Day 7 - Monastic England

Today we turn the clock back as we visit four different monasteries. Early monasteries originated in Egypt as places where wandering hermits gathered. These early hermits or "monks" lived alone, but met in a common chapel. By the fifth century the monastic movement had spread across Europe and into Ireland. Irish monks spread Christianity into Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland. Other Monks followed - St. Columba (Iona), and St. Aidan, who founded a monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, both of which we plan to visit. These Celtic monasteries were often built on isolated islands, as the lifestyle of the Celtic monks was one of solitary contemplation, such as Iona, and Holy Island.

The Benedictine Monks

One of the main change in this early monastic existence came with the establishment of the "Benedictine Rule" in about 529 AD. The vision of St. Benedict was of a community of people living and working in prayer and isolation from the outside world. The Benedictine Rule was brought to the British Isles with St. Augustine when he landed in Kent in 597 AD. However other “Monks” brought other monastic traditions: Cistercians, Cluniacs, Augustinians, Premonstratians, and the Carthusians.

Wenlock Priory – Much Wenlock

Wenlock Priory

A religious house was first built on this site in 680AD, when the Saxon King, Merewalh built a monastery for men and women, it was rebuilt in 1040, as a home for a “college of priests”. After the Norman Conquest (1066), monks were sent to Wenlock from the abbey of Cluney in France and it became a Clunaic priory, unlike the Benedictine monasteries they had elaborate ceremonies and much of their day was spent in worship, they had no time for manual labour, but still devoted to help the poor. Discovery of the “bones” of St Milburge at the priory made it a place of pilgrimage. 

Wenlock has a colourful past… during the 100 years war with France, Wenlock applied for a charter to free it from taxation levied on foreign monasteries and so switched their allegiance from Cluney in France to become an English priory.

They were only involved in early tax avoidance but also counterfeiting coins of the realm to boot. William Carewell, who specialised in counterfeiting coins trained some of the monks in the art!

Memorial to
William Penny Brooks

Much Wenlock
Church

Today the Parish Church stands on the site of the Nunnery and the monastery lays in ruins by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, easy living and lack of worship had brought Wenlock Priory into disrepute when the monastery was stripped and sold. Much of it became a farmyard and cows were milked in the south transept of the church! 

The Parish Church built by the monks hosts the towns memorial to Dr William Penny Brooks who inspired to restart the modern Olympic games.

Haughmond Abbey and Lilleshall Abbey

Haughmond Abbey

Both Abbeys were homes to communities of Augustinian monks. Haughmond Abbey – Abbey of St John the Evangelist was first established towards the end of the 11th century, 50 years before the formal Augustinian abbey in 1135. The Augustinians were a mixture of ordained Priests and “lay” monks. Such monasteries were small and modest and had a lesser status of priories, so it is unusual that both houses attained the status of becoming an Abbey. Both Abbeys were known to have a reasonable library of books.

Records show that Haughmond Abbey was sold after the deed of surrender as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Lilleshall Abbey was founded about 1148 as a Augustinian House probably the monks were first housed in wooden buildings. They had extensive land holdings and the Abbey as seen today comprise of the building of a stone monastery in both the 12th – 13th century. However by 14th century the Abbey was in debt, with the abbot being accused of selling wood from the forest on his own authority and selling Corrodies – A kind of pension scheme, where people could pay upfront a sum of money for the abbey to look after them until their death. Although the Abbey was sold as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and was stripped its ruinous state has more to do with cannon fire during the Civil War.

Buildwas Abbey

Buildwas Abbey

The Abbey of St Mary and St Chad (Buildwas Abbey) was founded in 1135 by the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield who supported reformed orders of monks. He was also determined to return monastic houses to a pure simplicity and austerity of earlier monasticism. He gave the site to Savigniac Order of monks who were highly fashionable at the time. However 12 years after its foundation Buildwas along with other such monasteries was absorbed into the rapidly expanding Cistercian monastic family, who pursued a desire for solitude and simplicity. Buildwas Abbey flourished and from 1150 started the construction of stone buildings. The monks began to add to their collection of religious books and started to make copies to be read in the cloister. By the 13th century the building work was completed. However in April 1342 murder was committed at the Abbey when the abbot was murdered a fellow monk Thomas of Tong was imprisoned for the crime, but somehow escaped and never found! In 1350 Welsh raiders from Powys broke into the monastery stealing its treasures and taking the monks prisoners, such raids continued into the 15th century. 

As part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries Buildwas Abbey was rented and turned into a house the monks were sent to other monasteries, some of which were to survive for several more years, in 1648 the site was finally sold.

Tomorrow we leave Cannock Chase and set off for Bury....

View across the campsite