Abbotsbury Abbey
Abbotsbury Abbey remains and the abbey barn
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 Location within Dorset
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| Monastery information | |
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| Order | Benedictines |
| Established | 11th century |
| Disestablished | 1538 |
| Dedicated to | St Peter |
| Site | |
| Location | Abbotsbury, England |
| Coordinates | 50°39′52.1″N 2°35′55.4″W / 50.664472°N 2.598722°WCoordinates: 50°39′52.1″N 2°35′55.4″W / 50.664472°N 2.598722°W |
| Visible remains | tithe barn, parts of a building (possibly the abbot's house) |
| Public access | yes |
Abbotsbury Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter, was a Benedictine monastery in the village of Abbotsbury in Dorset, England. The abbey was founded in the 11th century by King Cnut's thegn Orc and his wife Tola, who handsomely endowed the monastery with lands in the area. The abbey prospered and became a local centre of power, controlling eight manor houses and villages. During the later Middle Ages, the abbey suffered much misfortune. In the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, the last abbot surrendered the abbey and the site was given to Sir Giles Strangways.
Today, the abbey's remains, and those of the nearby St Catherine's Chapel, are in the guardianship of English Heritage.
The first reference to the site of Abbotsbury may be in a charter of King Edmund (r. 939-946) recording a grant of five hides of land at Abbedesburi to the thegn Sigewulf. The name (Abbedesburi) may suggest that the land had once belonged to an abbot. During the reign of King Cnut (r. 1016–1035), the Scandinavian thegn Orc (also Urki, Urk) and his wife Tola took up residence in the area, having been granted land at Portesham.Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066) also granted him Wootton and it was early in his reign that the couple founded a monastery at Abbotsbury, previously the site of a minor church. Orc and Tola, who had no children, enriched the monastery with a substantial amount of land, some of which was bequeathed after their deaths. By the time of the Domesday survey, Abbotsbury (itself worth 21 hides) was recorded to have held more than 65 hides of land TRE. Orc also established his own guild, which according to the extant statutes, had its hall at Abbotsbury and protected the minster's interests.
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Wikipedia