Easby Abbey, or the Abbey of St Agatha, is a ruined

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...

abbey on the eastern bank of the

River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley throu ...

on the outskirts of Richmond in the county of

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. The site is privately owned but maintained by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

and can be reached by a riverside walk from

Richmond Castle Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, stands in a commanding position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'. The ca ...

. Within the precinct is the still-active parish church, displaying 13th-century wall paintings.

History

The Abbey of St Agatha, Easby, was founded in 1152 by Roald, Constable of Richmond Castle. The inhabitants were canons rather than

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. The Premonstratensians wore a white habit and became known as the White Canons. Easby was a daughter house of the Abbey of St Mary and St Martial ( Newsham Abbey) in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

; it was the third Premonstratensian house funded in England. The White Canons followed a code of austerity similar to that of

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 ...

monks. Unlike monks of other orders, they were exempt from episcopal discipline. They undertook preaching and pastoral work in the region (such as distributing meat and drink). The canons also raised sheep. Other former Premonstraterian houses in the north of England include Egglestone Abbey in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

and Shap Abbey in

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

. Like most northern monasteries, Easby suffered from frequent Scottish raids during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Great damage was caused to Easby and Egglestone Abbey in 1346 when the English army was billeted there on its way to the Battle of Neville's Cross. In the late 1530s

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. ...

dissolved the monasteries. The abbey was abandoned and left to fall into ruins, though some of the best features were salvaged: the fine canopied choir stalls are now found in Richmond parish church. The ruins are now Grade I listed.

Picture gallery of Easby Abbey

File:EasbyAbbey.jpg, Easby Abbey claustral west range File:Easby abbey 2.JPG, Easby Abbey, May 2007 File:Easby abbey wideview.JPG, View of Easby Abbey from the north-east, May 2007 File:EasbyAbbeyGatehouse.jpg, Abbey gatehouse

Burials

* Henry le Scrope was buried at the Abbey *William le Scrope (son of Henry), who was a soldier who distinguished himself in the French and Scottish wars (also buried at the Abbey) * Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton was buried at the Abbey in 1403. *

Roger Scrope, 2nd Baron Scrope of Bolton Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...

, also buried at the Abbey * Richard Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Bolton * Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton * John Scrope, 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton

References

{{Reflist English Heritage sites in North Yorkshire History of North Yorkshire Monasteries in North Yorkshire Premonstratensian monasteries in England Ruins in North Yorkshire Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire Christian monasteries established in the 1150s Richmond, North Yorkshire 1152 establishments in England Ruined abbeys and monasteries Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Easby, Richmondshire

History

Picture gallery of Easby Abbey

Burials

See also

References