Vaudey Abbey
Encyclopedia
Vaudey Abbey was an English Cistercian abbey. It was founded in 1147 by William, Count of Aumale, Earl of York
. Its site is within the Grimsthorpe Castle
park, in Lincolnshire
, 6 km northwest of Bourne
on the A151
, but there are no remains of the Abbey aside from earthworks.
The Victoria County History
contains a substantial report and a list of Abbots.
, who first settled at Bytham on 26 May 1147, near William’s Castle Bytham
. However, they soon found the land unsuitable, and by 1149 one of William’s tenants, Geoffrey de Brachecourt, had given the monks new lands in nearby Grimsthorpe. This new site was named "Vallis Dei" (Valley of God), or "Vaudey" in the vernacular.
, and in 1280 the abbot was empowered to arrest all vagabond Cistercian monks or lay-brothers, by the help of the secular arm, and to inflict appropriate punishment. However, by the end of the thirteenth century the abbey was experiencing financial difficulties and the number of monks had likely fallen.
, the net annual income of the abbey was £124. By the mid-16th century, the abbey buildings were in ruins. In 1539, Henry VIII granted Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
the lands of Vaudey Abbey, and he used its stone as building material for his new house. In 1736 William Stukeley
noted that only the precinct wall remained intact.
On the other side of Grimsthorpe Park, Scottlethorpe has substantial stone remains now used as part of a barn. This may be remains of an unrelated Chapel known to have been located there, or might have been re-located from Vaudey Abbey
Earl of York
The title Earl of York or Yorkshire was created twice in the Kingdom of England before the title Duke of York was granted to Edmund of Langley, the fourth surviving son of King Edward III, in 1348....
. Its site is within the Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle is a country house in Lincolnshire, England four miles north-west of Bourne on the A151. It lies within a 3,000 acre park of rolling pastures, lakes, and woodland landscaped by Capability Brown...
park, in Lincolnshire
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...
, 6 km northwest of Bourne
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
on the A151
A151 road
The A151 road is relatively minor part of the British road system. It lies entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Its western end lies at coordinates otherwise, 1...
, but there are no remains of the Abbey aside from earthworks.
The Victoria County History
Victoria County History
The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...
contains a substantial report and a list of Abbots.
Foundation
Vaudey Abbey was founded by monks from Fountains AbbeyFountains 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...
, who first settled at Bytham on 26 May 1147, near William’s Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham is a picturesque village and Civil Parish of around 300 houses in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire.At one time the village was an important commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural communities, but it is now largely a dormitory, although a number of farming families...
. However, they soon found the land unsuitable, and by 1149 one of William’s tenants, Geoffrey de Brachecourt, had given the monks new lands in nearby Grimsthorpe. This new site was named "Vallis Dei" (Valley of God), or "Vaudey" in the vernacular.
Prosperity
During the 13th century, the house flourished with profits from wool, which by the late 13th century reached approximately £200 per year. In 1229, the abbot was sent in the king’s name to bear messages to Llewelyn, Prince of WalesLlywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
, and in 1280 the abbot was empowered to arrest all vagabond Cistercian monks or lay-brothers, by the help of the secular arm, and to inflict appropriate punishment. However, by the end of the thirteenth century the abbey was experiencing financial difficulties and the number of monks had likely fallen.
Dissolution
The house was suppressed with the smaller monasteries in 1536. At DissolutionDissolution 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...
, the net annual income of the abbey was £124. By the mid-16th century, the abbey buildings were in ruins. In 1539, Henry VIII granted Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
the lands of Vaudey Abbey, and he used its stone as building material for his new house. In 1736 William Stukeley
William Stukeley
William Stukeley FRS, FRCP, FSA was an English antiquarian who pioneered the archaeological investigation of the prehistoric monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury, work for which he has been remembered as "probably... the most important of the early forerunners of the discipline of archaeology"...
noted that only the precinct wall remained intact.
On the other side of Grimsthorpe Park, Scottlethorpe has substantial stone remains now used as part of a barn. This may be remains of an unrelated Chapel known to have been located there, or might have been re-located from Vaudey Abbey