January 1216 A.D. Spinney
Abbey or Priory of St. Mary and Holy Cross, Cambridgeshire—Founded by Hugh de
Malebisse and Beatrix His Wife; Augustinian Canons; Black Death; Dependent on Ely; Benedictine
Monks 1449; Dissolved 1538; Granted to Sir Edward North 1544; Site Occupied by House & Farm
About the Abbey
The Cambridgeshire Fens were isolated, desolate
places - indeed parts are today. Places such as these attracted many
individuals and religious orders to found abbeys and monasteries during the
Middle Ages. Spinney Abbey was one of these. A spinney means a place where
thorn trees grow. In the Fens such places were scarce, as this usually meant
relatively high ground and so would have been an obvious place to build. With
this in mind it is possible that a building was on the site before the Abbey,
but no record of this is known.
Between 1216 and 1228, Beatrice, the
grand-daughter of Wimar, Steward of the Count of Brittany, founded the Priory
of St Mary and the Holy Cross in the spinney a mile from Wicken. The priory was
first endowed with three canons of the Augustinian order. It was endowed with
the advowson of the parish church, 55 acres of land, a marsh called Frithfen
and the fishery of Gormere. Frithfen is likely to have included at least part
of the area now known as Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, although its exact
location is unclear. As such this is the earliest record concerning that area,
as well as Spinney Abbey. For centuries the Abbey was associated with the fen,
and this continues even now with water being pumped from the farm fields into
the Nature Reserve.
In 1301 Mary de Bassingbourne expanded the
establishment with 90 more acres and four more canons. The bad news was that
her endowment depended upon the canons feeding three thousand poor people per
year - a task which they soon enough complained was 'grievous and
insupportable'. In 1403 the Prior, William de Lode, was murdered by three of
his own canons who stabbed him in the priory church. What happened to the
murderers is unrecorded. This grisly tale has given rise to many ghost stories
about the Abbey. Fortunes at Spinney declined with the Black Death and the
social upheavals of the fourteenth century, and in 1449 Spinney Abbey was
absorbed into the priory of Ely, which in due course became Ely Cathedral. The
priory continued in existence and the almshouses it supported were not
immediately abolished. In 1536 Henry VIII began the dissolution of the
monasteries. Spinney became a private property and was owned by various
persons, including Sir Edward Peyton who had been a prominent leader of the
puritan party during the reign of Charles I.
Perhaps the most celebrated former owner of
Spinney Abbey, and one who actually dwelt there, is the fourth son of Oliver
Cromwell, Henry Cromwell. He lived in Spinney Abbey after his retirement from
his office as Lord Deputy of Ireland at the Restoration (some information about
his time in Ireland can be found here). He was a well-respected and capable
man, and having petitioned the King was allowed to continue living in peace
there despite his father's fate. He owned Spinney from 1659 to his death in
1673, and tradition has it that King Charles II visited him there in September
1671. Henry Cromwell is buried with his wife at Wicken parish church.
The fascinating and rich history of this
extraordinary place has been comprehensively researched and well recorded in
"Spinney Abbey, Wicken - being an account of the History of Spinney Abbey,
Wicken, in the county of Cambridgeshire, from its earliest beginnings to the
near present day." by Michael Rouse, 1971 (ISBN 0950230006). This
substantial illustrated booklet can be read at Spinney Abbey, or borrowed from
many libraries. Much of the following information, and the illustration, is
extracted from that publication.
Ghost
Stories
The ancient site of Spinney has, not surprisingly,
accumulated many tales of the supernatural. Most are little more than tales but
nevertheless the house has been quite famous amongst ghost-hunters for many
years - possibly due to the records and observations made by Thomas Llewellyn
Fuller, who died in 1977. Many of these tales were recorded directly from Mr
Fuller by Michael Rouse and are set out in his book.
The following extract is based on information
taken from the publication GHOSTS OF EAST ANGLIA by Tony Ellis. Note that some
of the historic information is not quite the same as shown in the research of
Michael Rouse. "One mile from Wicken Fen, in the heart of Fen Country,
stands a farmhouse called Spinney Abbey. The name was derived from the old
priory which once stood on the site. It is haunted by phantom monks, who are
heard singing, and one has been seen walking along a pathway in the grounds.
Mysterious lights and a female figure have also been reported. Local tales also
tell how monks can still be heard chanting in the still of the night, and that
their ghosts have been seen.
Strange lights are reputed to be visible, which
could be either ghostly or just natural Will o' the wisp. These lights can be
seen wandering from the farm to Spinney Bank, which is a bank now between
Spinney Abbey and Wicken Fen. The most well-known legend is of the phantom
black dog, sometimes known as Old Shuck or Black Shuck. This legend is a common
one across East Anglia and is applied to many locations. The dog is said to
have eyes the size of saucers and it is also said that, if anyone is
unfortunate enough to meet the demonic dog and happens to look into its
red/orange eyes, that are described as "burning like fire", then
their death will soon follow.
There
are still some fragments of the original abbey to be found. The old pig sty is
said to be built in the ruins, and although the pigs were usually quite happy
and content, occasionally they got boisterous. It is also said that in the
early hours of the morning, on occasions, horses in the stables made a terrific
noise for no apparent reason. The ghost who walks along the path in the early
hours of the morning is believed to be a murdered monk."
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