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Summary

Thornton Abbey and precinct. Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument.

Monument Types

• ABBEY (MED:C12, Medieval - 1100 AD to 1199 AD)
• AUGUSTINIAN MONASTERY (MED:C12:1139, Medieval - 1139 AD to 1139 AD)
• WATERMILL (MED, Medieval - 1150 AD to 1539 AD)
• BARN (MED, Medieval - 1200 AD? to 1539 AD)
• COLLEGE OF SECULAR PRIESTS (MED, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1547 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1215139: REMAINS OF THORNTON ABBEY CHURCH AND ADJOINING MONASTIC RANGES

Associated Finds - None

Associated Events

• Aerial photographic sortie
• THORNTON ABBEY (WB) (Ref: TAT 96)
• Watching Brief, College Road & College Bridge, Thornton Abbey, Barrow Mains Relay Scheme, 2002 (Ref: CRT2002)
• Visual Impact Assessment, URSA, East Halton, 2008
• Earthwork survey of land at Thornton Abbey, North Lincolnshire, 1985
• Keith Miller AP transcription
• Earthwork survey at Thornton Abbey, 2007
• Earth Resistance survey, Thornton Abbey, 1995
• Magnetometer survey, Thornton Abbey, 1995
• Historical and architectural research on Thornton Abbey, 2007-10
• Topographic survey, North Bail Yard
• Topographic survey, Skinner Mansion
• Magnetometer survey, North Bail and North Bail Yard, Thornton Abbey
• Resistivity survey, North Bail Yard, Thornton Abbey
• Magnetometer survey, east of Thornton Abbey church
• Resistivity survey, east of Thornton Abbey Church
• Trenches A-C, Thornton Abbey, 2011
• Desk based assessment, Natural Gas Pipeline between Transco and Killingholme 'A' Power Station, North Killingholme, 2000
• Aerial photographic Sortie
• Warren Single Field Turbine, Horkstow - Desk Based Assessment
• Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm - Historic Environment desk-based assessment
• Topographic survey, Abbey and surrounding landscape
• Resistivity survey, central precinct and south of central precinct, Thornton Abbey
• Magnetometer survey, central precinct and south of central precinct, Thornton Abbey
• Trenches C, D, E, F, G, H, Thornton Abbey, 2012
• Aerial photographic sortie
• Aerial photographic sortie
• Aerial photographic sortie
• Unnamed Event
• Trenches J-M, Thornton Abbey, 2013
• Trenches N, P, R, T, Thornton Abbey, 2014
• Trenches M, N, P, U, Thornton Abbey, 2015
• Thornton Abbey Project 2010-2015

Full description

Thornton Abbey, founded as Augustinian Priory 1139 for 12 canons under a Prior. Became Abbey 1148, number of canons increased to about 30, with a number of lay brothers. Dissolved 1539, refounded as college of secular priests and school for 14 boys by Henry VIII. This in turn suppressed by Edward VI in 1547. In early 17th cent. Sir Vincent Skinner demolished college and built "a most stately house out of the same, on the west side of the abbey plot within the moat, which hall when it was finished, fell quite down to the bare ground without any visible cause." Gatehouse at TA 115 189, dates from late 14th cent., stone and brick built "gate-keep" with first and second floor chambers. Approached by Barbican crossing a substantial moat, waterfilled to S. Moat extends 300m. N and S and turns E for 400 m. to East Halton Beck. Within area enclosed, c. 30 ha., are earthworks, dividing ditches, fish and millponds, Abbey church at TA 118 188 - foundations and walling of 13th cent. and late 14th cent. Lady Chapel, Monastic quarters, dormitory, chapter house, refectory, cloister, warming and store-rooms. Area between church and gatehouse 200m. to W probably contains workshops, guesthouse, stables etc. - and remains of Skinner's house? Scheduled. Fishponds, four pans surrounded by moat at TA 118 187, rig and furrow in fields adjacent. Surface finds from this area, centred on TA 119 186, include med. 12th-13th cent. shelly, 14th cent. Humber wares, glazed wares up to 16th cent., roofing tile; SM, TC TB. Also bronze 16th cent. buckle with crowned head and shoulders and leather fragments between bronze riveted plates, found after ploughing 1966; lost, (AN 1966, 50). Med. pottery and floor tiles, ex-Fowler collection; SM, TC TA. Finds from church, monastic quarters on display in gatehouse. (VCH Lincs, 166-8; Knowles and Hadcock 1971, 144,176, 335, 398, 418, 441; "Thornton Abbey", HMSO; Pevsner 1964, 400-403; Fairey vert. 1970; CUAC obl. 1948,1957; SM, TC/03; DOE AM List). [1]

Aerial photographs [2 - 21]

Ground slides, 1986 - 1992 [22 - 32]

TA 11 NW THORNTON CURTIS COLLEGE ROAD (east side)
10/78 Remains of Thornton Abbey church and adjoining 6.11.67 monastic ranges (formerly listed as Church Ruins Thornton Abbey)
GV I
Ruins of Abbey church and adjoining monastic buildings founded as a Priory in 1139. Late C12 - early C13 dormitory vault, remainder largely rebuilt between mid C13 and late C14: church begun 1264, south transept 1280-90, chapter house 1282-1308, cloistral range begun 1322-3, refectory 1348-64, with minor late C15 - early C16 additions. C20 repairs. Chalk, limestone and ironstone rubble with limestone ashlar facing and dressings; sections of later brickwork to south and east monastic ranges. Plan: criciform church with 8-bay aisled nave, 2-bay north and south transepts with east aisles, 5-bay presbytery with chapel of St Thomas adjoining to north and 5-bay Lady Chapel adjoining to east. Monastic buildings arranged around cloisters adjoining to south of nave, with octagonal chapter house adjoining south east angle of south transept. Walls survive only to lower courses, apart from south end of south transept and sections adjoining. Inner face of south wall of south transept has lower section of filleted shafts of south respond to east arcade and blind arcading with geometrical tracery. Adjoining to south is a narrow corridor-room, perhaps a parlour, with blank arcading and quadripartite rib-vaulting. To south of this are. remains of a rib-vaulted vestibule with shafted pointed arch to chapter house. Latter has two north west bays standing to full height and portions of two adjoining, with moulded plinth and sections of two buttresses; stone bench and blind arcading to inner walls with very fine geometrical tracery. For plan and detailed description see DoE (AMHB) guidebook, Thornton Abbey, 1978; N Pevsner and J Harris, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, 1978, 402-3; NMR.
Listing NGR: TA1183718950 [33]

Powerpoint lecture on Thornton Abbey, compiled by Al Oswald of English Heritage. Includes maps, photographs, reconstruction drawings and data from EH documentary research and earthwork survey. [34]

The setting of this monument was considered as part of a visual impact assessment relating to the proposed URSA Glass Wool factory development in September 2008. The report concluded that there would be little or no intervisibility between the main part of the monument and the development area. [35]

English Heritage Monuments at Risk report. [36]

Historical and architectural research on Thornton Abbey was carried out by English Heritage, 2007-10. During the same period, fieldwork including an earthwork survey and geophysical surveys were done. The results of all these pieces of work were intended to inform the management and presentation of the site. New documentary research highlighted information previously overlooked in Thornton’s 16th-century Chronicle, and produced a more thorough account of the site’s later use. Architectural analysis of the gatehouse and research on available post-medieval depictions of the building shed light on its development and purpose. Aerial photographic transcription of the North Bail, probably the site of the home grange, revealed a range of medieval features and led to the re-interpretation of features identified previously. [37]

Scheduled Monument consent to Sheffield University to carry out a geophysical survey, 2011. [38]

First interim report on investigations carried out by Sheffield University in 2011, including geophysical survey, topographical survey and trial trenching. This was done as part of the 5-year Thornton Abbey Investigation Project, in partnership with English Heritage. [39]

Scheduled Monument consent to Sheffield University to carry out a geophysical survey, 2012. [40]

Building noted in a list made by Rex Russell in 1986 on the structures with chalk as a building material [41]

Tile pits are recorded in the late twelfth century and the thirteenth century at Habrough (North-East Lincolnshire) in the place names ‘Tigelpittes’ and ‘Tygelpitgate’. It is likely that there were also tile kilns there at this time. Given the date of the place name evidence it is possible that the tile making site at Habrough may be linked to the monasteries at Newsham and Nuncotham, and perhaps Thornton Abbey. [42]

Aerial photographs. [43 - 61]

Second interim report on investigations carried out by Sheffield University in 2012, including geophysical survey, topographical survey and trial trenching. This was done as part of the 5-year Thornton Abbey Investigation Project, in partnership with English Heritage.

6 trial trenches were excavated. Trench C was located across the northern edge of the Skinner mansion, joining the 2011 Trench C to create a continuous section from the inside to the outside of the building. This area was labelled as a 'Parlour' on the early 17th century John Thorpe plan. Only the foundation cuts were recorded; all the internal and external foundations were absent. A north-south stone coursed wall was present within the parlour, but was cut by the later Skinner mansion foundations. This was part of a 14th-15th century monastic outbuilding first recorded in 2011.

Trench H was positioned across the kitchen of the Skinner mansion; again, the mansion walls were absent and there were no internal 17th century features or finds of that date. The total lack of stone foundations or other structural elements led the excavators to the conclusion that this was the location of the second Skinner mansion, which is known to have been incomplete when construction ceased due to Skinner's bankruptcy. The location of the first mansion, which collapsed, was unknown as of the 2012 season of fieldwork.

Trench D was positioned across the service range, west of Trench C. Redeposited building rubble within a bulldozed hole was encountered, probably from 1970s gatehouse repairs. A medieval bank survived at the southern end of the trench.

Trench E was in the central precinct, and revealed a wall and internal floor surface beneath demolition rubble. The building was a post-dissolution bakehouse, with an oven and possible dough trough. Elsewhere in the trench was a small hearth that had been used for melting lead in the immediate post-dissolution period.

Trench F recorded a cobbled path surface west of the church, part of a post-medieval formal garden.

Trench G was located over high resistance linears, east of the church. A medieval floodbank was recorded, with 19th century dumped layers overlying it. [62]

Scheduled monument consent regarding repair and maintenance works associated with Higher Level Stewardship agreement AG00426922. [63]

An MA dissertation completed in 2014 examined the post-dissolution recycling of stone from Thornton Abbey, by looking into how stones were reused in the surrounding villages and parishes. [64]

Article, including the results of a 2014 drone survey at Thornton Abbey that was used to create a new surface elevation model of the site. [65]

Thornton Abbey (NOTES - LOOSE). SLS5055.

Atkins, C. Tully, J. & Coppack, D., 1985, Thornton Abbey Earthworks Survey (SURVEY - CONTOUR). SLS3789.

Department of National Heritage, 1993, Sheduled monuments consent (CORRESPONDENCE). SLS5056.

Department of National Heritage, 1994, Scheduled monuments consent (CORRESPONDENCE). SLS5054.

Scunthorpe Telegraph, 2007, English Heritage investigators use hi-tech equipment at historic site (PRESS CUTTING). SLS5057.

Jobling, D., 2008, Archaeological Observation Investigation and Recording at Thornton Abbey, Augustinian Monastery, North Lincolnshire (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS3511.

<1> Loughlin, N and Miller, KR, 1979, A Survey of Archaeological Sites in Humberside, 217 (BOOK). SLS523.

<2> Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1633.

<3> Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1632.

<4> Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1606.

<5> Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1602.

<6> E DENNISON, 1989, FISHPONDS, THORNTON ABBEY (AP SLIDE). SLS257.

<7> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1115.

<8> E Dennison, 1992, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1108.

<9> THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS134.

<10> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1121.

<11> Clyde Surveys Ltd, 1983, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1118.

<12> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1114.

<13> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1113.

<14> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1112.

<15> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1111.

<16> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1110.

<17> CUAC, 1948, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1109.

<18> Clyde Surveys Ltd, 1983, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS1119.

<19> E DENNISON, 1989, THORNTON ABBEY (AP SLIDE). SLS255.

<20> E DENNISON, 1989, THORNTON ABBEY (AP SLIDE). SLS256.

<21> BRITISH GAS, 1991, THORNTON ABBEY (AP SLIDE). SLS470.

<22> J WOOD, 1986, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS130.

<23> J WOOD, 1986, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS131.

<24> J WOOD, 1986, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS132.

<25> THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS136.

<26> E DENNISON, 1992, NEW LAKE, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS235.

<27> E DENNISON, 1992, NEW LAKE, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS236.

<28> THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS135.

<29> HBMC, PLAN OF THORNTON ABBEY COMPLEX (GROUND SLIDE). SLS270.

<30> E DENNISON, 1992, NEW LAKE, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS389.

<31> HBMC, PLAN OF THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS273.

<32> EARTHWORK SURVEY, THORNTON ABBEY (GROUND SLIDE). SLS137.

<33> English Heritage/NMR, 2005, Listed building system data in MIDAS XML format, 165879 (COMPUTER DISK/TAPE). SLS2963.

<34> English Heritage, 2008, Thornton Abbey, Lincolnshire - powerpoint and lecture (COMPUTER DISK/TAPE). SLS3467.

<35> Slatcher, D., 2008, A Report on the Settings of Cultural Heritage Features and on the Relative Importance of Hedgerows and the Historic Landscape at the Proposed URSA Glass Wool Manufacturing Facility, East Halton, North Lincolnshire, Section 5.9 (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS3441.

<36> English Heritage, 2009, Monuments at Risk data, 13377 (ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS). SLS3978.

<37> English Heritage, 2011, Thornton Abbey, North Lincolnshire - Historical, Archaeological and Architectural Investigations (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS4327.

<38> English Heritage, 2011, Scheduled Monument Consent SL00006990 (CORRESPONDENCE). SLS4244.

<38> English Heritage, 2012, Scheduled Monument Consent SL00026378 (CORRESPONDENCE). SLS4950.

<39> Willmott, Dr H and Townend, P, 2011, Thornton Abbey Project - First Interim Report (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS4331.

<39> Willmott, Dr H and Townend, P, 2012, Thornton Abbey Project - Second Interim Report (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS6321.

<40> English Heritage, 2012, Scheduled Monument Consent SL00026378 (CORRESPONDENCE). SLS4950.

<41> R.C. & E. Russell, 1986, Chalk used for building in South Humberside (LIST). SLS4968.

<42> Mark Bennet, 2011, Medieval Tile-making site in Habrough (CORRESPONDENCE). SLS5271.

<43> Rex C. Russell, 1962, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4467.

<44> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4727.

<45> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4721.

<46> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4722.

<47> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4723.

<48> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4724.

<49> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4726.

<50> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4728.

<51> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4729.

<53> Fairey Surveys Ltd, 1970, Untitled Source (AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH). SLS4725.

<54> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5567.

<55> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5561.

<56> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5563.

<57> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5535.

<58> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5560.

<59> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5564.

<60> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5565.

<61> K Leahy, 1986, Untitled Source (AP SLIDE). SLS5566.

<62> Willmott, Dr H and Townend, P, 2012, Thornton Abbey Project - Second Interim Report, 4 - 20 (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS6321.

<63> English Heritage, 2014, Scheduled Monument Consent (ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS). SLS6520.

<64> Sarah Breiter, 2014, The Second Life of Monasteries: The Reuse of Stone from Thornton Abbey in the Surrounding Landscape (THESIS/DISSERTATION). SLS6858.

<65> Historic England, 2015, Historic England Research, Issue 1 20-22 (JOURNAL - RECORD OF EVENTS). SLS6999.

Sources and further reading

Related records

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