Vaudey Abbey facts for kids
Vaudey Abbey, also known as Vandy Abbey or Vandey Abbey, was an old English Cistercian abbey. An abbey is a special type of monastery where monks or nuns live and worship. Vaudey Abbey was started in 1147 by William, Count of Aumale, who was also the Earl of York.
The abbey's location is now inside the park of Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. It is about 3.7 miles (6 km) northwest of Bourne, near the A151. Today, there are no buildings left from the abbey. Only some earthworks, which are changes in the ground from old structures, can still be seen.
Starting Vaudey Abbey
Vaudey Abbey was founded by a group of monks from Fountains Abbey. They first settled in a place called Bytham on May 26, 1147. This spot was close to William, Count of Aumale's, Castle Bytham.
However, the monks soon found that the land at Bytham was not good for their needs. So, by 1149, one of William's tenants, Geoffrey de Brachecourt, gave the monks new land. This new land was nearby in Grimsthorpe. The monks named this new site Vallis Dei, which is Latin for "Valley of God." In everyday language, this became "Vaudey."
How the Abbey Grew
During the 13th century, Vaudey Abbey became quite successful. It made a lot of money from selling wool. By the late 1200s, the abbey was earning about £200 each year, which was a large sum back then!
The abbot, who was the head of the abbey, had important duties. In 1229, the abbot was even sent by the king to deliver messages to Llewelyn, Prince of Wales. Later, in 1280, the abbot was given power to make sure all Cistercian monks followed the rules. He could ask for help from local officials to guide any monks who had wandered off back to their duties.
However, by the end of the 13th century, the abbey started to face money problems. It is thought that the number of monks living there also began to decrease.
The Abbey Closes Down
Vaudey Abbey was closed down in 1536. This happened during a time known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was when King Henry VIII decided to close many monasteries and abbeys across England.
When Vaudey Abbey was closed, its yearly income was about £124. By the middle of the 16th century, the abbey's buildings were already falling apart. In 1539, King Henry VIII gave the lands of Vaudey Abbey to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Charles Brandon then used the stone from the abbey's old buildings to help build his own new house.
In 1736, a historian named William Stukeley visited the site. He noted that by then, only the wall that surrounded the abbey's area was still standing.
On the other side of Grimsthorpe Park, in a place called Scottlethorpe, there are still some old stone remains. These stones are now part of a barn. They might be from a different chapel that was known to be in that area. Or, they might have been moved there from Vaudey Abbey itself.
