Faversham Abbey was a

Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...

style

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 ...

immediately to the north-east of the town of

Faversham Faversham () is a market town in Kent, England, from Sittingbourne, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2 road (Great ...

, in north

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England.

History

It was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda of Boulogne in 1148. A party of monks from

Bermondsey Abbey Bermondsey Abbey was an English Benedictine monastery. Although generally regarded as having been founded in the 11th century, it had a precursor mentioned in the early 8th century. It was centred on what is now Bermondsey Square, the site ...

provided the nucleus and the first abbot. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Sir Thomas Cheney assigned the abbey to

Thomas Arden Thomas Arden (1508–1550) was Mayor of Faversham, Kent, England. He was murdered by his wife, Alice, and her lover, Richard Moseby. This would inspire the Elizabethan play, '' Arden of Faversham'', which in turn was the basis of the opera ...

and it was considerably destroyed in 1538. Thereafter the site of the abbey came into the possession of the

Sondes family Sondes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Baron Sondes **Earl Sondes ***George Milles, 1st Earl Sondes (1824–1894) *Viscount Sondes *George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham (1599–1677) *Sir Michael Sondes, MP (died 1617) of ...

and now lies within the grounds of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School. The Abbey was the burial place of King Stephen, Queen Matilda, and their eldest son, Eustace IV of Boulogne. Their bones were reportedly thrown into the nearby Faversham Creek when the abbey was demolished. Their empty tombs were unearthed in 1964 near what had been the centre of the choir. However, there is a canopy tomb with no contemporary inscription in the nearby

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 ...

, where it is said that their bones were re-interred. The Abbey was excavated in 1965 by a team led by the archaeologist Brian Philp. A full plan of the abbey was produced. At around in length, the abbey was shorter than

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

, but longer than

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is in Rochester, Kent, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Rochester and seat (''cathedra'') of the Bishop of Rocheste ...

. The cloister and monastic buildings were built on the northern side. Faversham Abbey Plan 1965

The abbey was built from a mix of chalk, flint, ragstone, greensand, and Caen stone. The roofing material appears to have been slate from south Devon with matches to materials obtained from sites near Modbury and Slapton Sands.

Archaeology

In May, 2019 Kent Archaeological Field School uncovered long by wide Roman building at Abbey Farm. According to the Dr Paul Wilkinson, the building contained broken stone walls. The walls covered huge amounts of box flue tiles, which were used to direct hot air up the indoor walls, glazed

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

floors, an untouched underfloor with

hypocaust A hypocaust () is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm the upper floors a ...

heating and tons of ceramic roof tiles. Although the plaster painted from these walls were mostly white, plaster walls coloured with green, red and yellow panels were found in the hot sauna room on the north side of the building. The building was divided into two zones of activity – a bath house and a room for agricultural activity.

References

{{Benedictine houses of England and Wales Monasteries in Kent Benedictine monasteries in England 1148 establishments in England Grade I listed buildings in Kent Christian monasteries established in the 1140s 1538 disestablishments in England Burial sites of English royal houses Buildings and structures in Faversham Stephen, King of England Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Roman sites in Kent