Abbey History
Rievaulx Abbey, situated by the River Rye in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, is a former Cistercian abbey. The ruins are a popular tourist attraction, owned and maintained by English Heritage.
Founded in 1132 by St Bernard of Clairvaux, Rievaulx was the first Cistercian abbey to be established in the north of England. As with David Cameron many centuries later, St Bernard required a return to an austere life, with close observance of the rules established by St Benedict in the 6th century.
Just four years after arriving in Britain, the Cistercian monks built temporary wooden structures at Rievaulx on land given by Walter Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley. Within a few years, Rievaulx’s first abbot, William, began the construction of stone buildings; part of this, which housed the abbey’s lay brothers, still survives today.
The foundation at Rievaulx was planned by St Bernard to drive the development of monasteries in northern Britain. Between 1136 and 1142, Abbot William sent monks to establish daughter houses at Warden, Melrose, Dundrennan and Revesby.
Rievaulx Abbey quickly became one of the wealthiest and most powerful centres of monasticism in Britain. Its most famous abbot, Aelred, arrived as a postulant in 1134 and was elected abbot in 1147. He had a reputation as an excellent writer and biblical scholar. During Abbot Aelred’s time at Rievaulx, the community increased significantly in size, with 140 monks and over 500 lay brothers. Consequently, much larger buildings were required – these included the stone church, chapter house, parlour, accommodation for the monks, refectory, kitchen and infirmary. Most of the ruins today date from Aelred’s time.
Aelred’s successor, Silvanus, continued the building work, completing the main cloister arcades in the 1170s. Subsequently, the most significant alteration was the extension of the abbey church in the 1220s, this providing the setting for a shrine dedicated to Abbot Aelred. However, major financial issues prevented further work on the transepts from being undertaken.
By the end of the 13th century, the abbey had further serious financial problems, caused by debts on its building projects and reduced revenue from farming, following an epidemic of sheep scab. During the 14th century, there was a critical reduction in the number of lay brothers, who had performed most of the monastery’s manual work. With major population losses through impact of the Black Death, it became difficult to recruit new lay brothers. By 1381 there were only fourteen monks, three lay brothers and the abbot left at Rievaulx. Consequently, some buildings were demolished, reduced in size or assigned to different purposes.
King Henry VIII brought about the closure of Rievaulx Abbey, with the Dissolution (or Suppression) of the Monasteries during 1536-40. By the time it was shut down in December 1538, Rievaulx’s community stood at just 23 monks. The abbey was sold to Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, and he dismantled the buildings, keeping the roof lead and the bells for the king.
George Villiers acquired the Rutlands’ estates in Yorkshire by marriage, and in 1687, his son (the 2nd Duke of Buckingham) sold the Rye Valley, including Rievaulx, to Sir Charles Duncombe. Sir Charles built a new house, Duncombe Park, to the west side of Helmsley.
Rievaulx became a favourite destination for writers and artists from about 1770. JMW Turner visited at least twice, and produced several works of art based on sketches he had made.
Sometime later, the architectural significance of the site was recognised. No excavation was carried out, though archaeologists visited on more than one occasion. Early in the 20th century, the ruins were in such a poor state of repair that only state support could save the site. In the 1920s, Sir Charles Peers, Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, ordered the removal of much of the fallen debris. This was to set the standard for the preservation and presentation of ancient monuments in Britain.
Cache
The cache is a small plastic container, with limited room for swaps and trackables. It is located at ground level at the edge of a busy country lane, having a narrow grass verge. Try to ensure it is well hidden when replacing.
For cache and dash visitors, there is space to stop briefly almost opposite the cache. At the time of placing the cache, a summer Sunday afternoon, walking muggles were more evident than road vehicles. However, if you intend to stop for more than a few minutes, then please find somewhere else to park. The abbey car park entrance is just over 100m away; better still walk or cycle from Helmsley. Take special care if you have geokids or geomutts with you.
Congratulations to marions27 for a well deserved FTF - totally barmy, these geocachers.