Monument record MDO5507 - Benedictine abbey of St Mary the Virgin and St Bartholomew, Cranborne
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Summary
The Chronicle of Tewkesbury records that a Benedictine abbey of St Mary the Virgin and St Bartholomew was founded at Cranborne around AD 980 by Aylward Sneaw. Tradition has it that there was an earlier monastery on the site. In AD 1102 the community moved to Tewkesbury, formerly its dependency, to which Cranborne became a cell for a prior and two monks. It is thought that the present parish church is on the site of the abbey church.
Map
Type and Period (5)
Full Description
(SU 05461320) Abbey (NR) (site of) (NAT). <2>
The Benedictine abbey of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Bartholomew was founded by Haylward Snew circa 980 AD, according to the chronical of Tewkesbury, but there is a tradition of a much earlier monastery. In 1102 the community moved to Tewkesbury, formerly its dependency, to which Cranborne became a cell for a prior and two monks. It was dissolved in 1540.
The present parish church (SO 01 SE43) is believed to be on the site of the abbey church, and two early 17th century plans show the priory buildings some 50 yards south of the church. They were demolished in 1703. A fragment of pre-Conquest carved stone, preserved in the Manor House, was found in 1935 in the Manor House fishpond at the end of the garden (probably at SU 05351330). Kendrick dates it to the 9th century and suggests it may have been part of the base of a free-standing cross from the priory church. <1, 3-5>
Cranbourne was a minster, according to the Chronicle of Tewkesbury, founded by Aylward Sneaw on his Cranbourne demesne. It had 5 dependent churches. (6)
[Note: There is no Source (6) on the NRHE-to-Her database – the numbering goes 1-5, 7].
Full description of the Early Mediaeval cross base or pillar base. A four-legged beast is framed in a pane, but the animal does not bear resemblance to any of the evangelist symbol, bestiary or even zodiac types, and so has no obvious religious significance. It remains a tantalising piece from an important minster site. <6>
Sources/Archives (8)
- <1> SDO18401 Serial: Royal Archaeological Institute. 1947. The Archaeological Journal 104. 104. 162.
- <2> SWX1540 Map: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Map 6in. 6 inch to 1 mile. 1963.
- <3> SDO11249 Monograph: Knowles, D and Neville Hadcock, R. 1971. Medieval religious houses in England and Wales. 53, 63, 471.
- <4> SDO129 Monograph: Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England). 1975. An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East). 5.
- <5> SDO10264 Monograph: Hall, T A. 2000. Minster Churches in the Dorset Landscape. 304. 95.
- <6> SDO17427 Monograph: Cramp, R. 2006. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: Vol VII. South-West England. 100-101.
- <7> SDO131 Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Records. SU 01 SE 11.
- <8> SDO14739 Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 213656.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Location
| Grid reference | SU 0546 1320 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | SU01SE |
| Civil Parish | Cranborne; Dorset |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
Other Statuses/References
- Legacy UID: Dorset Sites and Monuments Record: 3 005 044
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: SU 01 SE 11
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 213656
- Royal Commission Inventory Reference: Cranborne 1
Record last edited
Dec 6 2022 11:23AM
