{"id":5452,"date":"2025-08-11T13:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/richmond-and-dales\/?p=5452"},"modified":"2025-08-11T13:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:25:12","slug":"meeting-at-easby-abbey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/richmond-and-dales\/2025\/08\/11\/meeting-at-easby-abbey\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting at Easby Abbey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Easby Abbey<\/h3>\n

We held our July Meeting at Easby Abbey<\/a>, the English Heritage<\/a> ruins on the edge of Richmond.\u00a0 The evening began with a picnic in the grounds on a lovely evening, which was followed by a tour and talk about the history of the Abbey by Kate Streatfield, one of the English Heritage custodians.<\/p>\n

Evidence suggests that a religious community of some sort existed on the site before the abbey was founded. This was probably based on the surviving parish church of St Agatha, and may have been an Anglian minster, a community of priests responsible for serving the surrounding parishes.\u00a0 The Abbey itself was founded in about 1152 by Roald, constable of Richmond, and may have absorbed the earlier minster.\u00a0 It was a Premonstratensian Foundation, only the third one in England.
\nMost of the Abbey was built in the 13th century.<\/p>\n

The Premonstratensian order was founded in 1121 in Pr\u00e9montr\u00e9, France, by St Norbert of Xanten. Most monks followed the 6th-century Rule of St Benedict, renouncing the world for a contemplative life.\u00a0 Norbert elected instead to follow the older Rule of St Augustine, which better fitted his aims that Premonstratensians should serve communities by preaching, teaching, charitable work, and sometimes by direct service as parish priests.\u00a0\u00a0Nonetheless, the Premonstratensians were heavily influenced by the Cistercian order, borrowing their rules for founding abbeys, the use of lay brothers to carry out much of the manual work for the community, and the regulation of daily life. The Premonstratensians adopted white robes like the Cistercians, and were known as \u2018white canons\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Abbey was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1536, following the establishment of the Church of England. The lands were sold off, and the buildings rapidly lapsed into ruin.\u00a0 Stone was taken for building, and some substantial pieces were taken away – a choir screen which is in St Mary\u2019s Church, Richmond and another screen in Wensley Church.\u00a0 The estate was sold in the 18th Century to William Smith of Melsonby, who built a hospital and Easby Hall.\u00a0 The ruins became an object of interest for antiquarians and Romantic artists in the 18th and 19th centuries.\u00a0 The grandeur of the surviving buildings testifies to the success and wealth of the abbey.<\/p>\n

In the 1950\u2019s the Custodianship of the Abbey was given to the Ministry of Works, and was passed to its successor in charge of national monuments, English Heritage when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.\u00a0 English Heritage is now an independent Charity. Below is an illustration of what the Abbey would have looked like when it was fully built and in use and a photograph of the current ruins.<\/p>\n

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Business<\/h3>\n

A brief business discussion followed the talk, which included the welcoming of 2 new members.<\/p>\n

We will be holding a fundraising Bingo Night at Richmond Town Hall<\/a> on Friday 17th October 7pm for 7:30pm, in aid of this year’s charity, with proceeds going\u00a0to Palliative Care Richmond & Hambleton.<\/a> \u00a0We will obtain a temporary liquor license to hold a bar for the night. There is a sub-group organising this.<\/p>\n

Wendy will be reviewing our PA reports and see if any are suitable to go forward for Regional awards in September.\u00a0 We are hosting the September SI Yorkshire<\/a> Regional Council Meeting at the Scotch Corner Hotel<\/a>, as our member Judith will be the new President.\u00a0 Members will be acting as club ambassadors to meet and greet our visitors.\u00a0 There will be “show and tell” tables for clubs to demonstrate their Programme Action work.\u00a0 We will be showing<\/p>\n