| dc.description.abstract | Tewkesbury Abbey (Glos.) was one of the foremost Benedictine institutions in the west of England, if not the country. The Benedictine abbey was founded on the site of an early medieval minster in the late eleventh century by Robert Fitzhamon, a powerful Norman lord and favourite of William Rufus. Its hereditary line of founders constituted some of the most powerful and influential contemporary families in England, and its highly regarded abbots came to be mitred and held a seat in parliament. At the Dissolution, it was one of only twenty-four monasteries recorded in the Valor Ecclesiasticus with an annual income of over £1000. Following its final surrender on 9 January 1540, the church was saved from destruction by the townspeople whose parish church was situated in the nave. It therefore represents a rare example of a British medieval Benedictine church surviving almost in its entirety. Moreover, despite the destruction of most of its monastic buildings, the former precinct area largely remains free from encroachment by later development. Significantly, very few major Benedictine sites hold so much archaeological potential for understanding the development of their precinct and their impact upon their immediate environs.
Nevertheless, despite its significance, Tewkesbury has attracted relatively little archaeological or historical attention, particularly compared to cathedral priories and cult sites of pilgrimage. The following thesis redresses this imbalance. Over the course of five chapters, a wide range of historical, archaeological and architectural evidence is synthesised to examine the foundation and development of the Benedictine monastery, from its post-Conquest foundation up until the Dissolution. The first three chapters are dedicated to the church, exploring the development of its space in relation to the observant performance of the monastic community, commemoration of its patrons, and parochial worship. The final two chapters examine the development of the precinct and its immediate environs, considering day-to-day life within the monastery. In so doing, it brings into focus broader perspectives in monastic studies regarding social communities and relationships, agency and space, and locality and landscape. Most notably though, it highlights the potential that a truly integrated, interdisciplinary approach has for furthering our understanding of an individual site, despite a perceived lack of sources. | en_GB |
