will have this Abbey to have been founded as early as A.D. 630. That Erken- wald, however, was the real founder, and before he became Bishop of London, admits of no doubt. Even the time of Erkenwald's death is not certain, some placing it in 685, while Stow says he died in 697. His splendid foundation lasted for some nine centuries, and in the following pages will be found a full history of the Abbey and its rulers and possessions until its dissolution by Henry VIII. is incessant is con- Change everywhere, and ; nothing stant or in a or less stable, except greater degree ; the Abbeys which in their time played so important a part in the history and development of the country, and as v houses of learning, have all passed away, but a study of the history of an important Abbey enables us to appre- ciate the part which these institutions played in the past, and some of the good they achieved, although they were not wholly free from abuses.
    [Show full text]
  • Oxa-3038 Ôeynshamõ
    This book owes much to the archaeologists, but special thanks are also due to Brian Atkins, President of the Eynsham History Group. Many thanks to the Oxfordshire Sportflying Club for enabling the aerial shot on page 1 All pictures and illustrations are © Oxford Archaeological Unit, except the following: Saxon pottery (P.5) By permission of the Asmolean Museum, Oxford;Athelred (P.8) By Permission of the British Library; St Benedicts reliquary (P.10) © á Editions Gaud;Conduit house (P18) © Patrick Greene; Fishponds (P.20) Cambridge University Collection of Air Photographs: copyright reserved; Sketch of Abbey ruins (P.26) The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford MS. Wood E1, f.45R; Inside front and back. By permission of Oxfordshire Record Office The cover design contains elements from the pages of the Foundation charter of Eynsham abbey, with kind permission of Christ Church, Oxford The recipe on page 17 is based on one by Maggie Black, A Taste of History; 10,000 years of food in Britain (English Heritage) - 1993 All watercolours by Rosalyn Smith except P.22 by Geoff Jones The research and writing of this book was generously funded by English Heritage, who also provided a grant to cover the cost of publication This book is dedicated to Father John Tolkien, former Priest of St Peter’s Church, and the late Bishop Eric Gordon. Text by Alan Hardy Illustration by Ros Smith Design by Peter Lorimer & Holywell Press Printed in the UK by The Holywell Press Fine printers since 1890 Ferry Hinksey Road This Page: Part of 1782 map by Thomas Pride, Oxford, OX2 OBJ showing Eynsham and its fields.
    [Show full text]
  • English Monks Suppression of the Monasteries
    ENGLISH MONKS and the SUPPRESSION OF THE MONASTERIES ENGLISH MONKS and the SUPPRESSION OF THE MONASTERIES by GEOFFREY BAS KER VILLE M.A. (I) JONA THAN CAPE THIRTY BEDFORD SQUARE LONDON FIRST PUBLISHED I937 JONATHAN CAPE LTD. JO BEDFORD SQUARE, LONDON AND 91 WELLINGTON STREET WEST, TORONTO PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN IN THE CITY OF OXFORD AT THE ALDEN PRESS PAPER MADE BY JOHN DICKINSON & CO. LTD. BOUND BY A. W. BAIN & CO. LTD. CONTENTS PREFACE 7 INTRODUCTION 9 I MONASTIC DUTIES AND ACTIVITIES I 9 II LAY INTERFERENCE IN MONASTIC AFFAIRS 45 III ECCLESIASTICAL INTERFERENCE IN MONASTIC AFFAIRS 72 IV PRECEDENTS FOR SUPPRESSION I 308- I 534 96 V THE ROYAL VISITATION OF THE MONASTERIES 1535 120 VI SUPPRESSION OF THE SMALLER MONASTERIES AND THE PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE 1536-1537 144 VII FROM THE PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE TO THE FINAL SUPPRESSION 153 7- I 540 169 VIII NUNS 205 IX THE FRIARS 2 2 7 X THE FATE OF THE DISPOSSESSED RELIGIOUS 246 EPILOGUE 273 APPENDIX 293 INDEX 301 5 PREFACE THE four hundredth anniversary of the suppression of the English monasteries would seem a fit occasion on which to attempt a summary of the latest views on a thorny subject. This book cannot be expected to please everybody, and it makes no attempt to conciliate those who prefer sentiment to truth, or who allow their reading of historical events to be distorted by present-day controversies, whether ecclesiastical or political. In that respect it tries to live up to the dictum of Samuel Butler that 'he excels most who hits the golden mean most exactly in the middle'.
    [Show full text]
  • Eynsham Unlocked: a Short History
    was shipped through Eynsham. through shipped was stone. Much of the stone used to build the Oxford colleges colleges Oxford the build to used stone the of Much stone. sending and receiving goods such as coal, corn, salt and and salt corn, coal, as such goods receiving and sending wharf was an important connection to Oxford and London, London, and Oxford to connection important an was wharf middle ages, through to the mid-19th century Eynsham Eynsham century mid-19th the to through ages, middle earliest times – there was a wharf as early as 1302. From the the From 1302. as early as wharf a was there – times earliest The Thames provided Eynsham with a trade route from the the from route trade a with Eynsham provided Thames The Eynsham wharf Eynsham on 15 August. 15 on at Pentecost and and Pentecost at allowed Eynsham two fairs – – fairs two Eynsham allowed granted in about 1150 by King Stephen. Later, Henry II also also II Henry Later, Stephen. King by 1150 about in granted market controlled by the abbot. The first licence was was licence first The abbot. the by controlled market of its past and flourishing in the present. the in flourishing and past its of Eynsham became a market town with a regular Sunday Sunday regular a with town market a became Eynsham village – rooted in history, yet looking to the future; proud proud future; the to looking yet history, in rooted – village Market trading Market remains what it has always been: a traditional Oxfordshire Oxfordshire traditional a been: always has it what remains not a museum piece, but a living, vibrant village.
    [Show full text]
  • MS 111 Stanley: Misc
    Corpus Christi College Cambridge / PARKER-ON-THE-WEB M.R. James, Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 1912 MS 111 Stanley: Misc. G TJames: 316 The Bath Cartulary and related items. Antiquarian Transcripts of Charters Registrum Chartarum Abbatiae Bathoniensis. Apographa Chartarum, etc. Codicology: Vellum and paper, mm 300 x 220, (12 x 8.6 in.), pp. 454. Cent. xi-xvi. Collation: 14 212 36 4 (five leaves) || 58 66 (+ a slip after 2) 78-98 104 (+ 1 paper leaf after 3). The rest of the volume is of paper. Collation: Diagram of quire 4: f. 5 (pp. 7, 8) is of cent. xi. Foliation: pp. a-f + (1-2 missing) + 3-74 + 74a-d +75-138 + 138a-b + 139-226 + 226a-d + 227-382 + 382a-b + 383-410 + 410a + 411a + 411-414 + 415-454 + g-l. Language: Latin and Old English. Contents: 1. 4-4 Homagium factum priori Bathonensi[] pro messuagio Homagium factum priori Bathonensi[] pro messuagio, etc. in Olveston[] per Ioannem de Weston[] [Nasmith:] [manu neoterica] The paging begins with 3: p. 3 blank On p. 4, of cent. xiv (44 Edw. III) 2. 5-5 Ad parcum de Westberi[] claudendum Qui tenentur claudere parcum de Westberi[] Of cent. xii Followed by another copy of 1 3. 6-6 Relic list Reliquiae sanctorum A continuation in another hand of the list of relics 4 (1) It is in Latin, of cent. xiii (?) 4. 7-10 Anglo-Saxon relic lists and manumissions from Bath[] Folium a libro evangeliorum Saxonico, hujus bibliothecae Cod. CXL avulsum, in quo continentur Saxonice [Nasmith:] (1) Scriptum Saxonicum de reliquiis sanctorum quas in scriniis Bathoniensis ecclesiae[] reperierunt Ælsigus abbas[] et fratres ejusdem monasterii.
    [Show full text]
  • St Hugh & Eynsham Abbey
    Front cover The two drawings are reproduced by courtesy of the Curator s of the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The figure of St.Hugh is from a 14th. century calendar in MS.Rawl.D.939. The west towers of Eynsham abbey are from Wood's 1657 drawing of the ruins in MS.Wood.E.1. Frontispiece Bishop Hugh and his famous swan: bronze by Arthur Fleischmann, F.R.B.S. At Buckden Towers, near Huntingdon, formerly a manor of the bishops of Lincoln: Hugh's body rested there, on the way from London to Lincoln. By courtesy of the sculptor, and of the Father Superior of the Claretian brothers, now at Buckden. by Eric Gordon sometime Bishop of Sodor and Man FOREWORD by Sir Walter Oakeshott sometime Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford Published by the Eynsham History Group: Occasional Paper No.3. 1986 © Eric Gordon and the Eynsham History Group Price: 50p. FOREWORD The selection at Eynsham (with Henry II himself presiding) of Hugh to be Bishop of Lincoln, eight hundred years ago, was nationally important. Conflict between King and Church had led, sixteen years before, to the murder of Becket by Henry's knights, in Canterbury Cathedral. As part of his penance, Henry had founded monasteries, over one of which (Witham in Somerset) he appointed Hugh, a Carthusian monk from France, to preside. It was a brilliant choice. Hugh was admired, trusted, and loved. Everyone, including Henry himself, knew that his integrity was beyond question. Hugh took steps to see that the actual election was made by the canons of Lincoln, technically their right, and an example of that sensitivity that was one of his characteristics as an administrator.
    [Show full text]
  • THE DISSOLUTION of the MONASTERIES: an ECONOMIC STUDY by John Clifford Solomon
    THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES: AN ECONOMIC STUDY by John Clifford Solomon Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History APPROVED: M. A. Alexander, Chairman T. C. Howard W. E. Mackie May, 1982 Blacksburg, Virginia ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Thomas Howard and Dr. William Mackie for their helpful suggestions and criticisms of this paper. I also greatly appreciate the friendship and encouragement that I received from my fellow graduate students particularly Ms. Wendy Walker. The writer would also like to thank Mrs. Connie Aikens for her diligence and patience in typing my manuscript. I am especially grateful to Dr. Michael Alexander, who gave so willingly of himself during the preparation of this paper. Most of all I would like to thank my parents, Saul and Alberta, for their love, understanding, and willingness to listen. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments ii Introduction 1 Chapters I. The Road to Dissolution 12 II. The Dissolution and the Successors to the Monks ............... 35 III. The Dissolution and its Contribution to Industrial Development in England . 71 IV. The Dissolution and its Contribution to Agriculture . 104 Bibliography 137 Vita 148 Abstract iii Introduction When Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509 there were close to 850 monastic foundations of various size, descrip- tion, and wealth in England. ·These included over 500 monasteries, 136 nunneries, and 200 friaries, in addition of course to several thousand chantries and various minor religious establishments. During the 1520's some twenty- nine of the smaller monasteries were dissolved by Cardinal Wolsey for his special purposes; and between 1535 and 1540 Henry VIII and his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, dissolved all the remaining ones.
    [Show full text]
  • Work and the Adolescent in Medieval England (AD 900-1550): the Osteological Evidence
    Work and the adolescent in medieval England (AD 900-1550): the osteological evidence Article Accepted Version Lewis, M. (2016) Work and the adolescent in medieval England (AD 900-1550): the osteological evidence. Medieval Archaeology, 60 (1). pp. 138-171. ISSN 0076-6097 doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2016.1147787 Available at http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/50828/ It is advisable to refer to the publisher’s version if you intend to cite from the work. See Guidance on citing . To link to this article DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2016.1147787 Publisher: Taylor & Francis All outputs in CentAUR are protected by Intellectual Property Rights law, including copyright law. Copyright and IPR is retained by the creators or other copyright holders. Terms and conditions for use of this material are defined in the End User Agreement . www.reading.ac.uk/centaur CentAUR Central Archive at the University of Reading Reading’s research outputs online Work and the Adolescent in Medieval England (AD 900-1550). The osteological evidence. By Mary Lewis, University of Reading1 ABSTRACT WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE A TEENAGER IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND? Despite the fact that medieval society often singled young apprentices and workers out for comment, their study has been largely neglected in medieval archaeology. The skeletal remains of 4940 adolescents (6.6-25 years) from 151 sites in medieval England was compiled from a combination of primary data collection and secondary data from published and unpublished skeletal reports and on-line databases. The aim was to explore whether apprentices could be identified in the archaeological record and if so, at what age they started work and what impact occupation had on their health.
    [Show full text]
  • Naughty Nuns and Promiscuous Monks: Monastic Sexual Misconduct in Late Medieval England
    Naughty Nuns and Promiscuous Monks: Monastic Sexual Misconduct in Late Medieval England by Christian D. Knudsen A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of the Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto Copyright © by Christian D. Knudsen ABSTRACT Naughty Nuns and Promiscuous Monks: Monastic Sexual Misconduct in Late Medieval England Christian D. Knudsen Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto This dissertation examines monastic sexual misconduct in cloistered religious houses in the dioceses of Lincoln and Norwich between and . Traditionally, any study of English monasticism during the late Middle Ages entailed the chronicling of a slow decline and decay. Indeed, for nearly years, historiographical discourse surrounding the Dissolution of Monasteries (-) has emphasized its inevitability and presented late medieval monasticism as a lacklustre institution characterized by worsening standards, corruption and even sexual promiscuity. As a result, since the Dissolution, English monks and nuns have been constructed into naughty characters. My study, centred on the sources that led to this claim, episcopal visitation records, will demonstrate that it is an exaggeration due to the distortion in perspective allowed by the same sources, and a disregard for contextualisation and comparison between nuns and monks. In Chapter one, I discuss the development of the monastic ‘decline narrative’ in English historiography and how the theme of monastic lasciviousness came to be so strongly associated with it. Chapter two presents an overview of the historical background of late medieval English monasticism and my methodological approach to the sources. ii Abstract iii In Chapter three, I survey some of the broad characteristics of monastic sexual misconduct.
    [Show full text]
  • Eynsham Abbey 1
    18 OCTOBER 2016 H1 EYNSHAM ABBEY 1 actswilliam2henry1.wordpress.com Release date Version notes Who Current version: H1-Eynsham-2016-1 21/10/2016 Original version DXC Previous versions: ———— This text is made available through the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs License; additional terms may apply Authors for attribution statement: Charters of William II and Henry I Project David X Carpenter, Faculty of History, University of Oxford EYNSHAM ABBEY Benedictine Abbey of St Mary County of Oxford : Diocese of Lincoln Founded 1005; apparently refounded in the 1090s The intertwined history of Eynsham and Stow (Lincs) during the later eleventh century is discussed in the headnote to William II’s acts for Eynsham. Extensive forgery prevents us from gaining a clear picture and renders any conclusions uncertain. Our knowledge of Eynsham abbey in the reign of Henry I is similarly fragmentary. 000, Regesta 708 below confirms that the abbey was in existence in some form in 1100 × 1107. The diploma of 1109, 000, Regesta 928, gives a clear and apparently trustworthy account of the abbey’s possessions in that year. It comprised much of Eynsham’s historic endowment, together with the lands and tithes that Robert Bloet had been forced to hand over after he expelled the monks from Stow. The diploma also records some recent gifts by laymen, including three and a half hides at Milcombe (Oxon) given by Nigel d’Oilly. Bishop Bloet died on 10 January 1123, after collapsing while riding with the king near Woodstock. His viscera were interred at Eynsham, but his body was taken to Lincoln for burial (William of Malmesbury, Gesta pontificum Anglorum IV § 177.
    [Show full text]