Denny Abbey
Encyclopedia
Denny Abbey is a former abbey
near Waterbeach
, six miles (10 km) north of Cambridge
in Cambridgeshire
, England
which was inhabited by a succession of three different religious order
s during its history serving as a monastery.
The site, on an ancient road between Cambridge and Ely
, was settled by farmers as early as the Roman
period. The Domesday Book
recorded that it was owned by Edith the Fair (also known as Swanneck), the consort
of King Harold, in 1066 when the Normans
invaded England and killed her husband. It was owned subsequently by the Breton
lord, Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond.
s, dependent upon Ely Abbey, moved here from their water-logged monastery at Elmeney (a vanished settlement about a mile to the northeast) in the 1150s, at the suggestion of Duke Conan IV of Brittany. They built a church and monastery, called Denny Priory
, which opened in 1159. The crossing
and transept
s are the only parts of the original abbey that remain today. In 1169 the monks returned to Ely and the site was transferred to the Knights Templar
.
arched doorway and a Refectory
. Denny became a hospital for sick members of the Order in the mid-13th century. By the end of that century, the Knights had lost their power, and in 1308 King Edward II
had all the members of the Order arrested and imprisoned for alleged heresy
, confiscating their property. Denny was then given to the Knights Hospitallers, who took no active interest in the property. In 1324 it was taken back by the Crown.
gave the Priory to a young widow, Countess Marie de Châtillon
, Countess of Pembroke
(1303-1377), known for her founding of Pembroke College, Cambridge
. Countess Marie built accommodations for herself in what had been the Abbey church, which she turned into her lodgings. She built a new church and gave the remainder of the priory to the Franciscan
Second Order of nun
s, the Order of Saint Clare
, also known as the Poor Clares. This community moved from their flood-prone monastery
in the nearby village of Waterbeach
. The priory was expanded during this period, with comfortable quarters for the Countess, who never entered the Poor Clares, and spartan accommodations for the nuns. The priory began to be called Denny Abbey during this period, despite the fact that the term "abbey" is never used by the nuns of that Order.
, and was once more taken over by the Crown. The last of the nuns had left within two years. The Abbess' lodge, originally built for the Countess, was retained as a farmhouse, and the Refectory as a barn, but the nave was demolished. In 1628 the abbey passed into private ownership. Pembroke College, Cambridge
, which had also been founded by the Countess of Pembroke in 1347, bought the site in 1928.
John George Witt
, the well-known barrister and Q.C./K.C. of Victorian and Edwardian England, was born at Denny Abbey in 1836. He died in London in 1906.
The Abbey, Nuns Refectory and surrounding land remained a farm until they were leased in 1947 to the Ministry of Works, which later transferred them to English Heritage
. The abbey, partially restored in the 1960s, is open to the public alongside the Farmland Museum, who manage the Abbey on behalf of English Heritage.
The Farmland Museum, which opened in 1997, has a shop, cafe and an Education Centre, running courses for local schools. Farm buildings and a 17th century stone barn have been converted into displays of local history and farming, including a 1940s farm labourer's cottage, a 1930s village shop, displays on local crafts and skills. Many of the old farm tools and machinery came from a museum at Haddenham which closed. The whole site, known as Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey, is open from April to October, and there are regular special event days.
Note: The spellings Denny and Denney appear with equal frequency in the historical literature. The latter spelling is no longer used locally, in modern times.
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
near Waterbeach
Waterbeach
Waterbeach is a large fen-edge village located 6 miles north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 23.26 km².- Village :...
, six miles (10 km) north of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, 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...
which was inhabited by a succession of three different religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
s during its history serving as a monastery.
The site, on an ancient road between Cambridge and Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
, was settled by farmers as early as the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
period. The Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
recorded that it was owned by Edith the Fair (also known as Swanneck), the consort
Consort
Consort may refer to:Titles:* Queen consort, wife of a reigning king* Prince consort, husband of a reigning queen* King consort, rarely used alternative title for husband of a reigning queen...
of King Harold, in 1066 when the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
invaded England and killed her husband. It was owned subsequently by the Breton
Breton
Breton usually refers to:* anything associated with Brittany, and generally;** the Breton people of Brittany;** the Breton language, a Celtic language spoken in Brittany;** the Breton , a breed of horses; and...
lord, Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond.
Benedictine Monastery
A group of Benedictine monkMonk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s, dependent upon Ely Abbey, moved here from their water-logged monastery at Elmeney (a vanished settlement about a mile to the northeast) in the 1150s, at the suggestion of Duke Conan IV of Brittany. They built a church and monastery, called Denny Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, which opened in 1159. The crossing
Crossing (architecture)
A crossing, in ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a cruciform church.In a typically oriented church , the crossing gives access to the nave on the west, the transept arms on the north and south, and the choir on the east.The crossing is sometimes surmounted by a tower...
and transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s are the only parts of the original abbey that remain today. In 1169 the monks returned to Ely and the site was transferred to the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
.
Preceptory of the Knights Templars
The Templars built a number of additions, including a large Norman-styleNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
arched doorway and a Refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
. Denny became a hospital for sick members of the Order in the mid-13th century. By the end of that century, the Knights had lost their power, and in 1308 King Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
had all the members of the Order arrested and imprisoned for alleged heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, confiscating their property. Denny was then given to the Knights Hospitallers, who took no active interest in the property. In 1324 it was taken back by the Crown.
House of Poor Clares
In 1327 King Edward IIIEdward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
gave the Priory to a young widow, Countess Marie de Châtillon
Marie de St Pol
Marie de St Pol was the wife of Aymer de Valence, the Earl of Pembroke, and is best known as the foundress of Pembroke College, Cambridge....
, Countess of Pembroke
Countess of Pembroke
Countess of Pembroke is a title that has been borne by several women throughout history, including:* Margaret of England , wife of John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke; daughter of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault....
(1303-1377), known for her founding of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
. Countess Marie built accommodations for herself in what had been the Abbey church, which she turned into her lodgings. She built a new church and gave the remainder of the priory to the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Second Order of nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s, the Order of Saint Clare
Clare of Assisi
Clare of Assisi , born Chiara Offreduccio, is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi...
, also known as the Poor Clares. This community moved from their flood-prone monastery
Waterbeach Abbey
Waterbeach Abbey was an abbey at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, England. It was established in 1294....
in the nearby village of Waterbeach
Waterbeach
Waterbeach is a large fen-edge village located 6 miles north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 23.26 km².- Village :...
. The priory was expanded during this period, with comfortable quarters for the Countess, who never entered the Poor Clares, and spartan accommodations for the nuns. The priory began to be called Denny Abbey during this period, despite the fact that the term "abbey" is never used by the nuns of that Order.
Abbesses of Denny
A list of the Abbesses of Denny- Katherine de Bolewyk, first abbess 1342, occurs 1351
- Margaret, occurs 1361
- Joan Colcestre, occurs 1379
- Isabel Kendale, occurs 1391, 1404
- Agnes Massingham, elected 1412
- Agnes Bernard, occurs 1413
- Margery Milley, occurs 1419, 1430-1
- Katherine Sybyle, occurs 1434, 1449
- Joan Keteryche, occurs 1459, 1462, died 1479
- Margaret Assheby, occurs 1480, 1487, 1493
- Elizabeth Throckmorton, occurs 1512, last abbess (who retired to live with her nephew George ThrockmortonGeorge ThrockmortonSir George Throckmorton of Coughton Court was an English politician and a member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII...
at Coughton CourtCoughton CourtCoughton Court is an English Tudor country house, situated on the main road between Studley and Alcester in Warwickshire. It is a Grade I listed building....
)
Secular use
The abbey was closed in 1536, shortly after the Dissolution of the MonasteriesDissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, and was once more taken over by the Crown. The last of the nuns had left within two years. The Abbess' lodge, originally built for the Countess, was retained as a farmhouse, and the Refectory as a barn, but the nave was demolished. In 1628 the abbey passed into private ownership. Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
, which had also been founded by the Countess of Pembroke in 1347, bought the site in 1928.
John George Witt
John George Witt
John George Witt was an English barrister.-Life:John George Witt was the second son of James Maling Witt , a prosperous Cambridgeshire farmer and barrister....
, the well-known barrister and Q.C./K.C. of Victorian and Edwardian England, was born at Denny Abbey in 1836. He died in London in 1906.
The Abbey, Nuns Refectory and surrounding land remained a farm until they were leased in 1947 to the Ministry of Works, which later transferred them to English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. The abbey, partially restored in the 1960s, is open to the public alongside the Farmland Museum, who manage the Abbey on behalf of English Heritage.
The Farmland Museum, which opened in 1997, has a shop, cafe and an Education Centre, running courses for local schools. Farm buildings and a 17th century stone barn have been converted into displays of local history and farming, including a 1940s farm labourer's cottage, a 1930s village shop, displays on local crafts and skills. Many of the old farm tools and machinery came from a museum at Haddenham which closed. The whole site, known as Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey, is open from April to October, and there are regular special event days.
Note: The spellings Denny and Denney appear with equal frequency in the historical literature. The latter spelling is no longer used locally, in modern times.