Beaulieu Abbey was a
Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, England. It was founded in 1203–1204 by
King John and (uniquely in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
)
populated by 30 monks sent from the abbey of
Cîteaux in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, the mother house of the Cistercian order. The
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the administrative language in the former Western Roman Empire, Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Numidi ...
name of the monastery was ''Bellus Locus Regis'' ("The beautiful place of the king"') or ''monasterium Belli loci Regis''.
Other spellings of the English name which occur historically are Bewley (16th century) and Beaulie (17th century).
History
Foundation
The first
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
of Beaulieu was
Hugh
Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...
,
who stood high in the king's favour, often served in important diplomatic missions and was later to become
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.
The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The Episcop ...
.
The king granted the new abbey a rich endowment, including numerous manors spread across southern England (particularly in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
), land in the
New Forest
The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...
, corn, large amounts of money, building materials, 120 cows, 12 bulls, a golden chalice, and an annual
tun of wine.
John's son and successor, King
Henry III was equally generous to Beaulieu, with the result that the abbey became very wealthy,
though it was far from the richest English Cistercian house.
Monks from Beaulieu founded four daughter houses,
Netley Abbey
Netley Abbey is a ruined Late Middle Ages, late medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite royal patronage, Ne ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
(1239),
Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, in the small village of Hailes, Gloucestershire, Hailes, two miles northeast of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in 1246 as a daughter establishment of Beaulieu Abbey. The abbey wa ...
in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
(1246),
Newenham Abbey
Newenham Abbey (''alias'' Newnham) was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1247 by Reginald II de Mohun (1206–1258) on land within his manor of Axminster in Devon, England. The site of the ruined abbey is a short distance south-west of the town of Ax ...
in
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
(1247) and
St Mary Graces Abbey in London (1350).
Buildings

The abbey's buildings were of a scale and magnificence reflecting its status as an important royal foundation.
The church was a vast
cruciform
A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design.
Cruciform architectural plan
Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...
structure in early
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language
** Gothic ( ...
style and heavily influenced by French churches of the order, especially those of Cîteaux, Bonport and
Clairvaux.
The church was long and had a semi-circular
apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
with 11 radiating chapels. The building took more than four decades to complete and was finally dedicated in 1246,
in the presence of King
Henry III and his queen, of
Richard, Earl of Cornwall
Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of ...
, and of many prelates and nobles.
South of the church stood a
cloister
A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...
, ranged around which were the
chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
,
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...
, kitchens, storehouse and quarters for the
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
s,
lay brothers
Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choi ...
and the abbot. A separate
infirmary
Infirmary may refer to:
*Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital
*A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution
*A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications)
*A clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambul ...
complex lay to the east of the main buildings, connected to them by a passage.
The abbey was surrounded by workshops, farm buildings, guesthouses, a mill, and extensive gardens and fishponds. Strongly fortified gatehouses controlled entry to the monastic enclosure, which was defended by a wall. A water gate allowed access to ships in the river.
Exemption and sanctuary
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
constituted Beaulieu an "exempt abbey", meaning that the abbot had to answer to no local
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
but only to the
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
himself.
Beaulieu was also invested by the same Pope with special privileges of sanctuary,
much stronger than usual and covering not only the abbey itself but all the 23.5 hectare precinct around as included in the original grant made by King John. As Beaulieu was the only abbey in its region with such large and strongly enforced sanctuary rights, it soon became a refuge for fugitives, both ordinary criminals and debtors and also political enemies of the government.
Among these latter were
Anne Neville
Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was List of English royal consorts , Queen of England from 26 June 1483 until her death in 1485 as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard N ...
,
wife of
Warwick the Kingmaker
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th Earl of Salisbury (22 November 1428 – 14 April 1471), known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, landowner of the House of Neville fortune and military com ...
, who sought sanctuary after the
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a War of succession, dynastic conflict of England in the Middle Ages, 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured t ...
(1471). Twenty-six years later,
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck ( – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called "Princes in the Tower". Richard, were he alive, would ...
fled to Beaulieu from the pursuing armies of
Henry VII.
Dissolution

In 1535 the abbey's income was assessed in the ''
Valor Ecclesiasticus
The ''Valor Ecclesiasticus'' (Latin: "church valuation") was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII. It was colloquially called the Kings books, ...
'',
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
's general survey of church finances prior to the expropriation, at £428 gross, £326 net.
According to the terms of the first Suppression Act, Henry's initial move in the
Dissolution of the Monasteries, this meant that it escaped immediate confiscation, though the clouds were gathering.
The last abbot of Beaulieu was
Abbot Thomas Stevens, elected in 1536, who had formerly been abbot of the recently dissolved abbey of Netley, across
Southampton Water
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed we ...
.
Though Beaulieu managed to survive until April 1538, at that point it was finally forced to surrender to the government.
Many of the monks were granted pensions, the abbot receiving 100 marks per year.
Abbot Thomas ended his days as treasurer of
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
.
He died in 1550.
At the
dissolution of the monastery in 1538, the Commissioners for the Dissolution reported to the government that thirty-two sanctuary-men, who were here for debt, felony, or murder, were living in houses in the monastic precincts with their wives and families.
When the abbey was dissolved there was some debate about what to do with them, however, in the end it was decided, after pleading by the former abbot and certain government officials, to allow the debtors to live in their houses on the abbey grounds permanently.
Pardons were given to some of the criminals too, including one Thomas Jeynes, a murderer.
Country mansion

After Beaulieu fell there was much competition amongst
courtier
A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
s to gain ownership of the abbey and its valuable estates, but eventually
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton (21 December 1505 – 30 July 1550), was an English peer, secretary of state, Lord Chancellor and Lord High Admiral. A naturally skilled but unscrupulous and devious politician who changed with the ...
, won the struggle and King Henry granted him the abbey itself and 3,441 hectares of the Beaulieu lands.
As soon as he took over, Wriothesley set about building himself a house on the site. He demolished the church, as was common practice but, unusually, instead of converting the buildings around the cloister into a home he chose the great gatehouse as the core of his mansion
(compare Wriothesley's other converted monastery at
Titchfield Abbey
Titchfield Abbey is a medieval abbey and later country house, located in the village of Titchfield near Fareham in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1222 for Premonstratensian canons, an austere order of priests. The abbey was a minor ...
or the conversion of neighbouring
Netley Abbey
Netley Abbey is a ruined Late Middle Ages, late medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite royal patronage, Ne ...
). This survives – much extended – as the modern country house at Beaulieu known as Palace House. Lord Southampton preserved the monks' refectory, which he gave to the people of
Beaulieu village to be their parish church,
a function it still serves today. The west range of the abbey, known as the Domus, was also saved. The rest of the abbey was allowed to fall into ruin.
Today

Although a great deal was destroyed at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, there is still much to see. The layout of the 102-metre-long church can be seen on the lawns. The position of the altar is marked by a cross and flanking trees. The south wall of the nave, where the cloister leant against it, still stands. At each end is a fine processional door between the church and the cloister. The cloister arcades themselves have vanished, but the open space is still enclosed by walls and planted with fragrant herbs. To the east lay the
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is us ...
, the
chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
, the
slype
The term slype is a variant of slip in the sense of a narrow passage; in architecture, the name for the covered passage usually found in monasteries or cathedrals between the transept and the chapter house, as at St Andrew's Cathedral, St Andrews ...
or passage to the infirmary, and the monks' day room. Of these the main survival is the façade of the chapter house, with three large Gothic arches. The dormitory that stood above these rooms has vanished, as has most of the
reredorter
The reredorter or necessarium (the latter being the original term) was a communal latrine found in mediaeval monasteries in Western Europe and later also in some New World monasteries.
Etymology
The word is composed from dorter and the Middle E ...
extending east from its southern end. The south range contained the
warming room, the
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...
(aligned north-south in the Cistercian manner) and the kitchen. The warming room and the kitchen have largely disappeared, but the refectory survives as the parish church. It is a fine 13th century building, with elaborate shafted lancet windows and an intact reader's pulpit, for reading biblical passages at mealtimes. Between the east and south ranges, the lower part of the dormitory staircase can be seen.
The west range, now called the Domus, was initially the lay brothers' refectory and dormitory and, later, chambers for important guests once the lay brothers had vanished. It is separated from the main cloister by a 'lane', to segregate the monks from the lay brothers. It now houses an exhibition of monastic life prior to Thomas Wriothesley's takeover. Visitors can view a series of modern embroidered wall hangings made by Belinda, Lady Montagu,
depicting scenes from medieval monastic life and the history of the abbey since 1204. Beyond the central claustral buildings, foundations remain of the infirmary. The abbey stood within two walled courtyards, of which much of the precinct walls still stand. The smaller outer gatehouse is still used as such, while the inner gatehouse has been greatly altered for use as Beaulieu Palace House. Although the passage has been blocked up at each end, the tierceron vaulting remains inside. Beaulieu remains in the hands of the descendants of Wriothesley, who still live there.
The Abbey is open to the public as part of the visitor attraction known as "Beaulieu", which includes:
*Beaulieu Abbey
*
National Motor Museum
*
Beaulieu Palace House
Beaulieu Palace House ( ) is a 13th-century house in Beaulieu, Hampshire, United Kingdom. Originally part of Beaulieu Abbey, the estate was bought in 1538 by Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, following the Dissolution of the Monast ...
*Secret Army Exhibition – an exhibit about the
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
training at Beaulieu during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
*Gardens
*A
monorail
A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...
*Rides
The Domus is regularly used for events, dining and corporate hospitality.
Folklore
Foundation legend
Beaulieu Abbey was the sole religious foundation of King John. The legend of this event, first told in a Kirkstall chartulary, is related by the antiquarian
William Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.
Life
Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Colesh ...
, who incorrectly suggested that "King John being offended with the Cistercian order in England, and the Abbots of that Order coming to him to reconcile themselves, he caused them to be trod under his Horses Feet, for which Action being terrified in a Dream, he built and bestowed the Abby of Beau-lieu in Newforest for 30 monks of that order."
The legend was repeated in a later work by the topographer
Thomas Cox. Modern re-tellings of the king's "babbling dream" state that he dreamed of being scourged with rods and thongs by the abbots he had commanded be trampled and he awoke to find his body still ached from the blows in his dream.
The king is said to have taken great interest in the construction of the abbey and even to have expressed a desire to be entombed beneath the high altar.
Reported hauntings
Beaulieu, according to the official website, is one of the most haunted places in Britain, with reported sightings going back over a hundred years.
The sound of
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...
, considered an omen by local tradition, have been reported by Mrs Elizabeth Varley, daughter of
John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu
John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (10 June 1866 – 30 March 1929), was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, soldier and promoter of motoring. He was the father of Edward Douglas-Sco ...
, and
Michael C. Sedgwick, former curator of the
National Motor Museum, amongst others.
Among the many reported sightings of monks (allegedly white and brown clad) in the abbey ruins and in the parish church,
including one by the actress
Margaret Rutherford
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, film and television.
Rutherford came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's ''Blithe Spirit (1945 f ...
,
is an often repeated tale involving a group of local boys sheltering from a storm in a disused boathouse who see a rowing boat making for the shore.
The eccentric Reverend
Robert Frazer Powles, Vicar of Beaulieu (1886–1939), claimed to have gone so far as to converse with ghostly monks whom he knew by name, and even to have celebrated candlelit midnight mass every Christmas Eve for them.
In culture

Beaulieu Abbey is the setting of the opening chapters in
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
's historical novel ''
The White Company
''The White Company'' is a historical adventure novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, set during the Hundred Years' War. The story is set in England, France and Spain, in the years 1366 and 1367, against the background of the campaign of ...
''. F. T. Prince's poem "At Beaulieu"', from his 1963 collection, ''The Doors of Stone'', describes the double heart-coffin on display in the Abbey. Prince, who was Professor of English at the University of Southampton from 1957 to 1974, probably visited the site sometime in the late 1950s/early 1960s.
Sir John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...
's poem "Youth and Age on Beaulieu River"
"Youth and Age on Beaulieu River"
/ref> is based on a visit he made to the New Forest. Beaulieu Abbey plays a prominent role in Edward Rutherfurd
Francis Edward Wintle (born 1948), known by his pen name Edward Rutherfurd, is an English novelist. He is best known as a writer of epic historical novels that span long periods of history but are set in particular places. His debut novel, '' S ...
's novel '' The Forest''.
Burials at the abbey
*Isabel Marshal
Isabel Marshal (9 October 1200 – 17 January 1240) was a medieval English countess. She was the wife of both Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and 5th Earl of Gloucester and Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (son of King John of England). Wi ...
*Thomas Skevington
Thomas Skevington (also Skeffington, Pace or Patexe) (died 17 August 1533) was an English Cistercian monk, abbot of Waverley Abbey and Beaulieu Abbey, and bishop of Bangor from 1509.
Life
The son of John Pace of Leicestershire and his wife Margar ...
See also
*Great Coxwell Barn
Great Coxwell Barn is a Medieval tithe barn at Great Coxwell, Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire), England. It is on the northern edge of the village of Great Coxwell, which is about northeast of Swindon in neighbouring Wiltshire.
The barn was b ...
*Titchfield Abbey
Titchfield Abbey is a medieval abbey and later country house, located in the village of Titchfield near Fareham in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1222 for Premonstratensian canons, an austere order of priests. The abbey was a minor ...
*Baron Montagu of Beaulieu
Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (, Engl. pronunciation: "bewley", from French ''beau'', "beautiful" and ''lieu'', "place"), in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for the Conservative polit ...
*
Notes
External links
Beaulieu
- official attraction site including the Abbey
In-depth history of the abbey from the Victoria County History
Beaulieu on the Sheffield University Cistercian abbeys website
Image of Palace House, the Tudor and later mansion built around the former monastic gatehouse. The mediaeval building is on the right
Ruins of the chapter house of the abbey
{{Authority control
Cistercian monasteries in England
Abbeys in Hampshire
History of Hampshire
Tourist attractions in Hampshire
Christian monasteries established in the 1200s
Museums in Hampshire
Religious museums in England
Hampshire folklore
1203 establishments in England
1538 disestablishments in England
Ruined abbeys and monasteries
Ruins in Hampshire
Reportedly haunted locations in South East England
Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation
New Forest folklore