St. Osyth's Abbey
Encyclopedia
St. Osyth's Abbey was a house of Augustinian
canons in the parish of St. Osyth, Chich, in Essex
, England
. Founded by the Richard de Belmeis, Bishop of London, circa 1121, it became one of the largest monasteries in Essex and was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul as well as St. Osyth. Bishop Richard obtained the arm bone of St. Osyth from Aylesbury for the monastic church and granted the canons the parish church of St. Osyth.
The monastery began as a priory, possibly a daughter house of Holy Trinity, Aldgate. The first prior of St. Osyth's was William de Corbeil
, who was elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1123 and who crowned King Stephen
in 1135. William of Malmesbury
spoke in praise of the piety and learning of the canons at St. Osyth's in the twelfth century. One of the second generation of canons there was William de Vere
, later bishop of Hereford, who wrote a Latin life of St. Osyth in which he mentions that his mother Adeliza, daughter of Gilbert fitz Richard
of Clare, had been a corodian at the abbey for twenty years of her widowhood.
A charter of King Henry II
confirmed the right of the canons of St. Osyth's to elect their abbot and to hold a market every Sunday at Chich in the later 12th century.
The monastery was dissolved in 1539 by King Henry VIII, at which time there was a prior and sixteen canons. The king granted it to his minister Thomas Cromwell, but on his fall from favor the abbey and its estates were returned to crown possession. In the reign of King Edward VI they were sold to Sir Thomas Darcy for just under £400. The gatehouse, dating from the late 15th century, is the most significant remnant of the original monastic structures still standing. The exterior is a fine example of decorative flint work.
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
canons in the parish of St. Osyth, Chich, in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south 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...
. Founded by the Richard de Belmeis, Bishop of London, circa 1121, it became one of the largest monasteries in Essex and was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul as well as St. Osyth. Bishop Richard obtained the arm bone of St. Osyth from Aylesbury for the monastic church and granted the canons the parish church of St. Osyth.
The monastery began as a priory, possibly a daughter house of Holy Trinity, Aldgate. The first prior of St. Osyth's was William de Corbeil
William de Corbeil
William de Corbeil or William of Corbeil was a medieval Archbishop of Canterbury. Very little is known of William's early life or his family, except that he was born at Corbeil in the outskirts of Paris and that he had two brothers...
, who was elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1123 and who crowned King Stephen
Stephen, King of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
in 1135. William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
spoke in praise of the piety and learning of the canons at St. Osyth's in the twelfth century. One of the second generation of canons there was William de Vere
William de Vere
-Biography:The son of Aubrey de Vere II and Adeliza of Clare, probably the fourth of five sons, and brother of Aubrey de Vere III first earl of Oxford, de Vere spent part of his youth at the court of King Henry I of England and his second wife, Queen Adeliza of Leuven. Little is known of his...
, later bishop of Hereford, who wrote a Latin life of St. Osyth in which he mentions that his mother Adeliza, daughter of Gilbert fitz Richard
Gilbert Fitz Richard
Gilbert Fitz Richard was son and eventual heir of Richard Fitz Gilbert of Clare and heiress Rohese Giffard. He succeeded to his father's possessions in England in 1091; his brother, Roger Fitz Richard, inherited his father's lands in Normandy. Gilbert's inheritance made him one of the wealthiest...
of Clare, had been a corodian at the abbey for twenty years of her widowhood.
A charter of King 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...
confirmed the right of the canons of St. Osyth's to elect their abbot and to hold a market every Sunday at Chich in the later 12th century.
The monastery was dissolved in 1539 by King Henry VIII, at which time there was a prior and sixteen canons. The king granted it to his minister Thomas Cromwell, but on his fall from favor the abbey and its estates were returned to crown possession. In the reign of King Edward VI they were sold to Sir Thomas Darcy for just under £400. The gatehouse, dating from the late 15th century, is the most significant remnant of the original monastic structures still standing. The exterior is a fine example of decorative flint work.