Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The ruins of Bayham Abbey, a Premonstratensian Abbey, founded circa 1207. It was established from the union between the two Premonstratensian abbeys of Otham (Sussex) and Brockley (Kent). Excavations carried out in 1973-6 have indicated the building sequence of the abbey. The main monastic buildings date to the 13th century and the church was extended in the late 13th century. The gatehouse was added in the 14th century. In 1525, the abbey was dissolved by Cardinal Wolsey to create funds for Wolsey's college foundations at Oxford and Ipswich. Around 1800, the ruins were incorporated as features into a romanticized landscape based on the ideas of the architect William Wilkins and landscape designer Humphrey Repton. A number of monastic remains have survived as ruins including parts of the church, cloister, chapter house, dormitory and gatehouse. There are remains of other buildings associated with the abbey including the infirmary, water-mill, brewhouse, bakehouse, barns, stables and stores. Nearby are remains of a mill-leat, fishponds and small agricultural plots which provided at least some of the produce necessary to support the monks. The monastic boundary was defined by moats on three sides which helped to drain the Abbey's grounds at the same time as defining its extent. The western side of the precinct was formed by a bank and ditch. The abbey ruins is under the guardianship of English Heritage and is open to the public

Monument Types

• CLOISTER (Medieval - 1211 AD to 1525 AD)
• GATEHOUSE (Medieval - 1211 AD to 1525 AD)
• INFIRMARY (Medieval - 1211 AD to 1525 AD)
• PREMONSTRATENSIAN MONASTERY (Medieval - 1211 AD to 1525 AD)

Full description

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From The National Heritage List for England:

The Abbey at Bayham was founded shortly before 1211 and belonged to the Premonstratensian Order of canons. It includes not only the ruins of the church and its cloister, and the gatehouse to the north, but also the surrounding area of the monastic precinct within which stood other necessary buildings such as the infirmary, water-mill, brewhouse, bakehouse, barns, stables and other storage buildings. In this area is an embanked mill-leat and there are also considered likely to have been fishponds and small agricultural plots, or closes, which provided at least some of the produce needed to support the community of monks. The monastic boundary was defined by moats on three sides which helped to drain the Abbey's grounds at the same time as defining its extent. The western side of the precinct was formed by a bank and ditch which survives to a height of 0.6m and part of which is marked by a mature hedge. The sequence of buildings in part of this area is known from excavations between 1973-76. The components of the cloister and gatehouse were identified, and building was shown to have taken place through the 13th century with further modifications in the 15th century. After the Abbey's dissolution in May 1525, parts of the Abbey were used for iron-working on a small scale. The ruins were incorporated into a romanticized landscape around 1800, based on the ideas of William Wilkins and Humphrey Repton. Excluded from the scheduling are the Dower House, the storage sheds, all fences and gates, the access road (and service trenches) and the two bridges, although the ground beneath each remains included in the scheduling. The Abbey is a Grade I listed building, part of the monument is also in the Guardianship of the Secretary of State for the Environment

From the time of St Augustine's mission to re-establish Christianity in AD 597 to the reign of Henry VIII, monasticism formed an important facet of both religious and secular life in the British Isles. Settlements of religious communities, including monasteries, were built to house communities of monks, canons (priests), and sometimes lay-brothers, living a common life of religious observance under some form of systematic discipline. It is estimated from documentary evidence that over 700 monasteries were founded in England. These ranged in size from major communities with several hundred members to tiny establishments with a handful of brethren. They belonged to a wide variety of different religious orders, each with its own philosophy. As a result, they vary considerably in the detail of their appearance and layout, although all possess the basic elements of church, domestic accommodation for the community, and work buildings. Monasteries were inextricably woven into the fabric of medieval society, acting not only as centres of worship, learning and charity, but also, because of the vast landholdings of some orders, as centres of immense wealth and political influence. They were established in all parts of England, some in towns and others in the remotest of areas. Many monasteries acted as the foci of wide networks including parish churches, almshouses, hospitals, farming estates and tenant villages. The Premonstratensian order, or "White Canons", were not monks in the strict sense but rather communities of priests living together under a rule. The first Premonstratensian establishments were double houses (for men and women), but later they founded some 45 houses for men in England. The Premonstratensian order modelled itself on the Cistercian values of austerity and seclusion and founded all its monasteries in rural locations.

The integrity and diversity of the Bayham Abbey precinct, disturbed only by the Dower House of 1752 and by the lake to the north-east created ca.1800, provides a potentially outstanding opportunity to understand the development of the monastery. The part played by the ruins of the Abbey in the landscaping plans of Repton and Wilkins also provides a useful insight into late 18th century approaches to such monuments. (1)

<1> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<2> Anthony Streeten et al, 1983, Bayham Abbey : recent research, including a report on excavations (1973-76) directed by the late Helen Sutermeister (Bibliographic reference). SKE53745.

<3> Royal Archaeological Institute, 1959, The Archaeological Journal (Article in serial). SKE53744.

<4> by David Knowles, R Neville Hadcock, 1971, Medieval religious houses in England and Wales (Bibliographic reference). SKE6370.

<5> English Heritage, 2013, Bayham Old Abbey Conservation Management Plan, Second Draft (Unpublished document). SKE29565.

Sources and further reading