Monument record MLI54217 - BARDNEY ABBEY

Summary

BARDNEY ABBEY

Type and Period (5)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

Bardney Abbey founded before AD697, Ethelred, King of Mercia became its abbot in 705. Destroyed by Danes in AD870, it was rebuilt by Gilbert of Ghent. {4}{5} A Benedictine priory, dependent upon Charroux, was founded in 1087 although this was raised to the rank of an abbey in 1115. The house was dissolved and passed into the King's hands in 1538. Six monks were executed in 1536 after the Lincolnshire Rising. {11} Foundations and ruins have been uncovered for some years although there is a danger from frost, rain and wilful damage by thoughtless youths. {2} Excavated in 1909-14 by Laing and written up by Brakespear. Much archivable material including a plan is in the HER file. {3}{6} The excavated remains were covered up again in 1933, and is now an extensive area of earthworks with areas of stonework and brickwork, especially of the outer wall, exposed below the turf. The inner area of earthworks has even more preserved but none of them easy to understand at ground level. {2}{19} The site was excavated in 1974, by the Friends of Bardney Abbey, when the Department of the Environment considered taking it into guardianship. There is a report in the HER file. A pillar, a floor surface and several tombstones were investigated. {8}{16} The site is scheduled. For detailed history and description see revised scheduling documents. {12} Trial trenching by Heritage Lincolnshire in 1993 did not disturb any archaeological features although dumped material from an earlier excavation was encountered. {15} It is suggested that there is a relationship between Bardney Abbey and conjectured causeways across parts of the Witham Valley, possibly dating as far back as the Bronze Age (54780, 62553). {14} A nave pier had become exposed due to site erosion and was re-covered with an earthen mound. This pier was recorded during the 1974 excavations, and has suffered damage since then. Only the plinth survives in its original position and worked stone was seen around it, including a moulded fragment from a doorway. The worked stones were placed on the plinth, with an attempt made to place them as near to their original position as possible, and covered. {17}{18} An evaluation was undertaken by Archaeological Project Services in November 2009 at Bardney Abbey to assess the surviving fabric of the buried remains. Within trench one, an in-situ wall core, including that for a buttress was revealed. Two courses of stonework of the west wall was exposed but this has become damaged. Two fragments of grave slabs, roof tile and a sharpened goose bone was also found in this trench. In trench two, the doorway survives to a height of two courses and a column base was revealed. In trench three the wall survives to a height of c.1.3m and a keystone for the vault lay against the wall. In trench four the north wall of the refectory was exposed along with the base of a bench and a socketed stone to support a trestle table. Pottery and painted glass was also found in this trench. {20}{21} A single trench was excavated by Archaeological Project Services in 2011 within the refectory in order to reveal and examine the remains in order to assess conserving the masonry for public display. The north wall and parts of the east and west walls of the refectory were revealed along with a seating platform and stone sockets for tables. Roof tile, painted and stained glass and metalwork including a silver coin, keys, knives, hinges, nails and a chisel was also found. {22}{23}

Sources/Archives (22)

  •  Aerial Photograph: 1945-84. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION. BS2,3, BR94, CFJ17,19.
  •  Scheduling Record: HBMC. 1987. AM 107. SAM14.
  •  Archive: BRAKSPEAR, H.. 1914. Brakspear Archive. BARDNEY. -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William White. 1882. History, Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire (Fourth Edition). P122.
  •  Article in Serial: LAING C E. 1913. Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers. VOLXXXII, PP21-34.
  •  Article in Serial: BRAKSPEAR, H.. 1922. ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL. VOL79, PP1-92.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: William Page (ed). 1906. The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2. VOLII, PP97-104.
  •  Index: SMR FILE. BARDNEY. TF 17 SW E2 -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: LAING C E. PARISH FILE. BARDNEY. A DESC GUIDE TO THE BARDNEY ABBEY EXCAVATIONS.
  •  Article in Serial: THOMPSON, A.H.. 1913. Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers. VOLXXXII, PP35-96.
  •  Index: OS CARD INDEX. BARDNEY. TF 17 SW 2,1964, HARPER F R.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1994. REVISED SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 22619. MPP23.
  •  Article in Monograph: David Stocker and Paul Everson. 2003. ‘The Straight and Narrow Way: Fenland Causeways and the Conversion of the Landscape in the Witham Valley, Lincolnshire’, in The Cross Goes North: Processes of Conversion in Northern Europe, AD300-1300. pp.271-88.
  •  Report: Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire. 1993. Excavation for the Installation of Interpretive Panels at Bardney Abbey, Bardney. BDP93.
  •  Article in Serial: Marjoram, J.. 1975. Bardney Abbey Papers, First Series. pp. 1-2.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2008. Reinstatement of Protective Mounds at Bardney Abbey, Bardney. -.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2008. Reinstatement of Protective Mounds at Bardney Abbey, Bardney. LCNCC 2008.22.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. Lincolnshire National Mapping Programme. TF1170: LI.577.4.1-19.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2009. Evaluation at Bardney Abbey. BASM09.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2009. Evaluation at Bardney Abbey. LCNCC: 2009.189.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2011. Bardney Abbey Excavation of the north part of the refectory. BACE11.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2011. Bardney Abbey Excavation of the north part of the refectory. LCNCC 2011.108.

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Grid reference Centred TF 1132 7061 (437m by 373m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish BARDNEY, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

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Record last edited

Nov 24 2023 10:21AM

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