- Croyland Abbey
.
It was originally founded in the
8th century , and is dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin,Saint Bartholomew andSaint Guthlac , the last of these having dwelt there as ahermit between699 and714 . During the third quarter of the10th century , Croyland came into the possession of the noblemanTurketul , a relative of Osketel,Archbishop of York . Thurketel, a cleric, becameabbot there and endowed theabbey with many estates. It is thought that, about this time, Croyland adopted theBenedictine rule.Croyland is well known to historians as the probable home of the
Croyland Chronicle ofPseudo-Ingulf , begun by one of itsmonk s and continued by several other hands. In1537 , theabbot of Croyland wrote toThomas Cromwell , sending him a gift of fish: "ryght mekely besechyng yow lordship favorablye to accepte the same fyshe, and to be gud and favorable lorde unto me and my pore house". Despite these representations, the abbey was dissolved in1539 .Much of the abbey church survived for use by the
parish , but large parts collapsed over the subsequent centuries. The present parish church is reduced to the north aisle of the old building, with ruins, including a fine west front, adjoining. One of the religious relics that the present church claims to contain is the skull of the 9th centuryAbbot Theodore which used to be on public display until it was stolen from its display case in1982 . The skull was later returned anonymously in1999 .Persons linked with
Cambridge will recall that their University was founded under the inspiration of the abbot of Croyland, thusSabine Baring-Gould has said, making St Guthlac the University's spiritual father.The abbey is also known for being the subject of a
John Clare sonnet .In 2002, the famous David Bliss who resides in Crowland town attempted to restore the abbey to its past glory by the power of his mind. The event was billed as 'Crowland Black Cat Mojo Working 2002' and attracted thousands of people. Unfortunately, inclement weather prevented the magic from working and the people left disappointed, although local tradespersons reported good business that day.
Burials
*
Waltheof II, Earl of Northumbria External links
* [http://croylandabbey.org.uk/ Croyland Abbey Official Website]
*CathEncy|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04541a.htm|title=Abbey of Croyland
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.