Hidden in the sombrely named Vale of Nightshade, just south of Dalton-in-Furness, stand the remains of Furness Abbey. Founded in 1123 by King Stephen, it began life as a Savigniac house before being absorbed into the Cistercian order in 1147, when the Savigniacs collapsed under the weight of their own mismanagement. By the time of the Reformation it had grown into the second-wealthiest monastery in England, rivalled only by Fountains Abbey.
So much for the Wikipedia entry. What is more intriguing is the strange twist of events that links Furness with the foundation of Byland Abbey in Yorkshire. In 1134, thirteen monks set off from Furness to establish a new home at Calder. The site proved unsuitable, plagued by its proximity to the Scottish border, and the monks returned. Their welcome was less than warm. The doors of Furness Abbey were shut against them with a severity that hardly spoke of Christian charity. Was this simple discipline, or evidence of a deeper fracture within the community?
Forced to wander, the exiles crossed the bleak spine of England with their books and supplies piled into an ox-cart, until they found help from Archbishop Thurstan of York. Settling first at Hood near Thirsk, they moved again after four years to Old Byland, only to discover that the bells of nearby Rievaulx Abbey rang too loudly for their peace of mind. In 1147, the very year their order joined the Cistercians, they shifted yet again, this time to Stocking, where they raised a stone church. At last, permanent buildings were prepared for them on the site we now know as Byland Abbey, whose ruins still stand as testimony to their stubborn journey.
Leave a Reply