Furness Abbey, or St Mary of Furness is a former Cistercian monastery situated on the outskirts of the Cumbrian town, Dalton-in-Furness. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy Dalton-in-Furness is a small town of approximately 11000 people north-east of Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, England.
Founded in 1123 by Stephen, Count of Blois,[1] it was built originally for the Order of Savigny. Stephen often referred to in history as Stephen of Blois (c 1096 &ndash 25 October, 1154) was the last Norman King of England The Catholic Congregation of Savigny ( Savigniac Order) started in the Abbey of Savigny, situated in northern France, on the confines of Normandy [2] Located in the 'Valley of the Deadly Nightshade' between Dalton-in-Furness and Barrow-in-Furness, the abbey is built entirely out of local sandstone. Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. It passed in 1147 to the Cistercians, who gradually enlarged and rebuilt the original ornate church. The majority of the current ruins date from the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th Century it had been completely re-modelled and had become the second richest and most powerful - as well as one of the grandest - Cistercian Abbeys in the UK, behind Fountains Abbey. Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, England, is a Ruined Cistercian Monastery, founded in 1132 [3]
The monks of the abbey were large landowners, and the most powerful body in what was then a remote border territory. In particular, they were heavily influential on the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical One of the kings of Mann and the Isles is buried at the abbey, as are many of the Bishops of Sodor and Man. The Kingdom of Mann and the Isles was a Norse kingdom that existed in the British Isles between 1079 and 1266. Sodor and Man is a Diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets Rushen Abbey on the Isle was built on land owned by the monks. Rushen Abbey was an abbey on the Isle of Man, located near Ballasalla. [4] They also owned mines on the island, and built Piel Castle to control trade between the Furness Peninsula and the Isle of Man. Piel Castle also known as Fouldry (or Fouldrey Castle is situated on the south-eastern point of Piel Island, 1 km off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula
Being about 70 miles down the coast from Scotland, the monks occasionally found themselves in between the regularly warring Scots and English. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. When Robert the Bruce invaded England, the abbot paid to lodge and support him, rather than risk the wealth and power of the abbey. Robert I King of Scots ( 11 July, 1274 &ndash 7 June, 1329) usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce (
It now lies in ruins and is a popular tourist attraction, lying on the Cistercian Way — an ancient walk popular with tourists, which used to link the Abbey with the nearby town of Dalton-in-Furness. Dalton-in-Furness is a small town of approximately 11000 people north-east of Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, England. William Wordsworth visited on a number of occasions and referred to it in his famous 1805 auto-biographical poem The Prelude, whilst Turner made numerous etchings of the Abbey. Year 1805 ( MDCCCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or The Prelude is an autobiographical "philosophical" Poem in Blank verse by the English poet William Wordsworth. Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and Other notable tourists include the Theodore Roosevelt family. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T It was the first unguided visit on their European tour. A young Teddy Roosevelt and his siblings played on the ruins, which, in 1869, were not roped off or restricted.
There have also been many stories of Furness Abbey being haunted by the a headless monk on horseback and a white lady. A White Lady is a type of female Ghost purported to appear in many rural areas and who is supposed to have died tragically or suffered trauma in life
See also
References
- ^ English Heritage
- ^ Furness Abbey - Catholic Encyclopedia article
- ^ History of the abbey
- ^ Rushen Abbey, Isle of Man, Ingram Consultancy
Template:Dalton-in-Furness
These monasteries were dissolved by Henry VIII of England in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The EncyclopediaDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic