BAYHAM OLD ABBEY

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BAYHAM OLD ABBEY

The ruins of Bayham Old Abbey are relatively remote – and would have been even more so when it was founded in 1208 by Robert de Thurnham, for the Premonstratensian order of ‘white canons’.  The abbey existed for 300 years until being dissolved by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525.  Wolsey wanted to use its endowments for other causes, such as founding colleges.  The closure provoked local fury.  On 4 June 1525 over a hundred men with painted faces, armed with longbows, crossbows, swords and clubs, assembled at the abbey in an attempt to reinstate the evicted canons. They stormed the abbey gatehouse and temporarily restored the community, but it made no difference.  The estate was eventually sold off and the buildings were left to decay. The Pratt family bought the estate in 1714 and part of their house overlooks the ruins.

Bayham is reckoned to be the best surviving example of a Premonstratensian abbey in England.  There are extensive, and interesting, ruins in a picturesque setting.  The abbey church is distinctly narrow – a hallmark of the Premonstratensians, apparently.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Furnace Lane
Little Bayham
Nr Lamberhurst
County
Kent
Post Code
TN3 8LP
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Sissinghurst Castle, Scotney Castle, the Weald, Tonbridge
Primary Management
English Heritage

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