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ABINGDON ABBEY

  

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ABINGDON ABBEY 

Trendell's Folly, Abbey Gardens 
These ruins, which have been salvaged from elsewhere in the town and rebuilt here, are fragments from Abingdon Abbey, Abingdon-on-Thames, England (Oxfordshire, historically Berkshire).

Abingdon-on-Thames is believed to be Britain's oldest continuously inhabited town, with archaeological evidence showing human settlement for over 6,000 years.

The earliest monastery was founded there circa 675 either by Cissa, viceroy of Centwine, king of the West Saxons, or by his nephew Hean, in honour of the Virgin Mary, for twelve Benedictine monks. Cissa was buried at the abbey.

Endowed by successive West Saxon kings, it grew in importance and wealth until its destruction by the Danes in the reign of King Alfred.

Diploma of King Æthelred for Abingdon Abbey AD 993 (detail)

The abbey was rebuilt during King Eadred's rule. In 954, the monarch appointed Æthelwold, later Bishop of Winchester, abbot. He was one of the leaders of the English Benedictine Reform, and Abingdon then became the second centre of the Reform (after Glastonbury). There exists a collection of 136 charters granted to this establishment by various Saxon kings. The 1086 Domesday Book mentions Abingdon Abbey.

In the 12th century, the monks of Abingdon Abbey penned a chronicle entitled Historia Ecclesie Abbendonensis (History of the Church of Abingdon). This extensive medieval document provides fascinating insights about the times and life in and around the monastery.

Seal of Abingdon Abbey 
The Victoria History of Berkshire (p. 62) comments: "The pointed oval seal of the eleventh century bears the seated crowned Virgin, with sceptre in right hand and ring in the left, with the Holy Child on her knees..."

Since the abbey was the 6th richest in England, it became one of the first targets to be suppressed by King Henry VIII (in 1538). Its assets were seized, the magnificent St Mary's Abbey Church and core religious buildings were razed, and their stone was sold or reused across the town. Stealing of masonry after the Dissolution had been so extensive that even the foundations were removed.

Abbey Footprint
Low stone markers and footpaths indicate the former location of some of the abbey's main buildings 

The grounds of Abingdon Abbey are now a scenic public park featuring flat walking paths, historical monuments, and formal flower beds.

Present-day, active monasteries in the vicinity of Abingdon include: 

Carmelite Priory (Boars Hill, Oxford), which is home to friars and lay people running a retreat centre on the outskirts of Oxford, offering a peaceful space for prayer and quiet contemplation; Douai Abbey (Upper Woolhampton, Reading), an active Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery that sings the daily Divine Office, hosts individual retreats, and maintains a large public library; and St Augustine's Abbey (Chilworth, Guildford), a community of Benedictine monks welcoming the public to daily Roman Catholic Mass, the Divine Office, and stays in their self-catering monastic guest house.

Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913, https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/places-to-go/abingdon/-https://www.healthyabingdon.org.uk/green-spaces/abbey-gardens/index.html -https://historicengland.org.uk/education/schools-resources/educational-images/fragments-of-monastic-buildings-in-abbey-gardens-abingdon-oxfordshire-ioe01-03196-16 - by Dr David J Mazey -https://www.visitthames.co.uk/listing/abingdon/80176101/ -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abingdon_Abbey -https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/06/Abbey_Gardens_leaflet.pdf

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