 The ruins of Eynsham Abbey in 1729 | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Benedictine |
| Established | 1005 |
| Disestablished | 1538 |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lincoln |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Æthelmar |
| Important associated figures | Æthelred the Unready,Ælfric,Adam of Eynsham,Anthony Kitchin |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Scheduled monument |
| Site | |
| Location | Eynsham,Oxfordshire,England |
| Coordinates | 51°46′43″N1°22′26″W / 51.77861°N 1.37389°W /51.77861; -1.37389 |
Eynsham Abbey was aBenedictinemonastery inEynsham,Oxfordshire, inEngland between 1005 and 1538. KingÆthelred allowedÆthelmær the Stout to found the abbey in 1005. There is some evidence that the abbey was built on the site of an earlierminster, probably founded in the 7th or 8th centuries.[1] The site is a Scheduled Historic Monument.[2]
The firstabbot of the abbey was the prolific writerÆlfric (c. 955–c. 1010) and the abbey was established in 1005.
Eynsham Abbey was in theDiocese of Dorchester. In 1072 the recently appointed NormanBishop of Dorchester,Remigius, moved his see fromDorchester, a few miles down the Thames from Eynsham, toLincoln, at the other end of the diocese. In 1091 Remigius annexed Eynsham Abbey, with its revenues, to his new abbey atStow inLincolnshire.[3] This may have been the opening move in an attempt to introduce monks into the Lincolncathedral chapter, but Remigius' successor,Robert Bloet, did not follow through with the scheme, if this was the intention,[4] and the monks returned to Eynsham. A consequence of the return was that Eynsham Abbey was endowed by the bishop with additional lands in the south.[5] After 1109, the old abbey was demolished, and in the 1200s, many new buildings were erected.[6]
The abbey flourished in the Middle Ages, although there were probably never more than 25 to 30 monks.[7] A well-known abbot wasAdam of Eynsham, a writer, who wrote a hagiography of SaintHugh of Lincoln.[8] Records from 1390 indicate that the abbey's income was just over £772; funds were obtained from rents and the sale of wool and livestock. By 1406 the income was just over £812.[9]
By the 16th century there seem to have been only a few monks left, and in 1538 the abbey was closed in theDissolution of the Monasteries.Anthony Kitchin was the last abbot. Some of the buildings were wrecked to hinder the return of the monks. Some of the monks found work with the Protestant church and the abbot,Anthony Kitchin (1471–1563), was namedBishop of Llandaff in the Church of England, in 1545.[9][10]
The abbey estates were awarded to Sir George Darcy.[11][12] As of 1657 the site included two ruined high towers and part of a wall. TheEarl of Derby later acquired the precinct; stones from the buildings were subsequently used to build houses in the village.[12]
Excavations by the Oxford Archaeological Unit were conducted from 1989 to 1992; according to one report, "many items of interest were found including the bones of a number of people".[13] Some of the artefacts found at the site are housed in the Oxfordshire County Council Museums Resource Centre, Standlake.[6]
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