Bedford Abbey

Summary

Bedford Abbey was a short-lived Benedictine monastery, recorded in 10th-century England. Bedford Priory, perhaps representing the same institution two centuries later, was an Augustinian priory that within two decades of its foundation moved to nearby Newnham.

Bedford Abbey
Monastery information
OrderBenedictine/Augustinian
DioceseDiocese of Lincoln
Site
LocationBedford, Bedfordshire, England
Coordinates52°08′07″N 0°28′03″W / 52.1354°N 0.4674°W / 52.1354; -0.4674

Bedford Abbey existed in the 10th-century, staffed with Benedictine monks when Oscytel, Archbishop of York, died in 971.[1][2]: 30 [3]: 147  The archbishop was buried in the abbey, after his body was taken there by its abbot, Thurcytel (who later moved to Crowland Abbey).[2]: 30 [3]: 147, 420  Thurcytel is the only known abbot of the monastery.[3]: 30  Its history after this is obscure, and may have evolved into St Paul's Church in Bedford, which became an Augustinian priory c. 1166.[2]: 147, 420 [3]: 30 

Around 1180, the priory moved to Newnham (see Newnham Priory).[2]: 147 

References edit

  1. ^ Historic England. "Bedford Abbey (360190)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Knowles, David; Hadcock, R. Neville, eds. (1971), Medieval Religious Houses in England and Wales (2nd ed.), London: Longman, ISBN 0-582-11230-3
  3. ^ a b c d Knowles, David; Brooke, C. N. L.; London, C. M, eds. (2001), The Heads of Religious Houses : England and Wales. 1, 940–1216 (2nd ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-80452-3