shap abbey
shap abbey in the late 18th century
Shap abbey was an abbey of the premonstratensian order,so called because of the place the order was originally founded in about 1120 by the german saint norbert( who died in 1134), his first community was at premontre in northern france and from this humble beginning it grew into an order of over six hundred monasteries all over europe. It came to england in about 1140 and settled at newhouse in lincolnshire .The order had thirty english abbeys ,most of which like shap abbey were located in secluded valleys,
The premonstratensian canons wore white clothes which consisted of a white cassock with a white rochet over it,a long white cloak and a white cap and because of this were often known as the" white canons".
Shap abbey was founded by thomas de tal son of gospatric .The abbey ( which to be precise was only a house of canons at this time ) was first sited at preston patrick (,which gets its name from patric son of thomas) where a manor for this purpose had been granted to thomas by gilbert fitz-reinfrid in the mid 12th century. He then moved his canons to shap and the abbey was built on its present site on the banks of the river lowther near shap and dedicated to st mary magdalene. the abbey was endowed with considerable lands with pasturage for 60 cows,20 mares,500 sheep and 5 yoke of oxen and privileges, among which were being able to take whatever wood they needed from his forests,this grant was confirmed on april the 24th in the 13th year of king john (1212) by robert de veteripont first lord of westmorland.
The abbey escaped dissolution in 1535-36 but was surrendered 4-5 years later. finally succumbing to dissolution on 12-14 january 1540 ,(one of,if not the last abbey to be dissolved) , thomas cromwell (pictured left) who was the man charged with enforcing this order was apparently not averse to taking a bribe or two, in his personal accounts from 1538/39 a number of illicit payments were discovered among which were two from the abbot of shap abbey dated may and august of 1538 both for the sum of £10 ,an attempt to halt ,or at least stay the execution of shap abbey perhaps? (the money didn't do cromwell any good though ,he lasted just a bit longer than shap abbey before he too got the chop -henry VIII had him executed in july 1540 !!)
Upon dissolution the abbey's revenue was valued at £166,10s,6d per annum and it contained 20 members , the last abbot was a richard evenwoode who recieved a pension of £40 per annum. the other members of the order still living in 1553 and their pensions are as follows- hugh watsonne ,robert barlaude ,john addison ,edward ,michael and edmund carter £6 ,john bell ,£5, 6s, 8d ,martin macrethe ,john dawstone ,richard mill £5 ,george ellerston ,anthony johnston,john rode and ralph watson £4.
The abbey and its possesions were granted sir thomas wharton and held by the wharton family until philip duke of wharton sold them to richard lowther esq of maulds meaburn in 1728,the lands are still owned by the lowther family to this day.
Thomas son of gospatric and several members of the clifford family were buried at shap abbey.
The following is an address to shap abbey on the excavations of its ruins in 1864 by anthony whitehead of reagill near shap.
Peur auld abbey; some comfort has gone i" thy need;
thou's lang been encumbered wi rubbish an' weed,
but his lordship*at last has proposed a good deed,
to clear thy auld pile of its rubbish sea vile,
embedded now thickly on transept and aisle,
sen monks of the order sea stately did pass,
down the aisle to the altar,at matins an' mass,
what a pity to see thee for ages neglected,
an stan' i' thy ruin sea ragg'd and dejected:
thou who yance was wi' reverence sea girtly respected.
When thou steud i' thy grandeur sea matchless in splendour,
nea finger durst point, or tongue wag in slander,
at the monks of the order stately did pass.
down thy aisle to matins an' mass.
My dinner each day for a week i'd ha' gi'en
if for just ten minutes i could but ha' seen,
thee i' thy prime as thou yance mun ha' been,
when thy matin bells rang their musical clang,
as the monks wi' candles doon t' abbey did gang,
while the leets like kaleidoscopes danc'd through the glass
as they march'd in full order at midneet to mass.
Auld history tells us the cause o' thy ruin-
when king henry VIII ,for divorcement was suing,
an' banished peur keaytee,to start a fresh wooing,
then basken an' lullen in t' arms of nan bullen,
he meayde her his queen,but her reign was a dull'n,
twas then that he wanted more silver an' brass,
sea he scail'd the peur abbeys, the monks ,an' their mass,
Aey lale dud' t' think when thou offered protection,
to t' beaynes o' girt clifford**tell t' day o' resurrection,
at beayth thee an' them wad be gi'en for dissection,
when t' king, like beltshezzer, fand cash ran short measure,
an' sent doon tom cromwell to git him mair treasure,
an' he was a cowardly unprincipled ass ,
paid reverance to nought ,niether monks nor their mass,
sea now niver mair thou haude up thy heed,
but miter an' moulder like t' beaynes o' the deed,
but still an odd prop or creaym i' thee need,
may stop the decay that is wasting away,
the wa's o' thy steeple, sea ancient an' gray,
at yance was posessed o' five girt bells o' brass'
to summon the monks to their meals and mass.
( *the earl of lonsdale) (** lord robert clifford ,killed at bannockburn)
Anthony whitehead wrote several other poems and his work can be found in the book legends of westmorland 1896
The abbey consisted of presbytery with chapels on the south side,transepts with two chapels in each wing,nave of six bays with aisle,and west tower.the quire or presbytery is the oldest dating from the start of the thirteenth century,the quire was extended by 27 feet in the 15th century as well as a clerestory added to the nave and the west tower built. the chapter house which was on the east side of the cloister garth had an area of about 65 square feet,next to this was the calefactorium ,(or warming chamber )above this was the canons dorms . the outer court and infirmary is now occupied by farm buildings.
plan of shap abbey
In 1315 the monks of shap were selling their wool just as it came from the fold at 9 marks a bag and they sold ten bags a year.
It appears that westmorland had a problem with leprosy in the thirteenth century as it is recorded that, in the mid thirteenth century,john de veteripont gave to shap abbey the hospital of st.nicholas (which was nw of appleby on the crackenthorpe road),bishop walter(1225-1296) of carlisle confirmed this grant on condition that the abbot and convent should maintain 3 lepers in the hospital for ever..
About the middle of the 14th century the abbot and canons of shap recieved licence from bishop kirkby to remove the body of one of their parishoners ,isabella ,wife of william langley ,who was famed for doing miracles,to some proper place within the churchyard at shap ,that the reliques might be rendered by the people with free'r and greater devotion
The following poem about shap abbey is from an 1890 book by charles cooke.
What art thou now, oh pile of olden time?
the sparrow chatters on thy buttresses throughout the live long day,
and sportively the swallow twitters through thy broken roofs,
fluttering the whiteness of its plumes through shade,and now emerging to the sun,
the night owls are thy choristers, and mope amidst the dreary darkness of the night.
the twighlight- loving bat with leathern wing ,finds out a crevice for her callow young amid dilapidated halls on high.
beyond the unassisted reach of man ,and on thy utmost pinacles,the rook finds airy dwelling place and quiet home,
when sweeps the night- gale past on rapid wing and sighs amidst thy portals desolate,
the alders creak with melancholy sound, the ivy rustles,and the hemlock bends,
springing above the grassy mounds of those whose tombs have long been tenantless,
but now, with calm and quiet eye,
the setting sun beams mellowness upon the wrecks of time,
tinges the broken arch with crimson rust, flames down the gothic aisle,
and mantles o'er the ruined altar and baptismal font.
monastic pile farewell.
to be continued
i will update this page as and when new ( old! ) material comes to light.