Delapré Abbey

Delapré Abbey

Delapré Abbey - the south facade
Location within Northamptonshire
Monastery information
Full name Abbey of St Mary de la Pré
The Abbey of St Mary in the Meadow
Order Cluniac Nuns
Established c. 1145
Disestablished 1538
Mother house Abbey of Cluny
Dedicated to St Mary de la Pré, Sancta Maria de pratis, St. Mary in the Meadows
Site
Location Near Northampton
Coordinates 52°13′29″N 0°53′22″W / 52.2247°N 0.8895°W / 52.2247; -0.8895Coordinates: 52°13′29″N 0°53′22″W / 52.2247°N 0.8895°W / 52.2247; -0.8895
Grid reference SP759592
Visible remains None

Delapré Abbey, or more properly, the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré (The Abbey of St Mary in the Meadow), is an English country house and former monastery situated in the meadows of the River Nene to the south of Northampton. It was founded as a monastery of nuns about the year 1145 and belonged to the congregation of the great Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy, France.

The abbey was founded by the Earl Simon de Senlis during the reign of King Stephen and held a Royal Charter from King Edward III. At its founding, the abbey was endowed with land at nearby Hardingstone and held the churches at Earls Barton, Great Doddington and Fotheringhay (confirmed by the Scottish Kings Malcolm and William). King Edward increased their holdings with the churches of Wollaston and Filgrave and also granted them the advowson of the church at Fyfield, Hampshire. He is recorded as giving "ten beams" towards the repair of the church in 1232, and another five oaks for work on the Refectory in 1258.

Delapré was one of only two Cluniac monasteries of women built in England (the other being Arthington Priory in Yorkshire). The Cluniac congregation was initially a reform movement of Benedictine life. Monasteries in the congregation were supervised directly by the great abbey at Cluny. Typically a dozen to twenty nuns resided at the abbey at any one time. The Guild of Weavers at Northampton made an annual procession to the Abbey church each Easter Monday where, according to the ordinances of the Guild in 1431, they would offer up "...tapers before the ymages of the Trynitie and our Lady."

In the north-west corner of the walled town depicted in the Speed map of 1610 was the Cluniac Priory of St Andrew's, which was founded by Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, the father of the founder of Delapré.

Like other monasteries in England, the abbey was surrendered to the crown during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, closing in 1538. After much later use as a private residence and in war service, the abbey was converted for use as the Northamptonshire Record Office and the library of the Northamptonshire Record Society. The building is Grade II* listed. The Abbey will open to the public in 2017, with the Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust managing the building

History

The Eleanor Cross

The Eleanor Cross

One of only three remaining Eleanor Crosses is located at the Hardingstone end of the Delapré Abbey estate. The body of Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I, rested at the Abbey on its journey from Lincoln to London. The king erected the crosses to mark the passage. The cross was begun in 1291 by John of Battle; he worked with William of Ireland to carve the statues.

Timeline

The west front

Owners of Delapre Abbey

Abbesses of the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré

An impression of the great oval seal of the Abbey is held in the Public Records Office. It represents the coronation of the Blessed Virgin under a carved canopy.

The Cluniac Prayer

"O God, by whose grace thy servants, the Holy Abbots of Cluny, enkindled with the fire of thy love, became burning and shining lights in thy Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and may ever walk before thee as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever."

The second Battle of Northampton (1460)

After the Battle of Northampton, which was fought on the Abbey grounds to the north of the Abbey and to the south of the River Nene, King Henry VI was captured and spent the night of 10 July 1460 at the Abbey as a prisoner. The nuns tended the wounds of those injured at the battle. Many of the battle-dead were buried in the nuns' graveyard (now the walled garden).

After the dissolution

Print of the west front of the Abbey by J.P. Neale

In 1542 the Tate family purchased the Abbey grounds from the Crown; they started work on the gardens. Zouch Tate is recorded as having laid out a typical Elizabethan-style garden. This is thought to have been where the enclosed formal garden can now be found.

The Tates lived at Delapré until 1764, when they sold the estate to the Bouverie family. The majority of the present buildings date from this time. The design of the grounds became influenced by the style of Capability Brown. The Bouverie family changed the garden to one featuring fruit and vegetables, with orchards planted elsewhere. This was similar to the earlier fruit garden of the original abbey. Researchers believe the present walled garden is located on the site of the nuns' burial ground, as evidence of graves was discovered during the garden's construction.

During the 19th century, other typical Victorian features were added, such as the rock and water gardens, and garden conservatories for peaches and grapes; a ha-ha was also constructed. The buildings for growing fruit remain.

Current state

Buildings

Stable Block of Delapré Abbey

Restoration

Following the success of a Heritage Lottery Fund application in 2013, a £6.3 million restoration project began in 2016. The Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust will manage the Abbey, which will be open to the public for the first time in 900 years in 2017.[4]

Grounds

Ornamental Rock & Water Gardens in Delapre Park
A flood lake caused by bunding
Delapre Golf Centre Clubhouse

There are about 500 acres (2.0 km2) of parkland and 8 acres (32,000 m2) of more formal gardens. Ornamental features include:

Part of the estate has been developed as the public Delapré Golf Course.

Northampton Borough Council (NBC) added bunding to the London Road side of the grounds to prevent unauthorised vehicular access to the grounds. In the wet spring of 2007, this caused a flood lake to appear, which was condemned as dangerous to the public. In November 2006, NBC's planning committee approved an application to remove the bunding but successive administrations have to date not provided funds to perform the work - despite public concerns over the flooding. The Homes & Communities Agency has since indicated an interest in using the bund material on a nearby housing development.

Formal garden

The full carving of the Lady with Kittens by Walter Ritchie

In 1977 and 1978 three sculptures were installed in the walled garden:

References

  1. ↑ "Notes and News". Northamptonshire Past & Present. Northampton: Northamptonshire Record Society. 2: 165. 1957.
  2. ↑ "Delapre Day". Northamptonshire Past & Present. Northampton: Northamptonshire Record Society. 2: 269–272, 304, 310–311 & 330. 1959.
  3. ↑ See, Anne Saunders in - A Who's Who of Tudor Women (online)
  4. ↑ "Delapre Abbey looks to build new car park to cope with extra visitors after revamp at historic site". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

Further reading

External links

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