Elstow Abbey facts for kids
Stone from crossing of the cloister vaulting, on display at Bedford Museum
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | The Abbey Church of St Mary and St Helena, Elstow |
| Established | c.1075 |
| Disestablished | 1539 |
| Site | |
| Location | Elstow, Bedfordshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°06′54″N 0°28′10″W / 52.11495°N 0.46935°W |
| Visible remains | church |
Elstow Abbey was a special place for Benedictine nuns in Elstow, Bedfordshire, England. It was started around 1075 by Judith, Countess of Huntingdon, who was a niece of William the Conqueror. This means it was considered a "royal foundation" because of her important family connection.
Contents
History of the Abbey
A Look at the Old Church
The church you see today, dedicated to St Mary and St Helen, was once much bigger. It used to stretch far to the east and had a central tower, a main altar area (called a chancel), and a special Lady chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Even today, the old foundation stones can sometimes cause trouble for the person who looks after the church grounds, known as the sexton. However, sometimes they also dig up beautiful old tiles from the original chancel floor!
Abbey Troubles and Lawsuits
The nuns at Elstow Abbey were often involved in legal fights, called lawsuits. They had disagreements with other monasteries, like Dunstable Priory and St Albans Abbey. These fights were usually about who had the right to choose the priest for certain churches, a right called advowson. It seems the nuns sometimes acted quite strongly to get their way!
There was more trouble in the 1300s. A nearby hospital, St Leonard's, needed to close a walking path that the abbey used. They wanted to do this to build something new. The abbess, who was the head nun, strongly objected. Even after losing a lawsuit, the abbey still stopped the building work for two more years! The hospital eventually had to ask the King for help, and he issued special documents called letters patent to make the abbey let the work go ahead.
Another interesting incident happened in 1337. The abbess at the time, Elizabeth Morteyn, claimed the abbey should receive a special payment from the town of Bedford. She said this right came from an old grant by Malcolm IV, King of Scotland. The case went all the way to Parliament. However, the town's leaders, called burgesses, proved that Malcolm IV never had any power in Bedford. So, the abbey lost that claim.
Nuns' Behavior and Rules
There were many reports and complaints about the nuns' behavior. A visiting bishop once said there was "too much wandering of the nuns out of the monastery." This meant the nuns were leaving the abbey too often. Also, many nuns, and especially the abbess, came from important families. This meant they had friends at court who often visited and even stayed at the monastery just for social reasons.
Some women who were not nuns (called secular women) even seemed to be living in the monastery. Eventually, Bishop Gynwell ordered that no one should stay there unless they had special permission. But even then, in 1379, Bishop Buckingham had to tell the abbess again to send all non-nuns away from the monastery.
Records from later years show that things didn't really get better. The monastery became more and more "secular," meaning it was less focused on strict religious life. The nuns started having their own separate homes, eating meals with friends, and wearing regular clothes instead of their nun's habits. It seems that attempts to make them follow the rules again were often ignored.
Around 1500, the separate church for the villagers was destroyed. After that, the Abbey church was changed so that local people could use it for their worship. It was then dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
The Abbey Closes Down
The Dissolution and What Happened Next
In 1539, there were twenty-three nuns living at Elstow Abbey, along with the abbess, Elizabeth Boyvill. This was when the monastery was closed down as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was a time when King Henry VIII closed many monasteries across England. All the nuns were given pensions, which were regular payments to support them. The abbey's land then went to a man named Edmund Harvey.
After the abbey closed, most of the church's main area (the nave) was kept and used as a local parish church. The rest of the church was pulled down after 1580. In 1616, Sir Thomas Hillersdon bought the remaining monastic buildings and used them to build a new house. This house later became a ruin itself.
Today, the church still has some interesting features. You can find 15th-century brass plaques, and tombs and furniture from the 1600s and later. Another part of the original monastery that still stands is a small building with a curved ceiling on the south side of the church. This was originally a parlour, a room for talking, and is now used as a vestry, a room where clergy prepare for services.
Building and Architecture
Three sections of the church were built in the Norman style, around 1075. This style is known for its thick walls and round arches. The two western sections were built in the Early English style, around 1225. This style is part of the Gothic period, with pointed arches and thinner walls.
When the monastery was closed in 1539, much of the building was lost. By 1580, the east end of the church had been completed, and it had a west window and a separate tower.
A painting from around 1815 by Thomas Fisher shows a wooden porch on the north side of the church. From 1823 to 1828, the church underwent restoration work to repair and improve it. Around 1860, a vestry on the north side of the church was taken down.
More restoration work happened from 1880 to 1882, led by architect Thomas Jobson Jackson. In 1883 and 1885, beautiful stained glass windows were added to the east wall. These windows, made by the Camm Brothers company, show scenes related to John Bunyan, a famous writer who lived nearby.
Elstow Abbey church became a listed building on July 13, 1964. This means it is a historically important building and is protected.
