Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. This article is about ruins in Architecture; for other meanings see Ruins (disambiguation. An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors and successors". Henry I (c 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror, the first King of England after the Norman William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages William II (c 1056 &ndash 2 August 1100) the third son of William I of England (William the Conqueror was King of England from 1087 Matilda of Scotland (born Edith c 1080 – 1 May 1118) was the first wife and Queen consort of Henry I. [1] King Henry I is buried somewhere in the abbey grounds.
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History
Following its royal foundation, the abbey was established by a party of monks from the French abbey of Cluny, together with monks from the Cluniac priory of St Pancras at Lewes in Sussex. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The town and commune of Cluny or Clugny lies in the modern-day département of Saône-et-Loire in the région Lewes Priory ( St Pancras Priory Lewes) was a Cluniac Priory established in the valley of the river Ouse in the eleventh century Lewes (ˈluːɨs Lewis) is the County town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. The first abbot, in 1123, was Hugh of Amiens[2]
According to the twelfth century chronicler William of Malmesbury, the abbey was built on a gravel spur "between the rivers Kennet and Thames, on a spot calculated for the reception of almost all who might have occasion to travel to the more populous cities of England". Biography The education William received at Malmesbury Abbey included a smattering of Logic and Physics; Moral philosophy and History, The adjacent rivers provided convenient transport, and the abbey established wharves on the River Kennet. A wharf is a landing place or Pier where ships may tie up and load or unload Kennet Fluss2 dbjpg|150px]] The upper reaches of the River Kennet near Avebury The The Kennet also provided power for the abbey water mills, most of which were established on the Holy Brook, a channel of the Kennet of uncertain origin. This article is about a type of structure For other locational uses see Milldam. The Holy Brook is a six mile long channel of the River Kennet in the vicinity of the English town of Reading. [1]
When Henry I died in France in 1135 his body was returned to Reading, and was buried in the front of the altar of the then incomplete abbey. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place Other royal persons buried in the abbey include parts of Empress Matilda, William of Poitiers, and Constance of York, among others. Matilda of England (sometimes Maud or Maude; 7 February 1102 &ndash 10 September 1167 was the daughter and dispossessed Heir of Henry I of England William (17 August 1153 &ndash April 1156 was the first child of Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England) and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in Constance of York (c 1374 - 29 November 1416) was the only daughter of Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York and his wife Isabella of
Because of its royal patronage, the abbey was one of the pilgrimage centres of medieval England, and one of its richest and most important religious houses, with possessions as far away as Herefordshire and Scotland. In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance Constitution Herefordshire was reconstituted both as a new Non-metropolitan district (effective 19th July 1996 and as a new County comprising the area of the Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The abbey also held over 230 relics including the hand of St James. A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page A shriveled human hand was found in the ruins during demolition work in 1786 and is now in St Peter's RC Church, Marlow. Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Marlow (previously Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow) is a town and Civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England The song Sumer is icumen in, which was first written down in the abbey about 1240, is the earliest known four part harmony from Britain. The original document is held in the British Library. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom.
The abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded The last abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, was subsequently tried and convicted of high treason and hanged, drawn and quartered in front of the Abbey Church. Hugh Cook Faringdon (unknown to 15 November 1539) also known as Hugh Faringdon or Hugh Cook of Faringdon where he was See also Treason, High treason in the United Kingdom High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country To be hanged drawn and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for the crime of High treason. After this, the buildings of the abbey were extensively robbed, with lead, glass and facing stones removed for reuse elsewhere. [1]
St James' Roman Catholic Church was built on a portion of the site of the abbey between 1837 and 1840. St James' Church is a Roman Catholic church situated in the centre of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Year 1837 ( MDCCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Its founder was James Whebble, who owned land in the area at that time. Reading Gaol was built in 1844 on the eastern portion of the abbey site, replacing a small county Gaol on the same site. HM Prison & YOI Reading is a British Prison. HM Prison Reading was built in 1844 as the Berkshire County gaol in the Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year James Whebble sold the rest of his portion of the abbey site to Reading Corporation to create the Forbury Gardens, which were opened in 1861. Forbury Gardens is a Public park in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [3][4][5]
Remains
The inner rubble cores of the walls of the major buildings of the abbey still stand, and in recent years have been conserved and stabilised. They are Grade I listed. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance These are now freely accessible to the public as part of the Forbury Gardens, a town centre park. Forbury Gardens is a Public park in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Other parts of the former abbey are now buried below Reading Gaol. HM Prison & YOI Reading is a British Prison. HM Prison Reading was built in 1844 as the Berkshire County gaol in the
The inner gateway of the abbey survives intact, though heavily 'restored' in the Victorian era, and now stands adjoining the Reading crown court and a large commercial office building, overlooking Forbury Gardens. For the TV programme see Crown Court (TV series. The Crown Court of England and Wales is together with the High Court of Justice Similarly the abbey's hospitium dormitory survives, and after various uses has now been incorporated into a recent office development. Hospitium (Gr ξενία προξενία hospitality among the Greeks and Romans was of a twofold character private and public The abbey school, which was founded in 1125, survives as a state grammar school called Reading School, albeit in different buildings on a different site. A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries Reading School is a Grammar school in the town of Reading, Berkshire, England. Some remains of the former Abbey Mill still remain alongside the Holy Brook at the south of the abbey site. Abbey Mill, or Abbey Mills, is a ruined former Watermill on the Holy Brook, a channel of the River Kennet in the English county of The Holy Brook is a six mile long channel of the River Kennet in the vicinity of the English town of Reading.
The grave of Henry I is marked by a plaque near its original location but no other graves are marked. Plaques have also now been placed on the walls of the chapter house to cite certain events there.
In 1995, the ruined South Transept was used as the setting for the first Abbey Ruins Open Air Shakespeare production by MDM Productions and Progress Theatre in partnership with Reading Borough Council. Progress Theatre is a theatre company owning and managing its own theatre on The Mount in Reading, Berkshire, England, close to Reading University In 1996, the outdoor production moved to the ruined chapter house and since 1999 has been staged by Progress Theatre in partnership with Reading Borough Council. This annual event expanded to the Reading Abbey Ruins Open Air Festival in 2007. [6]
References
- ^ a b c *The staff of the Trust for Wessex Archeology and Reading Museum and Art Gallery (1983). Reading Abbey Rediscovered, a summary of the Abbey's history and recent archaeological excavations. Trust for Wessex Archeology.
- ^ C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (2001), p. 282-3.
- ^ St James Church - A guide for Visitors. St James Church. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat
- ^ HM Prison Service - Reading. United Kingdom Ministry of Justice (2004). The Ministry of Justice has been a department of the government of the United Kingdom since 2007 Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat
- ^ Forbury Gardens. Reading Borough Council (2000-2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat
- ^ Reading Abbey Ruins Open Air Festival. Progress Theatre and Reading Borough Council. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Reading Abbey
- Friends of Reading Abbey
- Royal Berkshire History: Reading Abbey
- RBH for Kids: Reading Abbey
- Reading Museum Service: Reading Abbey
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