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Summary

The site of Crowland Abbey with its surviving ruins.

Full description

(This is the record for Crowland Abbey as refounded in the mid 10th century until its dissolution in 1539).

The original monastery, founded in the early 8th century (on the site of the hermitage of the Anglo-Saxon Saint Guthlac), was destroyed by the Danes in 870 and re-founded as a Benedictine abbey in the mid 10th century. From the 10th to the 15th centuries, the monastic buildings were repeatedly extended and rebuilt. The abbey was finally dissolved in 1539 and all the monastic buildings demolished except the nave and aisles of the abbey church which were taken into use as the parish church. The legally designated scheduling of this monument includes the ruins of part of the abbey church, the buried remains of the Anglo-Saxon hermitage, the Anglo-Saxon monastery (see PRN 23519), medieval monastic buildings and the earthworks of the civil war defences (see PRN 22051). Excluded from the scheduling are the walls and fabric of the present parish church and its tower, though not the ruins attached to them; the churchyard walls and gateways, which are listed; and all gravestones, 161 of which are listed; the ground beneath these features is, however, included. In the south-western part of the churchyard, which is still in use as a cemetery, the graves, gravestones and earth to a depth of 2m, are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath this depth is included. There is a full description in the revised scheduling document 22613. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}{6}{7}{8}{9}{10}{11}{12}

Stained glass in this church dates to the 14th or 15th century. One fragment displays the rare technique of annealing. {13}

A watching brief at the north side of the Abbey, adjacent to the vestry built in 1933, produced a few unstratified medieval and post medieval artefacts including a decorated bone apple corer of 13th to 17th century date and a few scraps of medieval window glass. A mortar and stone layer was seen at a depth of 1.8m below existing ground level, but further investigation of this feature was not possible due to the unstable nature of the trench. Two recent (late 19th century or later) interrments were also encountered, as was an unstratified fragment of human bone with wool shroud fragments still adhering. {14}{15}

The Abbey church, the churchyard’s west wall and gate and numerous gravestones, table tombs, coffins and a monument are all listed. For full descriptions see the listing descriptions. {16}

Over one hundred fragments of medieval architectural stone originating from the abbey or its associated buildings were recorded and photographed prior to their re-use in an extension to the vestry of the abbey church. {17}

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Card Index, TF 21 SW: 1 (Index). SLI2344.

<2> CLAPHAM A W, 1932, ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, vol.89, pp.349-51 (Article in Serial). SLI305.

<3> William Page (ed), 1906, The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2, vol.2, pp.105-18 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1104.

<4> D. Knowles and R.N. Hadcock, 1953, Medieval Religious Houses: England and Wales - First Edition, p.63 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI902.

<5> Lincolnshire County Council, Sites and Monuments Record Card Index, TF 21 SW: G (Index). SLI2881.

<6> Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram, 1989, Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition), - (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1062.

<7> William White, 1856, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire - Second Edition, pp.822-3 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI886.

<8> 1945-84, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION, JT9-10, & 13-15 (1952) (Aerial Photograph). SLI173.

<9> HBMC, AM 7, SAM 263 (Scheduling Record). SLI4207.

<10> Hayes, P. P. and Lane, T. W., 1992, The Fenland Project No.5: Lincolnshire Survey, the South-West Fens, gaz.CRO42, pp.202-4 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1079.

<11> FOARD, G., 1984-90, NORTHANTS CC, 2466/8, 9 (1984) (Aerial Photograph). SLI186.

<12> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 1994, REVISED SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 22613, MPP 23 (Scheduling Record). SLI4247.

<13> Penny Hebgin-Barnes, 1996, The Medieval Stained Glass of the County of Lincolnshire, p.76 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI7602.

<14> Lindsey Archaeological Services, 2006, North Extension Crowland Abbey, Crowland: Archaeological Watching Brief, SER00 (Report). SLI10734.

<15> Lindsey Archaeological Services, 2006, North Extension Crowland Abbey, Crowland: Archaeological Watching Brief, LCNCC 2006.89 (Archive). SLI10735.

<16> Department of the Environment, 1987, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 18/1-4; 115.001-4 (Index). SLI5615.

<17> Hall, Jackie, 2006, Croyland Abbey: Loose Architectural Stones, - (Report). SLI10908.

Monument Types

• ABBEY (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 971 AD? to 1539 AD)
• CHURCH (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 971 AD? to 2050 AD)
• RELIGIOUS HOUSE (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Medieval - 971 AD? to 1539 AD)
• GRAVESTONE (Medieval to Modern - 1300 AD to 2050 AD)

Associated Finds

• WINDOW GLASS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1499 AD)
• APPLE CORER (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1200 AD to 1600 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Post Medieval - 1875 AD to 1899 AD)

Associated Events

• Watching brief at north side of Crowland Abbey
• Recording of loose architectural stones at Croyland Abbey

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• Listed Building
• Conservation Area
• Listed Building
• Listed Building
• Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

Related records

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