Saint Mary's Abbey in

Colwich, Staffordshire Colwich is a civil parish and village in Staffordshire, England. It is situated off the A51 road, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Rugeley and 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Stafford. It lies principally on the north-east bank of t ...

was an

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 ...

Roman Catholic nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 59 ...

of the

English Benedictine Congregation The English Benedictine Congregation (EBC) is a congregation of autonomous Abbey, abbatial and Priory, prioral monastic communities of Catholic Church, Catholic Benedictine monks, nuns, and oblate (religion), lay oblates. It is technically the o ...

, founded in 1623 at

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, in the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

, and closed down in 2020. During the French Revolution, the community was expelled from France and settled at Mount Pleasant, Colwich, in 1836, where it remained for the next 84 years.

History

Background

St Mary's Abbey of English Benedictine nuns had its origins in 1623 at Cambrai in the

. At that time, persecution made it impossible for women to become nuns in England. By 1645, the Cambrai community under Abbess

Catherine Gascoigne Catherine Gascoigne (1601 – 21 May 1676) was the English abbess of Cambrai from 1624 to 1673. Life Gascoigne was born in Yorkshire. Her parents were Lady Anne (born Ingelby of Lawkland Hall) and Sir John Gascoigne who was the first Baronet of ...

had increased to 50 nuns, and was living in conditions of extreme poverty. On 6 February 1652, the community was established in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as the Priory of Our Lady of Good Hope under Dame Bridget More as their Prioress. She was a direct descendant of the martyr,

St Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VI ...

, and had been taught at Cambrai under the spiritual supervision of the great mystical theologian, Dom Augustine Baker.

Relocation

In the French Revolution, the abbey was suppressed and the nuns were imprisoned, first in the monastery and then in the

Château de Vincennes The Château de Vincennes () is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after ...

. When released in 1795, they settled in England, first in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

and then at Cannington in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. In 1836, they finally settled at Mount Pleasant, Colwich, an eighteenth century building which had been rebuilt in

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

. In 1928, the St. Benedict's Priory was raised to the rank of an Abbey, and the house was renamed St Mary's Abbey. A daughter house, the Priory of St. Scholastica, at

Atherstone Atherstone is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Located in the far north of the county, Atherstone is on the A5 national route, and is adjacent to the border with Leicestershire which ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, continued as a separate community until 1967 when the nuns returned to Colwich. The estate at Atherstone was sold in 1967, and the priory building demolished in 1968.

Closure

In May 2020, due to falling numbers in the community, the Holy See approved the affiliation of St Mary’s Abbey, Colwich, with Stanbrook Abbey. The community had declined in numbers to five, and two of these were infirm. The nuns decided to close down the monastery and disperse, this taking place on 31 October as announced on the monastery website. The two infirm nuns were remaining in care at Oulton Abbey, two were transferring to

Stanbrook Abbey Stanbrook Abbey is a Catholic contemplative Benedictine Monastery with the status of an abbey, located at Wass, North Yorkshire, England. The community was founded in 1625 at Cambrai in Flanders (then part of the Spanish Netherlands, now in ...

and the abbess was remaining on site for a year. The last abbess was Dame Davina Sharp. The property was put up for sale and some of its furnishings sent to auction.

Buildings

The abbey was first built around 1750 as a house, which was gradually enlarged. The abbey buildings are mainly in stone, with parts in brick and parts rendered, and with slate roofs. The main building is in Gothic Revival style, and on the front are two turrets with a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d section between. At the rear are various buildings arranged around a courtyard, and the grounds are enclosed by tall brick walls. It is Grade II listed. The

mortuary chapel A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of ...

in the grounds of the abbey is also Grade II.

Re opening

In June 2024 it was announced that the

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, are a Benedictine order of nuns founded by Sr. Mary Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, in Gower, Missouri. The nuns are also choral singers, and their first two albums of recorded chants and hymns reached num ...

, from Missouri, were taking over St Mary's Abbey, Colwich as their first European house.

References

External links

St Mary's Abbey, Colwich website
accessed 9 October 2014. {{Archdiocese of Birmingham Monasteries in Staffordshire Monasteries of the English Benedictine Congregation Grade II listed buildings in Staffordshire Organisations based in Staffordshire Benedictine nunneries in England 1623 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire