Wardon Abbey
Encyclopedia
Wardon or Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire
was one of the senior Cistercian houses of England, founded about 1135 from Rievaulx Abbey
.
It is a Grade I listed building.
, Bedfordshire grew up under the Abbey's protection. Great accumulated Cistercian wealth enabled Wardon Abbey to be rebuilt on a grand scale in the early fourteenth century, with complex tiling in carpet-patterns and pictorial vignettes pieced together in shaped tiles that approached a boldly-scaled mosaic. Gilding of the carved details was so lavishly laid on that in 1848, after demolition and burial, recovered fragments retained their brightness. By 1252 the monks had more land under cultivation than they could work by their own labour in the early Cistercian way: nineteen granges were recorded in that year. From the orchards at Wardon came the Warden pear
, rated the best of English pears, and so distinctive that a pie made from them was a "wardon pie": "I must have Saffron to colour the Warden Pies" (Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale
iv.3). In Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, edited by Thomas Austin for the Early English Text Society
(Original Series, Volume 91), a recipe is given (p. 51) for Quyncis or Wardouns in past.
The later fourteenth century was a period of retrenchment and decline, in the wake of the Black Death
. Wardon Abbey was dissolved in 1537
under Henry VIII, and the estate was sold for £389 16s 6d. The new owner demolished most of the buildings in 1552 to sell the materials, and then built a new red brick mansion, bearing the name Warden Abbey House. Later in 1790, the remaining part of this Tudor house was pulled down by its owners, the Whitbreads of nearby Southill
, leaving only a north-east wing, which still stands today. The Landmark Trust
rescued the building from dereliction in 1974 and renovated it in exchange for a long lease; it can now be rented for holidays.
Gallery of tiling from Warden Abbey on display in Bedford Museum
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
was one of the senior Cistercian houses of England, founded about 1135 from Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx , near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.It was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England and was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538...
.
It is a Grade I listed building.
History
The patron was Walter Espec, who had founded the mother house and settled the new community on one of his inherited estates, on unprofitable wasteland, as its early name, St Mary de Sartis, implied, just the kind of remote, uninhabited sites specified by the founders of the Cistercian order. The first abbot, Simon, was a pupil of Aeldred, Abbot of Rievaulx. The success of the abbey may be inferred from the foundation of a daughter house, Sibton Abbey, Suffolk, as soon as 1150. The village of Old WardenOld Warden
Old Warden is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, just west of the town of Biggleswade. It has a population of 275. The village grew up under the protection of the Cistercian Wardon or Warden Abbey nearby....
, Bedfordshire grew up under the Abbey's protection. Great accumulated Cistercian wealth enabled Wardon Abbey to be rebuilt on a grand scale in the early fourteenth century, with complex tiling in carpet-patterns and pictorial vignettes pieced together in shaped tiles that approached a boldly-scaled mosaic. Gilding of the carved details was so lavishly laid on that in 1848, after demolition and burial, recovered fragments retained their brightness. By 1252 the monks had more land under cultivation than they could work by their own labour in the early Cistercian way: nineteen granges were recorded in that year. From the orchards at Wardon came the Warden pear
Warden pear
The Warden pear, although sometimes used as to mean "any long-keeping cooking pear", is thought to be what is now termed the "Black Worcester or Parkinson's Warden." They were used to make "warden pies."-Heraldry:...
, rated the best of English pears, and so distinctive that a pie made from them was a "wardon pie": "I must have Saffron to colour the Warden Pies" (Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
iv.3). In Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, edited by Thomas Austin for the Early English Text Society
Early English Text Society
The Early English Text Society is an organization to reprint early English texts, especially those only available in manuscript. Most of its volumes are in Middle English and Old English...
(Original Series, Volume 91), a recipe is given (p. 51) for Quyncis or Wardouns in past.
The later fourteenth century was a period of retrenchment and decline, in the wake of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
. Wardon Abbey was dissolved in 1537
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...
under Henry VIII, and the estate was sold for £389 16s 6d. The new owner demolished most of the buildings in 1552 to sell the materials, and then built a new red brick mansion, bearing the name Warden Abbey House. Later in 1790, the remaining part of this Tudor house was pulled down by its owners, the Whitbreads of nearby Southill
Southill
Southill may refer to:*Southill, Bedfordshire, England*Southill, Limerick, Ireland*Southill, Weymouth, Dorset, EnglandSouthill may also refer to:*Viscount Torrington, Lord Byng of Southill...
, leaving only a north-east wing, which still stands today. The Landmark Trust
Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then gives them a new life by making them available for holiday rental...
rescued the building from dereliction in 1974 and renovated it in exchange for a long lease; it can now be rented for holidays.