Bolton Abbey Estate in

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated at source in North Yorkshire and then flows into West Yorkshire and forms the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale (downstream, from west to east) includ ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England, takes its name from a 12th-century Augustinian

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

, now known as

Bolton Priory Bolton Priory, whose full title is The Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert, Bolton Abbey, is a Grade I listed building, listed parish church of the Church of England in the village of Bolton Abbey (village), Bolton Abbey, within the Yorkshi ...

. The priory, which was closed in the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by King

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. ...

, is in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or Dale (landform), dales, in the Pennines, an Highland, upland range in England. They are mostly located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into C ...

, which lies next to the village of Bolton Abbey. The estate is open to visitors, and includes many miles of all-weather walking routes. The

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway The Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (E&BASR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, formed in 1979 and opened in 1981. The preserved railway was part of the former Midland Railway route from Skipton to Ilkley which was clos ...

terminates at Bolton Abbey station one and a half miles/2.5 km from Bolton Priory.

Bolton Priory

The monastery was founded at

Embsay Embsay is a village in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is paired with the neighbouring hamlet of Eastby to form the civil parish of Embsay with Eastby. The parish population as of the 2011 census was 1,871. Until 1974 it was part of ...

in 1120. Led by a

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

, Bolton Abbey was technically a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

, despite its name. It was founded in 1154 by the Augustinian order, on the banks of the

River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...

. The land at Bolton, as well as other resources, were given to the order by Lady Alice de Romille of

Skipton Castle Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years. History Skipton Castle was originally a motte a ...

in 1154. In the early 14th century Scottish raiders caused the temporary abandonment of the site and serious structural damage to the priory. The

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

of the priory featured the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and the Child and the phrase ''sigillum sancte Marie de Bolton''. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

of the abbey church was in use as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

from about 1170 onwards, and survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Building work was still going on at the abbey when the Dissolution of the Monasteries resulted in the termination of the priory in January 1540. The east end remains in ruins. A tower, begun in 1520, was left half-standing, and its base was later given a bell-turret and converted into an entrance porch. Most of the remaining church is in the

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 of architecture, but more work was done in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

, including windows by

August Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival style of ar ...

. It still functions as a church today, holding services on Sundays and religious holidays. Bolton Abbey churchyard contains the war grave of a

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

officer of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The churchyard also has the grave of cricketer

Fred Trueman Frederick Sewards Trueman, (6 February 1931 – 1 July 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He had professional status and later became an author and broadcaster. Acknowled ...

Bolton Abbey Estate

The Domesday Book lists Bolton Abbey as the

caput A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...

manor of a multiple estate including 77

carucate The carucate or carrucate ( or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms of tax assessment. ...

s of ploughland (around 9240 acres/3850 ha) belonging to

Edwin, Earl of Mercia Edwin (Old English: ''eadwine'') (died 1071) was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on Ælfgār's de ...

. The estate then comprised Bolton Abbey,

Halton East Halton East is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, east of Skipton. The population of the parish was estimated at 90 in 2015. The place was first recorded in the Domesday Book as ''Haltone''. The name is derived from the ...

, Draughton; Skibeden,

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds ...

, Low Snaygill, Thorlby;

Addingham Addingham (formerly Haddincham , Odingehem 1086)Mills, A. D. (2003). ', Encyclopedia.com is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford West Yorkshire, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the A65 road, A65, south-east ...

Beamsley Beamsley is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is just within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and about six miles east of Skipton and two miles north of Addingham. The village lies immedia ...

, Holme,

Gargrave Gargrave is a large village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the A65 road, A65, north-west of Skipton. The village is situated on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales; the River Aire and the Leeds ...

; Stainton, Otterburn, Scosthrop,

Malham Malham is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. In the ''Domesday Book'', the name is given as Malgun, meaning "settlement by the gravelly places". Until 1974 it was part of the Settle Rural District, in the ...

, Anley;

Coniston Cold Coniston Cold is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The village lies north-west of Skipton along the A65. It was historically part of the Staincliffe Wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to ...

Hellifield Hellifield is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England (). Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village was once an important railway junction on the Settle-Carlisle Railway between ...

and

Hanlith Hanlith is a small village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Kirkby Malham and the tourist attraction of Malham Cove. It is about north west of Skipton, and consists of only 13 houses. Its populati ...

. They were all laid waste in the

Harrying of the North The Harrying of the North was a series of military campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate Northern England, where the presence of the last House of Wessex, Wessex claimant, Edgar Ætheling, had encour ...

after the defeat of the rebellion of

and classified as the ''Clamores'' (disputed land) of Yorkshire until around 1090, when they were transferred to

Robert de Romille Robert de Romille (also de Rumilly) was an adventurer from Brittany who joined the Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Nor ...

, who moved its administrative centre to

. The Romille line died out around 1310, and

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

granted the estates to Robert Clifford.Whitaker, Thomas Dunham (2012)

805 __NOTOC__ Year 805 ( DCCCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 805th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 805th year of the 1st millennium, the 5th year of the 9th century, and the ...

The History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven in the County of York (new ed.). London: British Library. pp. 8. . In 1748 Baroness Clifford married William Cavendish and Bolton Abbey Estate thereafter belonged to the

Dukes of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...

, until a trust was set up by the 11th Duke of Devonshire turning it over to the Chatsworth Settlement Trustees to steward. Today, the 33,000 acre (134 km²) estate contains six areas designated as

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

, including Strid Wood, an

ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, ancient woodland is that which has existed continuously since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). The practice of planting woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 1600 i ...

(mainly oak), which contains the length of the

known as The Strid, and a marine fossil quarry. The estate encompasses 8 miles (13 km) of river, 84 farms, 84 buildings of architectural interest, and four

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

buildings; and is currently home to 27 businesses from tearooms to bookshops. The iconic

stepping stones Stepping stones or stepstones are sets of stones arranged to form an improvised causeway that allows a pedestrian to cross a natural watercourse such as a creek, a small river; or a water feature in a garden where water is allowed to flow betwe ...

cross the River Wharfe near the Abbey ruins. The estate includes extensive

grouse moor Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondria ...

s, including Barden Moor on the west side of Wharfedale and Barden Fell on the east side of the dale. There is also a

pheasant shoot Pheasant shooting is the activity of shooting the common pheasant. It takes place primarily in the United Kingdom, but is also practised in other parts of the world. The shooting of game birds is carried out using a shotgun, often 12 and 20 bore o ...

. Apart from people employed within these businesses, the estate employs about 120 staff to work on the upkeep of the estate. Much of the estate is open to the public. A charge is made for car parking. The

Dales Way The Dales Way is an long-distance footpath in Northern England, from (south-east to north-west) Ilkley, West Yorkshire, to Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria. This walk was initially devised by the West Riding Ramblers' Association with the 'lea ...

passes through the estate on a

permissive path In England and Wales, excluding the 12 Inner London boroughs and the City of London, the right of way is a legally protected right of the public to pass and re-pass on specific paths. Private rights of way or easements also exist. The law i ...

. Barden Moor and Barden Fell, which includes the prominent crag of

Simon's Seat Simon's Seat is a peak in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England. It is a prominent outcrop of millstone grit on the eastern side of Wharfedale. Although only high, the extensive views from the summit make it a popular destination for walke ...

, are on

access land The freedom to roam, or everyone's right, every person's right or everyman's right, is the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise. The right is sometimes called the ...

, and permissive paths, including a route called the Valley of Desolation, lead up to the moors. Access to the moors may be closed to the public during the shooting season. Bolton Abbey Hall, originally the gatehouse of the priory, was converted into a house by the Cavendish family. The hall is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building. As well as Bolton Abbey, the

Cavendish family The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ; ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of ...

also own the Chatsworth (Derbyshire, England) and

Lismore Castle Lismore Castle () is a castle located in the town of Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland. It belonged to the Earls of Desmond, the Earls of Cork, and then to the Cavendish family from 1753. It is currently the Irish home of the Duke of Devonsh ...

(Waterford, in the Republic of Ireland) estates. In the early nineteenth century, a cow known as the

Craven Heifer Craven Heifer (1807–1812) was a cow which lived in the early 19th century, and remains the largest cow ever shown in England. Craven Heifer had a weight of 4,370 lbs, a length of 11.3 ft, a height of 5.3 ft, and a thickest girth of 10.1 ft. ...

was bred on the Bolton Abbey estate. Weighing 312 stones (1.98 tonnes), and measuring 11 ft 4ins in length and over 7 ft in height, she remains to this day Britain's largest ever cow.

The Priory Church

The Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert, Bolton Abbey, is an active Church of England church, serving the village and parish of Bolton Abbey, with a full calendar of liturgical events, and a full-time rector who lives in the adjacent Rectory. The current church is the surviving part of the otherwise ruined 12th-century Augustinian religious community originally known as Bolton. It is situated in the

Yorkshire Dales National Park The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a national park in England which covers most of the Yorkshire Dales, the Howgill Fells, and the Orton Fells. The Nidderdale area of the Yorkshire Dales is not within the national park, and has instead ...

, within the Bolton Abbey estate.

Bolton Abbey in culture

The views and setting of the priory's remains have been immortalised in painting and poetry. Most notably a painting by

Edwin Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. His best-known work is the lion sculptures at the base of Nelso ...

and several watercolours by

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

one of which, ''Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire'' (1809), is held at the British Museum. The young Brontë sisters are believed to have visited the estate while Landseer was in residence. (Researching for his painting ''Bolton Abbey in Olden Times'', the young authors were escorted on an exclusive guided tour by an unnamed 'E'.) The following year

Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Nicholls (; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855), commonly known as Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ), was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë family, Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novel ...

exhibited a drawing 'Bolton Abbey' alongside stars of the day at the Royal Northern Festival of Arts, Leeds. When first discovered by Jane Sellars and Christine Alexander in 1994, it was thought based on Turner's view of 1809, but further research, and detail of a drifting heron relates the drawing more closely to Landseer's oil-sketch of the same scene, which shows a heron drifting toward Charlotte's reciprocal bird, as if to embrace. Landseer's sketch was never exhibited or reproduced, it reiterates therefore that the Brontës met the influential artist in 1833. William Wordsworth's poem ''

The White Doe of Rylstone ''The White Doe of Rylstone; or, The Fate of the Nortons'' is a long narrative poem by William Wordsworth, written initially in 1807–08, but not finally revised and published until 1815. It is set during the Rising of the North in 1569 and comb ...

'' was inspired by a visit to Bolton Abbey in 1807. *In

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope ( ; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among the best-known of his 47 novels are two series of six novels each collectively known as the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire ...

's '' Lady Anna'' (1874), an excursion is made to Wharfedale, and a dramatic incident takes place on the banks of the river that encircles the Abbey. *Characters played by

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

and Rachel Roberts picnic at Bolton Abbey in the 1963 film ''

This Sporting Life ''This Sporting Life'' is a 1963 British kitchen sink realism, kitchen sink drama (film and television), drama film directed by Lindsay Anderson. Based on the This Sporting Life (novel), 1960 novel of the same name by David Storey, which won th ...

''. *The abbey appears in episodes 28 and 29 of

Emmerdale Farm ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin ...

in January 1973, appearing as a fictional abbey ruins that are within walking distance of the local village of Beckindale. *In episode 6 of the BBC series '' The Trip'', Bolton Abbey is visited. *A blurred photo of the Abbey is used for the cover of ''

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

'' by

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

, an album from 1981, with the picture taken by Andy Vella. *The 1985 music video for the Love and Rockets song "If There's A Heaven Above" was filmed at Bolton Abbey. *The

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

series ''

Gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

'' (2017) used Bolton Abbey as a location.

Gallery

Image:The ruins of Bolton Abbey.jpg Image:Bolton Priory, 2010.jpg Image:Bolton Abbey 9.jpg Image:Bolton Priory Church windows.jpg, Stained glass windows of the Priory Church Image:BoltonAbbey02.JPG Image:BoltonPriory01.JPG Image:BoltonPriory Interior.JPG Image:Strid water 8.jpg, Walker's view of Strid Wood File:Priory_of_St_Mary,_north_and_north-west_façades,_Bolton_Abbey.jpg File:Stepping stones and Bolton Abbey - panoramio.jpg, The iconic

and Bolton Abbey File:Graveyard at Bolton Abbey.jpg, The graveyard adjacent to the Priory File:Bolton Abbey Graves Graveyard Cemetery Cross.jpg

References

External links

Bolton Abbey Estate

The Cavendish Pavilion

The Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert

Photos of Bolton Abbey and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk

Chatsworth House

Lismore Castle
{{coord, 53, 58, 57, N, 1, 53, 14, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Bolton Abbey Craven District Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Country estates in England