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Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
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The new community: hardships at Skelldale (5/5) He [Thurstan] granted to them by the grace of
God a place of habitation
At Christmas 1132, more than two months after their departure from St Mary’s, the monks left Thurstan’s residence to embark on their new life as a community. The archbishop granted them a site at Skelldale, near his manor at Ripon, as well as land at Sutton, some two miles north-west of Ripon. The monks were unanimous in their decision to appoint Richard, the former prior of St Mary’s, as their first abbot. This was not, however, to be a smooth transition. Whilst the community had a site, a leader, and the solitude that it had sought, it lacked buildings and also provisions, save the bread received from Thurstan and water afforded by a nearby stream. To make matters worse, this was winter and the site was cold, barren and unwelcoming.
The poignant account of their hardships in the foundation history (Narratio), paints a bleak image of the way of life at Skelldale. This describes how the community’s only shelter was an elm tree that stood in the middle of the valley. The monks slept beneath its branches, covering themselves with straw and anything else at hand, to keep out the bitter cold. Life was hard in this desolate and inhospitable spot, but the monks did not complain. They lived according to the Rule of St Benedict, rising during the night to celebrate the office of Vigils, and working hard during the day gathering wood to build a chapel, plaiting mats and cultivating a garden. It was in this way that the new community passed the winter of 1133. |
