Keynsham Abbey

Keynsham Abbey

Low stone walls in grass, surrounded by trees with a house in the distance.

The remains of the Abbey
Monastery information
Full name The house of the Canons of the Order of St. Austin and St. Victor
Order Augustinian
Established c. 1170
Disestablished 1539
People
Founder(s) William, Earl of Gloucester
Site
Location Keynsham, Somerset, England
Coordinates 51°25′02″N 2°29′46″W / 51.4172°N 2.4961°WCoordinates: 51°25′02″N 2°29′46″W / 51.4172°N 2.4961°W

Keynsham Abbey in Keynsham, Somerset, England, was founded by William, Earl of Gloucester, for the Augustinian Canons Regular around 1170 and survived until 1539.[1] The remains have been designated as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument[2][3]

The abbey was founded following the dying wish of William's son Robert, although there had been a religious settlement in Keynsham during the 9th and 10th centuries.[4]

After the dissolution in 1539, when the abbey and its possessions were surrendered to Henry VIII, the site was occupied by a house built by the Bridges family. In 1559 Thomas Bridges bequeathed stone from the late Abbey Church for the repair of the Bridge and causeway over the nearby River Avon.[5] The house built by the Bridges family was demolished in 1776.

The arms of the abbey included six golden clarions or trumpets on a red ground, from the de Clares, Earls of Gloucester.[6]

The site was excavated during the building of the Keynsham bypass in the 1960s. Amongst the finds was a fipple flute, a type of early recorder.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Houses of Augustinian canons: The abbey of Keynsham',". Somerset Victoria County History. British History Online. 1911. pp. 129–132. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Keynsham Abbey pier base in the garden of No.3". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  3. ↑ "Keynsham Abbey, remains to the south of No.3". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  4. ↑ Lowe, Barbara J. (2006). Keynsham Abbey a Cartulary. Victoria BC, Canada: Trafford. pp. 1–6. ISBN 1-4120-9534-4.
  5. ↑ "Keynsham". Bitton families. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Keynsham Urban District Council". Civic heraldry of England and Wales. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  7. ↑ Barrett, J.H. (1969). "A Fipple Flute or Pipe from the Site of Keynsham Abbey". The Galpin Society Journal 22: 47–50. doi:10.2307/841627. JSTOR 841627.

Further reading

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