Louth Park Abbey
Encyclopedia
Louth Park Abbey was a cistercian abbey in Lincolnshire
, England
. It was founded in 1139 by the Bishop
Alexander of Lincoln
.
The founder offered to Fountains Abbey
a site on the Isle of Haverholme
, but when the monks arrived, they requested to settle in the bishop's park at Louth instead.
The endowment received several benefactors, most notably, Ralf, earl of Chester, Hugh and Lambert de Scotney, and Hugh of Bayeux.
Richard of Dunholm, who became abbot in 1246, raised his house 'from dust and ashes.' It is said that the extortions of King John
from this abbey alone amounted to 1,680 marks.
Sir Henry le Vavasour, a knight from a well known Lincolnshire family, was advised by his doctor to go and stay in the monastery of Louth Park, in the hope of recovery from illness. But he died in the monastery. On the day before his death he sent for John de Brinkhill, and there he showed a deed by which he conveyed his manor of Cockerington to the abbot and convent, on condition that they admit ten more monks to the monastery, and celebrate divine service for his soul for ever. John de Brinkhill and others were made executors of the deed. The dying knight had not however, informed his wife, Dame Constance. Whilst she was sent for to be present at the signing of the deeds, their contents were not read to her. When her husband died the next day, Constance found his executors already in possession of the manor. It was rumoured that the abbot had forged the deeds, and not long afterwards he complained that Constance and others had carried away some of his goods, in particular a box containing deeds and muniments. Constance retaliated by a by making a claim of violence against herself. An inquisition was held in 1345, and the witnesses who were called proved that the deeds were genuine and that Henry le Vavasour had acted of his own free will. It was decided that the manor was to remain in the possession of the abbot, but he was to pay Constance and her son Roger 100 marks yearly, and to Roger after his mother's death 20 marks, out of its profits.
The abbey was Dissolved
in 1536.
The remains of Louth Abbey comprise extensive earthworks, the ruined north and south chancel walls, and the base of a nave pillar.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also 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...
. It was founded in 1139 by the Bishop
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
Alexander of Lincoln
Alexander of Lincoln
Alexander of Lincoln was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln, a member of an important administrative and ecclesiastical family. He was the nephew of Roger of Salisbury, a Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England under King Henry I, and he was also related to Nigel, Bishop of Ely...
.
The founder offered to Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is near to Aldfield, approximately two miles southwest of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is a Grade I listed building and owned by the...
a site on the Isle of Haverholme
Haverholme
Haverholme is a hamlet and site of Haverholme Priory in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located about north-east of the town of Sleaford in the civil parish of Ewerby and Evedon....
, but when the monks arrived, they requested to settle in the bishop's park at Louth instead.
The endowment received several benefactors, most notably, Ralf, earl of Chester, Hugh and Lambert de Scotney, and Hugh of Bayeux.
Richard of Dunholm, who became abbot in 1246, raised his house 'from dust and ashes.' It is said that the extortions of King John
King John
The Life and Death of King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England , son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Henry III of England...
from this abbey alone amounted to 1,680 marks.
Sir Henry le Vavasour, a knight from a well known Lincolnshire family, was advised by his doctor to go and stay in the monastery of Louth Park, in the hope of recovery from illness. But he died in the monastery. On the day before his death he sent for John de Brinkhill, and there he showed a deed by which he conveyed his manor of Cockerington to the abbot and convent, on condition that they admit ten more monks to the monastery, and celebrate divine service for his soul for ever. John de Brinkhill and others were made executors of the deed. The dying knight had not however, informed his wife, Dame Constance. Whilst she was sent for to be present at the signing of the deeds, their contents were not read to her. When her husband died the next day, Constance found his executors already in possession of the manor. It was rumoured that the abbot had forged the deeds, and not long afterwards he complained that Constance and others had carried away some of his goods, in particular a box containing deeds and muniments. Constance retaliated by a by making a claim of violence against herself. An inquisition was held in 1345, and the witnesses who were called proved that the deeds were genuine and that Henry le Vavasour had acted of his own free will. It was decided that the manor was to remain in the possession of the abbot, but he was to pay Constance and her son Roger 100 marks yearly, and to Roger after his mother's death 20 marks, out of its profits.
The abbey was Dissolved
Dissolution 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...
in 1536.
The remains of Louth Abbey comprise extensive earthworks, the ruined north and south chancel walls, and the base of a nave pillar.