Burton-on-Trent Abbey
Encyclopedia
Burton Abbey at Burton upon Trent
in Staffordshire
, England
, was originally founded in the 7th or 9th century by St Modwen or Modwenna; and later refounded in 1003 as a Benedictine
abbey by Wulfric Spott, a thegn possibly descended from King Alfred. He was known to have been buried in the abbey cloister
in 1010, alongside the grave of his wife.
when it was said to control lands in Mickleover
, Appleby Magna
in Leicestershire, Winshill
and Stapenhill
in Staffordshire, Coton in the Elms
, Caldwell
and Ticknall
.
The abbey itself was neither large nor wealthy and in 1310 was claimed to be the smallest and poorest Benedictine monastery in England by the monks. It suffered frequent financial troubles throughout its existence, often due to mismanagement and outright criminal behaviour, though the situation seems to have been resolved by the 16th century.
In the 13th to 14th centuries there were around thirty monks in residence though this had fallen off to almost half the number by the 1520s.
However, by contradiction, the monastery was nevertheless the most important in Staffordshire and by the 1530s had the highest revenue. The abbot was both a secular lord and, "exercised an independent spiritual jurisdiction. He was a figure of some standing, regularly serving on papal and royal commissions and acting as a collector of clerical taxes within the diocese." At various times between 1295 and 1322, the abbot was summoned to attend the Parliament of England
, and again in 1532. It is also known that there were frequent Royal visits to the abbey, including those by William I
, Henry II
and Edward I
.
(who had been the last abbot) and four prebendaries. It was again dissolved in 1545 and granted to Sir William Paget.
Parts of the abbey church may have been retained for parish use, however these were demolished and replaced by a new church in 1719-26. Some fragments remain of the chapter house nearby but little of the rest remains either.
Two buildings were converted to residential use - a part known as the Manor House, and the former Infirmary. The Infirmary became known as The Abbey, and is now an Inn.
In around 1712 George Hayne
opened the River Trent
Navigation and leased the grounds of Burton Abbey to construct a wharf and other buildings in the precinct. This led to the development of Burton as the major town for brewing and exporting beer.
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was originally founded in the 7th or 9th century by St Modwen or Modwenna; and later refounded in 1003 as a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey by Wulfric Spott, a thegn possibly descended from King Alfred. He was known to have been buried in the abbey cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
in 1010, alongside the grave of his wife.
History
Burton Abbey was mentioned in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
when it was said to control lands in Mickleover
Mickleover
Mickleover is a suburb located two miles west of the city centre and is the most westerly suburb of the City of Derby in the United Kingdom.-History:...
, Appleby Magna
Appleby Magna
Appleby Magna is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire, England.The civil parish, as well as Appleby Magna, includes the small Hamlet of Appleby Parva and the Villages of Norton-Juxta-Twycross, Snarestone and Swepstone...
in Leicestershire, Winshill
Winshill
Winshill is a suburb to the east of the town of Burton upon Trent, in the borough of East Staffordshire, England.Flanked to the north and east by the South Derbyshire border, historically the parish of Winshill had always been part of Derbyshire until it was transferred to Staffordshire in the late...
and Stapenhill
Stapenhill
Stapenhill is an area and civil parish in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire in the UK. Stapenhill was a small village owned by Nigel of Stafford in 1086.The village of Stapenhill has long since been surrounded by new housing developments....
in Staffordshire, Coton in the Elms
Coton in the Elms
Coton in the Elms is a village and parish in the English county of Derbyshire. It is located five miles south of Burton upon Trent.South east of the village is Church Flatts Farm, which is defined by the Ordnance Survey as the farthest point from the sea in Great Britain.-History:Coton is mentioned...
, Caldwell
Caldwell, Derbyshire
Caldwell is a hamlet or small village in Derbyshire, England within the National Forest.-External links:* accessed 3 January 2008...
and Ticknall
Ticknall
Ticknall is a small village and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. Situated on the A514 road, close to Melbourne, it has three pubs, several small businesses, and a primary school. Two hundred years ago it was considerably larger and noisier with lime quarries, tramways and potteries. Coal...
.
The abbey itself was neither large nor wealthy and in 1310 was claimed to be the smallest and poorest Benedictine monastery in England by the monks. It suffered frequent financial troubles throughout its existence, often due to mismanagement and outright criminal behaviour, though the situation seems to have been resolved by the 16th century.
In the 13th to 14th centuries there were around thirty monks in residence though this had fallen off to almost half the number by the 1520s.
However, by contradiction, the monastery was nevertheless the most important in Staffordshire and by the 1530s had the highest revenue. The abbot was both a secular lord and, "exercised an independent spiritual jurisdiction. He was a figure of some standing, regularly serving on papal and royal commissions and acting as a collector of clerical taxes within the diocese." At various times between 1295 and 1322, the abbot was summoned to attend the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
, and again in 1532. It is also known that there were frequent Royal visits to the abbey, including those by William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
and Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
.
Dissolution and beyond
The abbey was dissolved in 1539, to be refounded in 1541 as a college for a deanDean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
(who had been the last abbot) and four prebendaries. It was again dissolved in 1545 and granted to Sir William Paget.
Parts of the abbey church may have been retained for parish use, however these were demolished and replaced by a new church in 1719-26. Some fragments remain of the chapter house nearby but little of the rest remains either.
Two buildings were converted to residential use - a part known as the Manor House, and the former Infirmary. The Infirmary became known as The Abbey, and is now an Inn.
In around 1712 George Hayne
George Hayne
George Hayne was a merchant and entrepreneur who was responsible for the creation of the Trent Navigation in England and hence the development of Burton upon Trent as the pre-eminent beer brewing and exporting town....
opened the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
Navigation and leased the grounds of Burton Abbey to construct a wharf and other buildings in the precinct. This led to the development of Burton as the major town for brewing and exporting beer.