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{{Short description|Building in London, England, UK}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
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| image = Barking abbey curfew tower london.jpg
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'''Barking Abbey''' is a former royal monastery located in [[Barking, London|Barking]], in the [[London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]]. It has been described as having been "one of the most important nunneries in the country".<ref name=BLB/>
Originally established in the 7th century, from the late 10th century the abbey followed the [[Rule of St. Benedict]]. The abbey had a large endowment and sizeable income but suffered severely after 1377, when the [[River Thames]] flooded around {{convert|720|acre}} of the abbey's land, which was unable to be reclaimed.
The abbey existed for almost 900 years, until its closure in 1539, as part of [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]'s [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. It had many notable [[abbess]]es including several [[saints]], former [[queen consort|queen]]s and the daughters of kings. The abbess of Barking held precedence over all other abbesses in England.<ref name=BH/>
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The ruined remains of Barking Abbey now form part of a public open space known as '''Abbey Green'''.<ref name="AG" /> It is recognisable for its partially restored Grade-II* Listed Curfew Tower,<ref name=":0" /> which features on the [[coat of arms of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]].<ref name="SM" />
Barking Abbey is also notable because the adjacent
==History==
===Early history===
Barking Abbey was one of two monasteries built in the 7th century by [[Earconwald|Saint Erkenwald]] (later [[Bishop of London]]). Erkenwald founded [[Chertsey Abbey]] for himself, and Barking Abbey for his sister [[Æthelburh of Barking|Saint Ethelburga]]. Erkenwald and Ethelburga were of royal ancestry and were born in the Anglo-Saxon [[Kingdom of Lindsey]] (roughly located within the modern county of [[Lincolnshire]]). ▼
[[File: St Alban's Abbey IMG 2742 (28883447381).jpg|thumb|right|Statue of St Erkenwald, founder]]
It is said Ethelburga (a Christian) chose to become a nun to avoid having to marry [[Edwin of Northumbria|King Edwin of Northumbria]], who was a pagan. However, this seems doubtful, and there may have been confusion between Ethelburga and [[Æthelburh of Kent|Æthelburh (Ethelburga) of Kent]], who did marry King Edwin in 625. ▼
▲Barking Abbey was one of two monasteries built in the 7th century by [[Earconwald|Saint Erkenwald]] (later [[Bishop of London]]). Erkenwald founded [[Chertsey Abbey]] for himself, and Barking Abbey for his sister [[Æthelburh of Barking|Saint Ethelburga]]. Erkenwald and Ethelburga were of royal ancestry and were born in the Anglo-Saxon [[Kingdom of Lindsey]] (roughly located within the modern county of [[Lincolnshire]]).
▲It is said Ethelburga (a Christian) chose to become a nun to avoid having to marry [[Edwin of Northumbria|King Edwin of Northumbria]], who was a pagan. However, this seems doubtful, and there may have been confusion between Ethelburga and [[Æthelburh of Kent|Æthelburh (Ethelburga) of Kent]], who did marry King Edwin in 625.
Either way, Ethelburga's brother Erkenwald founded Barking Abbey specifically for her. The abbey was endowed by "the East Saxon Princes", who came from the Anglo-Saxon [[Kingdom of Essex|Kingdom of the East Saxons/Kingdom of Essex]], and initially dedicated to [[Virgin Mary|Saint Mary]]. However, Ethelburga served as the Abbey's first [[abbess]]., and it was later dedicated to both Saint Mary and [[Ethelburga of Barking|Saint Ethelburga]].<ref name=BH/> [[Hildelith|Saint Hildelitha,]] a nun brought from abroad to teach Ethelburga, would become abbess after her death. Erkenwald himself would die at the abbey in 693, although his body was taken to [[Chertsey Abbey]] for burial.<ref name=BH/>▼
▲Either way, Ethelburga's brother Erkenwald founded Barking Abbey specifically for her. The abbey was endowed by "the East Saxon Princes", who came from the Anglo-Saxon [[Kingdom of Essex|Kingdom of the East Saxons/Kingdom of Essex]], and initially dedicated to [[Virgin Mary|Saint Mary]]. However, Ethelburga served as the Abbey's first [[abbess]]
[[Wulfhilda of Barking|Saint Wulfhilda]] (Wlfhildis) became [[abbess]] of Barking Abbey during the 10th century. Wulfhilda had grown up at [[Wilton Abbey]], Wiltshire. [[Edgar the Peaceful|King Edgar the Peaceful]] fell in love with Wulfhilda at Wilton, but she was committed to pursuing a religious life and spurned his advances, presents and offers of marriage. Eventually Edgar tried to entrap Wulfhilda; getting her aunt, Abbess Wenflaeda of Wherwell to fake an illness and summon Wulfhilda, with Edgar instead waiting when Wulfhilda arrived. On arriving, she "found his fervour so alarming that she fled, leaving her sleeve in his hand, and escaping through the drains". ▼
▲[[Wulfhilda of Barking|Saint Wulfhilda]] (Wlfhildis) became [[abbess]] of Barking Abbey during the 10th century. Wulfhilda had grown up at [[Wilton Abbey]], Wiltshire. [[Edgar the Peaceful|King Edgar the Peaceful]] fell in love with Wulfhilda at Wilton, but she was committed to pursuing a religious life and spurned his advances, presents and offers of marriage. Eventually Edgar tried to entrap Wulfhilda; getting her aunt, Abbess Wenflaeda of Wherwell to fake an illness and summon Wulfhilda, with Edgar instead waiting when Wulfhilda arrived. On arriving, she "found his fervour so alarming that she fled, leaving her sleeve in his hand, and escaping through the drains".
Wulfhilda pursued her ambition and became a nun. King Edgar then created her Abbess of Barking and donated "considerable estates" to Barking Abbey. Wulfhilda herself donated 20 villages to the abbey and established another monastery at [[Monks Horton|Horton]] in Kent.<ref name=AD/>
King Edgar's eventual queen, [[Ælfthryth, wife of Edgar|Ælfthryth]] became jealous of Wulfhilda, and following her husband's death deposed her as Abbess of Barking. Wulfhilda was later restored by Edgar's and Ælfthryth's son, [[Æthelred the Unready|King Æthelred the Unready]].<ref name=AD>{{cite book|last=Dunbar|first=Agnes|title=A Dictionary of Saintly Women|url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/adversaries/bios/wulfhilda.html|
Another version of the story says that [[Ælfthryth, wife of Edgar|Queen Ælfthryth]], as overseer of the abbey, deposed the abbess Wulfida after complaints made by the nuns; and that it was the Queen, not her son, who reinstated her twenty years later.<ref>{{cite book | title=Matilda of Scotland: a Study in Medieval Queenship | last=Honeycutt | first=Lois | page=37 | year=2003 | publisher=The Boydell Press | location=Woodbridge }}</ref>
[[Dunstan|Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury]] changed Barking Abbey to follow the [[Rule of St. Benedict]]. According to medieval scholar Katie Ann-Marie Bugyis, Barking Abbey may have been "especially devoted to [[Martha]]", the sister of [[Mary of Bethany]] and [[Lazarus of Bethany|Lazarus]] in the Gospels of [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] and [[Gospel of John|John]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bugyis |first=Katie Ann-Marie |title=The Care of Nuns: The Ministries of Benedictine Women in England During the Central Middle Ages |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-085128-6 |location=New York |pages=167, 169}}</ref> In {{Circa|1156}}, [[Osbert of Clare]] wrote a letter to Adelzia, who was abbess at the time, requesting that the Barking Abbey nuns pray for him; Katie Ann-Marie Bugyis states that it demonstrates his "confidence in the promptness and solicitude" of their prayers.<ref>Bugyis, p. 265</ref>
===After the Norman Conquest===
At the time of the [[Norman conquest of England]], the abbess was Æfgiva. [[William the Conqueror|King William the Conqueror]] confirmed Æfgiva's control of the abbey with a royal charter issued in either November or December 1066. William granted her ''"my peace and love, and all my rights within and without the burgh as fully as any abbess in that monastery of St.Mary had them in the time of King Edward"''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/MuseumsAndHeritage/LocalHistoryResources/Documents/Infosheet9WilliamConqueror.pdf |title=London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Local Studies Information Sheet No. 9: 'William The Conqueror and Barking Abbey' |
[[Matilda of Scotland|Queen Maud/Matilda]] (c.1080–1 May 1118), wife of [[Henry I of England|King Henry I]], financed the construction of two stone bridges and a causeway over the branches of the [[River Lea]] in [[Stratford-by-Bow]]. As Barking Abbey was the closest to the bridges, the queen gave the abbey the responsibility for maintaining the bridges and donated lands as an endowment to finance those future repairs. After the foundation of [[Stratford Langthorne Abbey]] in 1135 (which was closer to the bridges), the Abbess of Barking transferred the responsibility to Stratford. This started a dispute between the two abbeys which was not settled until 1315. A settlement was reached when the Abbess of Barking paid the Abbot of Stratford Lanthorne £200 ({{inflation|UK|200|1315|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}});{{Inflation/fn|UK}} in return, the abbot agreed to maintain the bridges and causeway and to pay an annual rent of four marks ({{inflation|UK|2.666666667|1315|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}){{Inflation/fn|UK}} to the abbess.<ref name=BH/>
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Mary Becket, the sister of [[Thomas Becket|Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury]], was created abbess of Barking in 1173, as reparation for the murder of her brother.<ref name=BH/>
The abbey has been described as "perhaps the longest lived...institutional centre of literary culture for women in British history". During the twelfth century, [[Clemence of Barking]], a nun at the abbey and a rare female author in this period, wrote, among other works, an innovative life of [[St Catherine of Alexandria]], a saint associated with female learning.<ref>History Today https://www.historytoday.com/archive/out-margins/cultured-women-essex</ref>
Prior to 1214, as a "royal foundation", the abbesses of Barking had been chosen by the King. However, following pressure from the Pope, [[John, King of England|King John]] allowed the nuns to conduct elections to choose their abbess. The crown would later, however, claim they had the right to select a nun to join the abbey each time a new monarch acceded to the throne. This privilege was used to nominate Alice de Belhus on the accession of [[Edward II of England|King Edward II]] in 1307, Margaret Swinford (daughter of [[Katherine Swynford]] and later abbess) on the accession of [[Richard II of England|King Richard II]] in 1377, Maud Kylet in 1404 (five years after the accession of [[Henry IV of England|King Henry IV]]), and Goda Hapton in 1430 (eight years after the accession of [[Henry VI of England|King Henry VI]]).<ref name=BH/>
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In the Taxation Rolls of 1291, the abbey was recorded as having an income of £300 13s 1¼d ({{inflation|UK|300.6552083|1291|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}).{{Inflation/fn|UK}}<ref name=BH/>
[[Elizabeth de Burgh]] Queen of Scots, captured by the English in 1306, was confined here from March 1313 to March 1314.
[[Elizabeth de Clare]] was briefly imprisoned in Barking Abbey in 1322, as part of a campaign to force her to surrender some of her Welsh estates to [[Hugh Despenser the younger]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Edward II | last=Phillips | first=Seymour | page=447 | year=2010 | publisher=Yale University Press | location=New Haven and London}}</ref> Whilst imprisoned some of her "valuable possessions" were extorted but they were later recovered.<ref name=BH/>
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In 1377 a larger portion of the abbey's lands near to the [[River Thames]] was flooded. The devastation was severe and the abbey's fortunes never completely recovered: The devastation of the land, and the high cost of repairing [[Levee|dykes]] led to the abbey's impoverishment.<ref name=BH/>
In 1382 the abbey's lands were recorded as still "inundated" (flooded), and their yearly income had fallen to 400 marks ({{inflation|UK|266.6666667|1382|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}).{{Inflation/fn|UK}} In 1409, 32 years after the flood, the land had still not been reclaimed, despite the abbey having spent over £2,000 (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|0.002|1409|cursign=£|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}){{Inflation/fn|UK}} in attempts to save it. Around 720 acres of land had been lost; 600 of which was in Dagenham Marsh. Various attempts were made to try to help the abbey. In 1380 the king released the abbey from certain charges. In 1384 they were given permission to "[[impressment|impress]]" (force) labourers to help improve the situation on Dagenham Marsh. The abbey was granted "various liberties in
In 1381 Elizabeth Chaucer became a nun at the abbey. Elizabeth was the daughter of the poet [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] and [[Philippa Roet|Philippa De Roet]]. When Elizabeth joined the abbey [[John of Gaunt]] paid £51 8s 2d ({{inflation|UK|51.40833333|1381|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}){{Inflation/fn|UK}} "for expenses and gifts" for the occasion. Geoffery Chaucer was in the service of the king's court and John of Gaunt much of his life.
During [[Katherine de la Pole]]'s time as abbess, the young [[Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond|Edmund]] and [[Jasper Tudor]] were sent to be brought up in the abbess's custody by [[Henry VI of England|King Henry VI]]'s council. The boys were Henry VI's half brothers: the children of [[Owen Tudor]] and [[Catherine of Valois]]; herself the widow of [[Henry V of England|King Henry V]] and Henry VI's mother. The Tudors were raised and educated at Barking under the care of Abbess Katherine. An allowance of £52 12s ({{inflation|UK|52.6|1440|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}){{Inflation/fn|UK}} was paid for their maintenance.<ref name=BH/> [[Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond|Edmund]] went on to father [[Henry VII of England|King Henry VII]], who seized the throne at the [[Battle of Bosworth]] in 1485.
The abbey's water supply was ransomed by John Rigby of Cranbrook Manor in 1462. The water conduit to the abbey had broken and John Rigby had it repaired. He then decided that the abbey should pay an annual fee for its water supply. Katherine de la Pole was annoyed at this and instigated work to find an alternative and independent supply from their own spring.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Pole, Katherine de la (1410/11–1473), abbess of Barking|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-54452|access-date=2021-02-17| year=2004 |language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/54452| isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 }}</ref>
The ''[[Valor Ecclesiasticus]]'' of 1535 records the abbey's gross income as £1,084 6s 2¼d ({{inflation|UK|1084.309375|1535|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}),{{Inflation/fn|UK}} which made it the third wealthiest nunnery in England; behind [[Sion Abbey]] and [[Shaftesbury Abbey]].<ref name=BH/>
One of the abbey's [[Seal (emblem)|seals]], which was used during the 13th century until its dissolution in 1539, elevates their patron saints as many conventual seals did at the time. The [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] holding the infant Christ, [[Paul the Apostle|St. Paul]], and [[Saint Peter|St. Peter]] are depicted, as are its three abbess-saints, [[Æthelburh of Barking]], [[Hildelith]], and [[Wulfhilda of Barking]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bugyis |first=Katie Ann-Marie |title=The Care of Nuns: The Ministries of Benedictine Women in England During the Central Middle Ages |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-085128-6 |location=New York |pages=236–237}}</ref>
===Dissolution===
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After the dissolution, the abbey was demolished and much of its wealth was sold off. At the time of the dissolution the abbey also controlled the manors of [[Barking, London|Barking]], [[Abbess Roding|Abbes Hall]], [[Bulphan]], [[Abbess Roding|Caldecotes in Abbess Roding]], [[Dagenham|Cokermouth in Dagenham]], [[Down Hall]], [[Great Warley]], [[Ingatestone|Hanley Hall]], [[Fobbing|Hawkesbury in Fobbing]], [[Tollesbury|Highall in Tollesbury]], [[Hockley]], [[Ingatestone]], [[Leaden Roding]] [[Mucking]], [[Tollesbury]], [[Chadwell Heath|Wangey Hall]], [[Barking, London|Westbury in Barking]], [[Little Wigborough|Wigborough]] and [[Ingatestone|Wood Barns]]; all in [[Essex]].<ref name=BH/> Demolition started in June 1540 and took around 18 months to complete, with only the abbey's north gate and Curfew Tower were left standing. Records from 1540 show £744 was raised from selling the abbey's lead; £122 13s from the sale of the abbey's eleven bells (12,912 lb of "bellmetal"); and £182 2s 10d from the sale of "goods, grain and cattle". The abbey was also in possession of various jewels and valuables; including 3,586 ounces of silver.<ref name=BH/>
Following its demolition some of the abbey's building materials were reused: some of the lead was used to repair [[Greenwich Palace]]'s roof, and some of the stone used to construct [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]'s new Manor at [[Dartford]].<ref name=LH>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/MuseumsAndHeritage/LocalHistoryResources/Pages/BarkingAbbey.aspx |title=Barking Abbey, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Museums and Heritage: Local History Resources |publisher=Lbbd.gov.uk |
==Remains (and present day)==
[[File:St Margaret's, Barking - DSC06985.JPG|thumb|right|300px|The Curfew Tower]]
In 1551 [[Edward VI of England|King Edward VI]] granted the abbey site and [[demesne]] land to [[Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln|Edward Clinton, 9th Baron Clinton]] (later 1st Earl of Lincoln).<ref name=BH/> After that, the site was used as a quarry and a farm.<ref name=LH/> The remains survived the Middle Ages, however, the North Gate was demolished around 1885. Today, only the Curfew Tower and the abbey's footprints and footings remain.<ref name=BLB/>
The majority of the remains are buried: those remains visible were built in the 20th century to show the abbey's layout,<ref name=LBBD>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/LeisureArtsAndLibraries/Parksandcountryside/Pages/BarkingAbbeyRuins.aspx |title=Barking Abbey Ruins, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Leisure Arts and Libraries: Parks and Countryside |publisher=Lbbd.gov.uk |
===Curfew Tower===
[[File:Coat of arms of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.svg|thumb|left|The Curfew Tower appears on the [[Crest (heraldry)|crest]] of the [[Coat of arms of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]]]]
The Curfew Tower, also known as the Fire Bell Gate, was one of the abbey's three gateways and is the only part of the abbey not in ruins. The original tower was built in 1370, however the current tower was built around 1460. Above the gateway is "The Chapel of the Holy Rood", named for the 12th-century stone [[rood]] displayed within it.<ref name=SM/>
The building has been repaired several times. In 1955/56 the chapel was redecorated and the windows repaired. In 2005/06 the tower was extensively repaired at the cost of £130,000. The staircase roof, and the covering of the main roof were replaced, and the tower's masonry was re-pointed, with the irreparably damaged stone replaced. Inside the chapel was again redecorated.<ref name=SM/>
The tower is Grade-II* Listed,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|author=Good Stuff IT Services |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-198236-fire-bell-gate-barking-abbey-greater-lon |title=Fire Bell Gate, Barking Abbey – Barking and Dagenham – Greater London – England |publisher=British Listed Buildings |access-date
=== London Bridge
In 2007, two small stones from remains of the old medieval [[London Bridge]] were joined together in a sculpture<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.londonmylondon.co.uk/?p=2839|title=Searching for the granite blocks from old London Bridge {{!}} London My London {{!}} One-stop base to start exploring the most exciting city in the world.|website=www.londonmylondon.co.uk|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-14}}</ref> in front of St Margaret's church facing the Barking Abbey ruins as part of several public artworks placed in [[Barking Town Centre]] by artist Joost Van Santen.
==Burials==
*[[Æthelburh of Barking]]
*[[Hildelith]]
*Torchtgyd
*[[Wulfhilda of Barking]]
==List of abbesses==
Abbesses of Barking Abbey:<ref name=BH>{{cite book|title=Houses of Benedictine nuns: Abbey of Barking, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 2|year=1907|pages=115–122|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=39832|editor=William Page & J. Horace Round}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Æthelburh of Barking|St. Ethelburga]],
* St. Hildelitha ([[Hildelith]]),
* St. Wlfhildis ([[Wulfhilda of Barking|Wulfhilda]]),
* Queen Alftrudis. ''([[Ælfthryth, wife of Edgar|Queen Elfrida]]?)''
* St. Wlfhildis (Wulfhilda), again, died
* Ælfgiva,
* [[Matilda of Scotland]], wife of [[Henry I of England|King Henry I]]
* Agnes, appointed by [[Henry I of England|King Henry I]]
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* Adeliza, sister of Payn FitzJohn, appointed by [[Stephen, King of England|King Stephen]]
* Mary, sister of [[Thomas Becket]], appointed 1173, created abbess in reparation for the murder of her brother
* [[Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony|Matilda of England]], daughter of [[Henry II of England|King Henry II]], appointed
* Christiana de Valoniis, occurs 1202 and 1205
* Sybil, elected 1215
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==External links==
{{
* [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Objetos/Places/BarkingAbbey-1500.jpg Drawing of what Barking Abbey may have looked like]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141126033641/http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/MuseumsAndHeritage/LocalHistoryResources/Pages/BarkingAbbey.aspx Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council]
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{{LB Barking & Dagenham}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 7th century]]
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[[Category:Benedictine nunneries in England]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]]
[[Category:666 establishments]]▼
[[Category:7th-century establishments in England]]
[[Category:1541 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Ruined abbeys and monasteries]]
[[Category:Barking, London|Abbey]]
[[Category:Double monasteries
[[Category:Grade II* listed monasteries]]
[[Category:Scheduled monuments in London]]
▲[[Category:666 establishments]]
[[Category:Churches completed in the 660s]]
[[Category:7th-century church buildings in England]]
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