Listed Building record MDO2381 - Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne
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Summary
Established around AD 705 as a house of secular canons associated with the newly created Sherborne Cathedral, although there may already have been an early Christian settlement here of some kind under the name of Lanprobus. Converted to a Benedictine monastery in AD 998. Raised to the staus of independent abbey in 1122. dissolved in 1539. A number of late medieval buildings survived the dissolution. These include the Abbey church, now the parish church of of St. Mary; The Slype, now part of Sherborne School; Sherborne School library, formerly part of the west claustral range; the gatehouse; and the conduit head, now in the market place but formerly attached to the north cloister walk. Evidence for the chapter house, cloisters, infirmary and Saxon church have also been revealed through excavation. Evidence for an early christian presence on the site of the Abbey has recently been provided by burials in the Slype and Infirmary areas, dated by radiocarbon to before the establishment of the Saxon monastery.
Map
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
Established c. AD 705 as a house of secular canons associated with the newly created Sherborne Cathedral, although there may already have been an early Christian settlement here of some kind under the name of Lanprobus. Converted to a Benedictine monastery in AD 998. Raised to the staus of independent abbey in 1122. dissolved in 1539.
A number of late medieval buildings survived the dissolution. These include the Abbey church, now the parish church of of St. Mary; The Slype, now part of Sherborne School; Sherborne School library, formerly part of the west claustral range; the abbot's lodgings and kitchen, now the school chapel and studies; the gatehouse; and the conduit head, now in the market place but formerly attached to the north cloister walk.
Evidence for the chapter house, cloisters, infirmary, fishponds, precinct boundaries and Saxon church have also been revealed through excavation.
Evidence for an early christian presence on the site of the Abbey has recently been provided by burials in the Slype and Infirmary areas, dated by radiocarbon to before the establishment of the Saxon monastery. (1)
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SDO10259 Article in serial: Carpenter, R H. 1877. On the Benedictine Abbey of S. Mary, Sherborne, with notes on the restoration of its church.
- --- SDO10320 Article in serial: Keen, L J. 1976. Sherborne; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 98. 60.
- --- SDO15330 Article in serial: Thurlby, Malcolm. 2001. 'Aspects of Romanesque Ecclesiastical Architecture in Dorset: Wimborne Minster, Sherborne Abbey, Forde Abbey Chapter-House and St Mary's, Maiden Newton'; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 6-11.
- --- SDO71 Serial: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 1972. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1971. 93. 197-210.
- <1> SDO10263 Monograph: Keen, L and Ellis, P. 2005. Sherborne Abbey and School. 16.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (18)
- Parent of: Abbey and parish church of St Mary, Abbey Close, Sherborne (Listed Building) (MDO14807)
- Parent of: Abbey Grange, Hospital Lane, Sherborne (Listed Building) (MDO15076)
- Parent of: Original site of the conduit head, Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne (Listed Building) (MDO2348)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey Fishpond, Sherborne (Monument) (MDO2375)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey precinct wall, Sherborne (Monument) (MDO2376)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; Chapter House (Monument) (MDO19868)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; cloister walk (Monument) (MDO19869)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; early Christian burials (Monument) (MDO19870)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; east range of monastic buildings (Monument) (MDO19871)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; infirmary (Monument) (MDO19872)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; north range of monastic buildings (Monument) (MDO19873)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; Saxon cathedral church (Listed Building) (MDO2380)
- Parent of: Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne; The Slype (Listed Building) (MDO14821)
- Parent of: Sherborne School library, Sherborne; west range of monastic buildings for Sherborne Abbey (Listed Building) (MDO14822)
- Parent of: The Abbey Gate House, 1 Church Lane, Sherborne (Listed Building) (MDO14970)
- Parent of: The Cemetery Gate (Formerly Abbey Gateway), Church Lane, Sherborne (Listed Building) (MDO14969)
- Parent of: The Conduit, Market Place, Cheap Street, Sherborne (Listed Building) (MDO14964)
- Parent of: WEST GARDEN WALL TO ABBEY GRANGE (Listed Building) (MDO15077)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Location
| Grid reference | ST 638 165 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ST61NW |
| Civil Parish | Sherborne; Dorset |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
Other Statuses/References
- Legacy UID: Dorset Sites and Monuments Record: 1 101 141 B
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: ST 61 NW 38
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 199458
Record last edited
Oct 11 2022 12:59PM