Grange (mediæval)
Encyclopedia
A monastic grange was a manor
or other centre of an outlying farming estate belonging to a monastery
and used for food production in Great Britain
, Ireland
, or Austria. In France
such a supporting satellite farm, often a replica on a reduced scale of the mother house, was a doyenné, which is to say, a "deanery" under the local guidance of a dean. In English contexts grange is often specifically used to refer to the manor house
surrounded by its farm-buildings.
, for grange comes through French graunge from Latin granica, "granary". The granges were particularly important to urban-based monasteries and might be located at some distance. They could farm livestock or produce crops. Specialist crops might include apples, hops or grapes to make beverages or herbs for the infirmary
. Many granges included fish-ponds to supply Friday meals to the monastery. The produce could both sustain the monks and be sold for profit. Favoured manor houses might be used as country retreats by the abbot
. Granges are often mistakenly referred to as monasteries. However, whilst under overall monastic control, many would rarely see a monk and were run on a day-to-day basis by a steward and worked by local farm labourers or perhaps lay brother
s.
, all monastic manors were seized by King Henry VIII
. They were sold off or given away to the nobility and landed gentry. Granges often retained their 'grange' names and many can still be found in the British landscape today. The word has also become popular in modern times in the naming of smaller country houses.
In the 11th century, St. Mary's Abbey, Trim
, County Meath
was supplied with food by a number of granges, including one located at Killenagolach, near the ancient bishopric of Ardbraccan
(modern day 'Bohermeen
'), five miles from the town. Eventually 'Grange' replaced Killenagolach as name of the local townland and parish, and has remained the name of the area ever since.
One of the oldest wine estates in Central Europe, the Lilienfelderhof
(Lilienfelder Hof) in Pfaffstätten
, 30 km south of Vienna, Austria, traces its history to an endowment made by the Babenberger Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
(“the Glorious”) to the Cistercian monks at Lilienfeld Abbey
in 1202, though the property as such (as opposed to the endowment) is traditionally dated to 1209. In 2006 the Lilienfelder Hof was acquired by the Kartause Gaming Private Foundation, led by Architect Walter Hildebrand, on the basis of a 99-year leasehold (Baurecht). The foundation is currently in the process of restoring and revitalising both the numerous buildings and 20 hectares (ca. 50 acres) of vineyards.
The Thallern estate in Gumpoldskirchen
, another Cistercian grange, owned by Heiligenkreuz Abbey
, dates from 1147.
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
or other centre of an outlying farming estate belonging to a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
and used for food production in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, or Austria. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
such a supporting satellite farm, often a replica on a reduced scale of the mother house, was a doyenné, which is to say, a "deanery" under the local guidance of a dean. In English contexts grange is often specifically used to refer to the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
surrounded by its farm-buildings.
Facilities
Granges, like other manors, were landed estates used for food production, centred around a manor house with its out-buildings and possibly including other facilities such as a mill or a tithe barnTithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
, for grange comes through French graunge from Latin granica, "granary". The granges were particularly important to urban-based monasteries and might be located at some distance. They could farm livestock or produce crops. Specialist crops might include apples, hops or grapes to make beverages or herbs for the infirmary
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. Many granges included fish-ponds to supply Friday meals to the monastery. The produce could both sustain the monks and be sold for profit. Favoured manor houses might be used as country retreats by the abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
. Granges are often mistakenly referred to as monasteries. However, whilst under overall monastic control, many would rarely see a monk and were run on a day-to-day basis by a steward and worked by local farm labourers or perhaps lay brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
s.
Britain
At 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...
, all monastic manors were seized by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. They were sold off or given away to the nobility and landed gentry. Granges often retained their 'grange' names and many can still be found in the British landscape today. The word has also become popular in modern times in the naming of smaller country houses.
Ireland
Though initially just a description of the area of land used for food production, in Ireland, the word 'Grange' often evolved into the name of the townland or parish, replacing an earlier name. Most Irish counties have a place called 'Grange'; some have a number.In the 11th century, St. Mary's Abbey, Trim
St. Mary's Abbey, Trim
St. Mary's Abbey in Trim, County Meath, Ireland is a former Augustinian Abbey dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The abbey was situated on the north bank of the River Boyne, opposite Trim Castle, on land given to St. Patrick who is often credited with founding the abbey...
, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
was supplied with food by a number of granges, including one located at Killenagolach, near the ancient bishopric of Ardbraccan
Ardbraccan
Ardbraccan is an ancient place of Christian worship in County Meath, Ireland. It is the location of the former residence of the Roman Catholic, then, after the Reformation, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath. It is located approximately 30 miles from Dublin.-Origins:Ardbraccan originated as a...
(modern day 'Bohermeen
Bohermeen
Bohermeen is a Roman Catholic parish in the Irish Diocese of Meath. Its English name is a corruption of an ancient Irish language name, An Bóthar Mín, which meant the smooth road. Originally one of the five famed ancient roadways that led from the mediæval capital of Ireland, Tara, approximately 10...
'), five miles from the town. Eventually 'Grange' replaced Killenagolach as name of the local townland and parish, and has remained the name of the area ever since.
Austria
Austria is home to several large-scale granges built by the Cistercian order in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.One of the oldest wine estates in Central Europe, the Lilienfelderhof
Lilienfelderhof
Domaene Lilienfeld - Lilienfelderhof - is one of the oldest wine estates in Central Europe. Situated in Pfaffstätten, 30 km south of Vienna, Austria, it traces its history to an endowment made by the Babenberger Leopold VI, Duke of Austria to the Cistercian monks at Lilienfeld Abbey in 1202,...
(Lilienfelder Hof) in Pfaffstätten
Pfaffstätten
Pfaffstätten is a town in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria.At the heart of the town is the Lilienfelderhof, a so-called monastic grange, owned by Lilienfeld Abbey but leased to the Kartause Gaming Private Foundation for 99 years, until 2105...
, 30 km south of Vienna, Austria, traces its history to an endowment made by the Babenberger Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
Leopold VI , called the Glorious, from the House of Babenberg, was Duke of Austria from 1198 to 1230 and of Styria from 1194 to 1230....
(“the Glorious”) to the Cistercian monks at Lilienfeld Abbey
Lilienfeld Abbey
Lilienfeld Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Lilienfeld to the south of Sankt Pölten in Lower Austria.- History :It was founded in 1202 by Leopold VI, Duke of Austria and Styria, as a daughter house of Heiligenkreuz Abbey...
in 1202, though the property as such (as opposed to the endowment) is traditionally dated to 1209. In 2006 the Lilienfelder Hof was acquired by the Kartause Gaming Private Foundation, led by Architect Walter Hildebrand, on the basis of a 99-year leasehold (Baurecht). The foundation is currently in the process of restoring and revitalising both the numerous buildings and 20 hectares (ca. 50 acres) of vineyards.
The Thallern estate in Gumpoldskirchen
Gumpoldskirchen
Gumpoldskirchen is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Gumpoldskirchen borders on the municipalities Mödling, Guntramsdorf, Gaaden, Pfaffstätten and Traiskirchen. The municipal area extends from the flats in the Vienna Basin to forest areas of the Anningers in...
, another Cistercian grange, owned by Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria...
, dates from 1147.