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Summary

The Abbey was dissolved in 1539, when most of the buildings were pulled down and the surviving building converted into a house. Abbey House is now a Grammar School.

Monument Type(s):

• WALL (16th century - 1501 AD to 1600 AD)
• HOUSE (16th century to 19th century - 1501 AD to 1900 AD)
• SCHOOL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Events:

• Evaluation at Ramsey Abbey School, 1996 (Ref: RAS AB 96)
• Monitoring at Ramsey Abbey, 1995

Protected Status:

• Listed Building (I) 1156544: Ramsey Abbey School
• Scheduled Monument () 1006838: Ramsey Abbey (remains of)
• Listed Building (II) 1156563: Garden Terrace Wall to the East and South of Ramsey Abbey, within the Grounds of Ramsey Abbey School
• Listed Building (II) 1130257: Kitchen garden walls and gateway about 160 metres NNE of Ramsey Abbey
• Listed Building (II*) 1330429: Fountain, approximately 50 metres South of Ramsey Abbey

Full description

1. Ramsey Abbey (School) (NAT) on site of (NAT) St Mary's Abbey (NR) (Benedictine).

2. The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 when most of the buildings were pulled down and the surviving building converted into a house. Abbey House is now a Grammar School. Plan.

3. When the Abbey was dissolved in 1539 it passed to Sir Richard Williams (alias Cromwell.) Most of the buildings were pulled down, and it is probably his son, Sir Henry Cromwell, who began the conversion of the surviving buildings into a house. The alterations, which perhaps belong to two periods, include a large extension westwards with a tower at the north west angle, a porch and a tower at the north east angle and perhaps the raising of the main building, which was divided into storeys. The building was very extensively altered in 1839 when the north front was largely masked by a narrow addition and an outer porch built. There is a modern wing at the west end and a large modern bay at the east end. The walls enclosing the grounds on the north are probably 16th century incorporating re-used (including some 12th century) stones.

4 & 6. A stone wall possibly associated with a pre 19th century undercroft was located. The current school grounds incorporate several structures associated with the post-medieval house.

Reynolds, T., 1999, Fieldwork in Cambridgeshire. PCAS 87: 101-6, p. 103 (Article in serial). SCB17807.

Spoerry, P. and Cooper, S., 2000, Ramsey Abbey: An Archaeological Survey (Digital archive). SCB17808.

<1> 1958, OS 6 inch map (Map). SCB9007.

<2> Dickinson, P.G.M., 1967, St Ives Chapel; Ramsey church, Abbey and Gatehouse. Archaeol J 124: 214-58, 245 - 247 (Article in serial). SCB900.

<3> RCHM, 1926, An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Huntingdonshire, 207 - 209 (Bibliographic reference). SCB12619.

<4> Heawood, R., 1995, Archaeological Recording at Ramsey Abbey (Unpublished report). SCB17805.

<5> Denham, T., Evans, C., Malim, T. and Reynolds, T. (eds), 1996, Fieldwork in Cambridgeshire: September 1994-May 1996. PCAS 84: 167-86, p. 175 (Article in serial). SCB17635.

<6> 1941, National Building Record Index, 83060 (Index). SCB60593.

Sources and further reading

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