Glastonbury Abbey facts for kids
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Glastonbury Abbey church ruin seen from the east end of the apse
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 Location in Somerset
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| Monastery information | |
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| Order | Benedictine |
| Established | 712 |
| Disestablished | 1539 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | King Ine of Wessex |
| Important associated figures | Saint Dunstan, Henry of Blois, Henry de Sully, Savaric FitzGeldewin, Richard Whiting |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Ruins |
| Site | |
| Location | Glastonbury, Somerset |
| Country |  England |
| Coordinates | 51°8′44″N 2°42′52″W / 51.14556°N 2.71444°W |
| Official name | Glastonbury Abbey |
| Designated | 9 October 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1021077 |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name | Glastonbury Abbey |
| Type | Grade I |
| Designated | 21 June 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1345447 |
Glastonbury Abbey was a very important monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Today, its beautiful ruins are a popular place for visitors to explore. These ruins are protected as a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument.
The abbey was first built in the 8th century and made bigger in the 10th century. Sadly, a huge fire destroyed it in 1184. But the monks quickly rebuilt it. By the 14th century, Glastonbury Abbey was one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in all of England.
The abbey owned a lot of land nearby. It also helped with big projects to drain water from the Somerset Levels. However, the abbey was closed down during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII. The last abbot, Richard Whiting, was executed in 1539 on Glastonbury Tor.
For hundreds of years, people have connected Glastonbury with the legend of King Arthur. Medieval monks even said that Glastonbury was the magical island of Avalon. Some old Christian stories also claim that Joseph of Arimathea founded the abbey in the 1st century.
Contents
Exploring Glastonbury Abbey's Past
Historians aren't sure if Glastonbury was a religious place before the Celts. But archaeologists have found proof that Romans and Saxons lived on the site. In 1955, Ralegh Radford found Romano-British pottery during his digs.
The abbey was started by Britons, possibly as early as the 7th century. We know people lived there in the Middle Ages because pieces of ceramic wine jars from the Mediterranean have been found.
An old story says that Joseph of Arimathea founded the abbey in the 1st century. This story is linked to the legend of the Holy Grail and King Arthur. These connections became very popular from the early 12th century.
In 658, the Saxons took control of Glastonbury after the Battle of Peonnum. King Cenwalh of Wessex allowed the British abbot, Bregored, to stay in charge. This might have been a way to show kindness to the defeated Britons. Even after Bregored died, British monks continued to live there for many years.
The Saxon Era: Early Beginnings
King Ine of Wessex gave more money to the monks at Glastonbury. He is also believed to have ordered a stone church to be built in 712. The foundations of this church are now part of the west end of the main building. A glass factory was even set up at the site in the 7th century.
Glastonbury faced problems in the 9th century because of Danish attacks. The abbey might have been attacked during these wars. Saint Neot, a reformed soldier, worked at Glastonbury before starting his own monastery.
The abbey church was made larger in the 10th century by Abbot Dunstan. He was a key figure in bringing back monastic life to England. Dunstan also built the cloisters, which are covered walkways. He later became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 960. Two English kings, King Edmund and King Edmund Ironside, were buried at Glastonbury in 946 and 1016.
The medieval Glastonbury Canal was built around the mid-10th century. It connected the abbey to the River Brue, about 1.75 kilometers away. It was likely used to bring stone for building the abbey. Later, it carried food like grain, wine, and fish from the abbey's lands. Much of the stone came from quarries at Doulting, which were reached by the River Sheppey.
By the 11th century, the abbey had a large network of waterways. More canals and new channels were created. This included changing the path of the River Brue to reach the abbey's estate at Meare. It also made it easier to get to the Bristol Channel. In the 13th century, the abbot's main boatman would take the abbot in an eight-oared boat to visit nearby properties.
The Medieval Era: Growth and Legends
Norman Conquest and Abbey Wealth
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Glastonbury's wealth made it a valuable prize. William the Conqueror made Turstinus, a Norman, the abbot in 1086. Turstinus added to the church, building to the east of the old Saxon church. This was unusual because it was away from the old cemetery.
In 1086, when the Domesday Book was created, Glastonbury Abbey was the richest monastery in England. Around 1125, Abbot Henry of Blois asked William of Malmesbury to write a history of Glastonbury. This book, "On the Antiquity of the Glastonese Church," helped the abbey claim it was more important than Westminster Abbey.
Early work to drain the Somerset Levels happened in the late 12th century. The abbey was responsible for keeping many waterways clear. In 1129, the abbot checked on enclosed land at Lympsham. Efforts to control flooding on the River Parrett were also recorded.
By 1240, the abbey had reclaimed over 972 acres of land. In the 14th century, a Fish House was built at Meare. This was for the abbot's chief fisherman and used for preparing fish. It is the only monastic fishery building still standing in England. The abbey needed a lot of fish for Fridays, fast days, and during Lent. They caught as many as 5,000 eels in a typical year.
King Arthur's Tomb: A Famous Discovery
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In 1184, a huge fire destroyed most of Glastonbury Abbey. Rebuilding started right away. The Lady Chapel was finished and blessed in 1186.
Visitor numbers had dropped after the fire. But in 1191, something amazing happened. The monks claimed they found the tomb of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in the cemetery! This brought many more visitors to Glastonbury.
A writer named Giraldus Cambrensis wrote about the discovery around 1193. He said that Abbot Henry de Sully ordered a search. They dug down 16 feet and found a large hollow oak trunk with two skeletons inside. Above it, under a stone, was a lead cross. It supposedly had a clear message: "Here lies interred the famous King Arthur on the Isle of Avalon."
Today, many historians think this discovery was a clever trick. They believe it was a way to raise money to repair the abbey after the fire. William of Malmesbury had written that "Arthur's grave is nowhere seen." The idea of Arthur's tomb also appeared when kings like Edward I were fighting wars in Wales. This suggests it might have been used as propaganda.
The Abbey's Power and Influence
In the 14th century, only Westminster Abbey was richer than Glastonbury. The abbot of Glastonbury lived in great style. We can still see the ruins of the Abbot's Kitchen, which has four huge fireplaces. It is one of the best-preserved medieval kitchens in Europe.
The kitchen was part of the abbot's magnificent house, started by Abbot John de Breynton. King Henry VII even visited the abbot in a special apartment built for him. During the Wars of the Roses, life in England was very unsettled. Because of this, a wall was built around the abbey to protect it.
The George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn was built in the late 15th century. It provided a place for visitors to the abbey to stay. The abbey also owned land outside Glastonbury, including parts of nearby counties. Large barns, called tithe barns, were built to store the crops given to the abbey.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries
In 1536, there were over 850 monasteries in England. By 1541, there were none. King Henry VIII closed them all down in what was called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Crown took their buildings and lands.
Glastonbury Abbey had a lot of silver, gold, and land. In September 1539, officials arrived without warning. They took all the abbey's valuables. Abbot Richard Whiting refused to agree to the king's demands. He was executed as a traitor on Glastonbury Tor on November 15, 1539.
Decline and Modern History
After the abbey closed, its lead and carved stones were taken away. They were used to build other structures. The site was given to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset. He started a community of Dutch weavers there.
Later, the site went back to the Crown. In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I gave it to Peter Carew. It remained privately owned until the early 20th century. More stones were removed in the 17th century, and by the 18th century, the abbey was mostly ruins. The Abbot's Kitchen was the only building that stayed mostly whole.
The Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882 helped stop further damage. This led to the first historical and archaeological studies of the site.
The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey were bought by the Bath and Wells Diocesan Trust in 1908. Today, the Glastonbury Abbey Trust owns and manages them. When they bought the site, they hired Frederick Bligh Bond to lead archaeological digs. Bond found the Edgar Chapel and other parts of the abbey.
Pilgrimages to the abbey ruins began again in 1924. Today, people from all over Europe visit for Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox services. Over 100,000 people visit the abbey site each year.
Abbey Architecture
The ruins of the main church and the Lady Chapel are Grade I listed buildings. They are also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The abbey is set in 36 acres of parkland and is open to the public. You enter through the abbey gatehouse, which was built in the mid-14th century and restored in 1810. The 14th-century abbey barn is also open to the public, outside the main walls. It is part of the Somerset Rural Life Museum.
The great church was 220 feet long and 45 feet wide. The choir was 155 feet long, and the transept was 160 feet long. St Joseph's Chapel was 110 feet long and 24 feet wide. What remains today are parts of the upper walls and arches that supported the central tower. Other remaining pieces include parts of the outer walls of the side aisles and the 14th-century area behind the altar.
There is also stonework from the south nave aisle wall, the west front, and the Galilee. This includes its crypt, which is connected to St Mary's Chapel. The Lady Chapel, whose walls still stand, was described in 1478 as being 34 yards long and 8 yards wide.
The Abbot's Kitchen is known as "one of the best preserved medieval kitchens in Europe." This 14th-century octagonal building has curved supports on each side. Inside, there are four large arched fireplaces with smoke vents above them. Another vent is in the center of the pyramid-shaped roof. The kitchen was connected to the abbot's hall, which was 80 feet high. Only a small part of its wall remains today.
The Abbey Library
John Leland, a historian for King Henry VIII, visited the abbey library. He said it had unique old histories of England and rare early Christian documents. The library was likely damaged in the 1184 fire. However, it still held an amazing collection until 1539, when its books were scattered. About 40 manuscripts from Glastonbury are known to still exist today.
Abbey House
Inside the abbey walls is Abbey House. From 1931 to 2018, it was used by the Diocese of Bath and Wells as a retreat house. Now, it is sometimes open to the public for special events. It also provides extra office space for the Abbey.
This Tudor Gothic house was built between 1829 and 1830 by John Buckler. He used stones from the abbey ruins to build it. It was changed and made bigger between 1850 and 1860, with more changes in 1957.
Important People Buried Here
Many important people were buried at Glastonbury Abbey, including:
- Ælfhere, Ealdorman of Mercia
- Indract of Glastonbury and his sister Saint Drusa
- Edgar the Peaceful
- Edmund I
- Ealdgyth (wife of Edmund Ironside)
- Edmund II
- Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon
- Richard Beere
- Eosterwine
- Hwaetberht
William of Malmesbury also suggested that parts of other saints, called relics, were kept at Glastonbury. These included:
- St Oswald, King of Northumbria
- Balthild of Chelles, Queen of Burgundy
- Aelfflaed, second wife of Edward the Elder
The Glastonbury Thorn
A special type of common hawthorn tree found at Glastonbury is called the Glastonbury Thorn. It was first mentioned in a story from the early 16th century. This tree is unusual because it flowers twice a year. It blooms once in spring on old branches and again in winter on new growth.
This tree has been grown in many places using grafting or cuttings. It is known by the name 'Biflora' or 'Praecox'. A tradition started by Bishop James Montague was to send a branch of the Glastonbury thorn to the Queen at Christmas. This tradition continues today. The blossoms sent to the Queen now come from other Holy Thorn trees in the grounds of St John's Church in Glastonbury.
See also
In Spanish: Abadía de Glastonbury para niños
- Abbot's Kitchen, Glastonbury
- Abbot of Glastonbury
- Adam of Damerham
- List of monastic houses in Somerset
- History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes
