Friday 5/6 Tewkesbury Pt.2

Where was I? Oh yes, more Abbey

The Benedictines did themselves proud.

Ceiling in the central aisle.

Each 'rosette' is different

Ceiling of the side aisle.

Ceiling of the lady chapel

Just for a change from ceilings, an elaborate stone carving on a tomb. Supposedly the tomb the last Abbott of Tewkesbury had made for himself before the dissolution. He obviously fell from God's or somebody's grace because he is buried in an unknown grave at Forthampton. More about him later.

Had the tomb ever been occupied, the 'cadaver' now lying on the slab beneath the canopy would have been moved behind the open grille below while a resplendent effigy of the Abott would have taken its place.  The cadaver is quite gruesome and represents the corpse of a monk in the process of decay.

Ceiling detail of the Beauchamp Chantry

And finally, the ceiling above the alter

As you can see, I am fascinated by the ceilings in Abbeys. The tomb of astir Guy  de Brienne, erected in 1390

For 400 years the Abbey had been acquiring wealth and property. By the time of the dissolution the Abbeys annual revenue were about 60 million pounds in today's terms (no wonder Henry viii was after them). The Abbey and it's holdings was surrendered on the 9/1/1540 and the Compotus Roll preserves the list of its possessions on 74 skins of parchment. The whole lot went to the crowne the silver alter plate, alone weighed more that 100lbs.

John Wakeman, the last Abott (he of the empty tomb) received a pension of 400 marks and was allowed to retain the house and park of Forthampton which had been an appendage of the Abbey and the following year he jumped the fence and was created the first C of E Bishop of Gloucester.

After the Monastry had been stripped of anything of worth and the monks turned out, the Kings Commissioner (Thomas Cromwell) proceeded to demolish the buildings associated with the Abbey church and he had started on the church, demolishing the Lady Chapel when the citizens of Tewkesbury were allowed to purchase the Abbey Church for 453 pounds, the estimated value of the lead roofs and the bells. You can still see the scars on parts of the outside of the church were attached buildings were demolished.

A last pic of the exterior

Maybe one more