Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks. The Cistercian order was at the time of the Abbey’s foundation a radical order highly valuing isolation, poverty and quiet contemplation. 

However the monks were highly successful miners and sheep farmers and the abbey grew in prosperity until it was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England.   

Twelve monks from Clairvaux, France founded the Rievaulx Abbey in 1131. The site was ideal; very isolated and ripe for land development. From this humble beginning land was donated and the Abbey eventually controlled over 6,000 acres of land.

Land management was an integral part of the Cistercian order. The land surrounding the Abbey was originally moorland which the monks transformed into a successful sheep farm with over 12,000 sheep. 

The monks were also highly skilled metal workers owning several iron forges which also brought in significant income.

The population of the Abbey grew rapidly, with 300 monks and lay brothers living on site within ten years of its foundation. Twenty years after that there were reportedly 140 monks and 600 lay brothers living and working at Rievaulx. 

Buildings was continually added and its main feature, the large church was built in 1220. Buildings including a chapterhouse, refectory, infirmities and accommodation for the monks and abbot were added over the years to house the swelling population. 

As the population of the Abbey declined buildings were converted to suit the smaller community.

Cistercian monks follow the teachings of sixth century monk St Benedict who exhorted the virtues of manual labour, austerity and prayer. The daily life of a monk was (and still is) full of work, prayer and contemplation. 

Cistercian monks are also known as ‘white monks’ due to their practise of leaving their habits undyed. Rievaulx most revered abbot was St Aelred who helped the Abbey prosper during the mid 1100s.

The life of a Cistercian monk revolved around choir and religious duties. Monks would attempt to live life in constant prayer. Self flagellation was a feature of this order with a metal scourge (like a whip) found in the ruins in the early 1900s.

Due to the heavy religious workload much of the day to day running of the estate was performed by laymen.  These men took the religious vows but were absolved from attending all the various ceremonies so they could work the estate.

Lay brethren were the Abbey’s ploughmen, dairymen, shepherds, carpenters and masons.

Even the architecture of the Abbey itself reflected the austere nature of the Cistercian monks. The walls were unadorned and any superfluous decoration was frowned upon. Some carved wall friezes were added in the 14th century, however these were still modest carvings for that era.

The Abbey remained prosperous until 1322 when the Abbey was ransacked by Scottish soldiers. Coupled with huge building projects, an epidemic of sheep disease and a decline in the number of laymen the Abbey was forced to lease much of its land in order to stay afloat. 

By the time King Henry VIIIs dissolution of monasteries occurred Rievaulx Abbey consisted of 72 buildings which were occupied by 21 monks and an abbot. The monks were attended by 102 servants and had an income of £351 a year. 

Between 1536 and 1541 King Henry VIII disbanded, dismantled and confiscated land from monasteries all over England. King Henry declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1533, effectively allowing him to govern England’s religious practises as he saw fit).

Just before Christmas in 1538 the 22 remaining monks at Rievaulx gathered in their chapterhouse and voluntarily surrendered their church and lands to the King's emissary. Due to their compliance King Henry awarded the monks a pension which was an unusual move. 

Many other monasteries refused to bow to the King’s will and some abbots were executed as a result. 

The dissolution of Rievaulx Abbey in particular has led some archaeologists to theorise that this event may have delayed the Industrial Revolution by 250 years. 

There is evidence that the monks at the time were developing a prototype blast furnace which would have led to large scale production of cast iron a key industrial development. 

The dismantling of the Abbey was brutally efficient. Lead from the roof was melted to be reused by the King and the fire used to melt the lead was fed by the timbers of the roof. Everything of any value was catalogued and removed to be added to the King’s coffers. 

The uninhabitable buildings and the land that remained part of Rievaulx Abbey was gifted to the Earl of Rutland. The area remained in private hands until it passed into State Guardianship in 1917.

After King Henry ordered the dissolution of Rievaulx Abbey and all valuables were removed the Abbey ruins and the land was given to Thomas, the Earl of Rutland.

Thomas saw the potential of the remaining iron furnaces and hired the former abbey iron master to begin ironworks on site. It remained successful for almost 100 years when the local timber supply was exhausted and the furnaces could no longer be run.

In the 1750’s Thomas Duncombe III inherited the estate. At the time ruins were viewed as a romantic tourist attraction and Thomas set about further beautifying the area. He built two Grecian-style temples to complement the existing ruins which still can be seen today.

The area was a popular tourist destination during the late 1700s. The ruins were particularly appealing to 18th century artists and writers.

By the mid 19th century the ruins were appreciated for their archaeological value instead of their artistic ones. Excavations and preservation works began in 1917 when the ruins were purchased for State Guardianship. 

By the early 1900s the ruins were in a bad state of disrepair and in danger of collapsing. After passing into State Guardianship works began immediately to shore up the foundations. 

A new technique was used at Rievaulx; concrete beams hidden in the upper walls of the building to stabilise the structures.

War veterans were hired in the 1920s to start excavating the site to study the foundations and extract any artifacts found. These items were catalogued and stored. Unfortunately the tags faded over time, making today’s archaeologists job a bit more difficult. 

Many of the artifacts found at Rievaulx are unique not only because it gives archaeologists a glimpse of what monastic life was like but also because of the rarity of the artifacts. 

Items found include painted window glass, wall carvings and even ingots of lead stamped with Henry VIII’s seal made from the roof of the Abbey.