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Byland Abbey: History
Byland Abbey: Buildings
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Endowment and consolidation
The community only remained at Old Byland for several years, but during this time continued to expand its holdings, acquiring lands, for example, at Ampleforth, North Caxe and Fawdington, north of Boroughbridge. By the time the monks moved again, in 1147, they had developed an impressive number of holdings within the locality. The community continued to expand its interests throughout the twelfth century, pushing further into Yorkshire and also edging into Lincolnshire, Teeside and Westmorland, in Cumbria. In fact, Byland’s impressive acquisition of holdings in the twelfth century rivalled that of its Cistercian neighbours at Rievaulx.(6) Byland received papal confirmation of its lands and privileges by both Hadrian IV (1154-9) and Alexander III 1163, 1171, 1175. (7)
Upper Nidderdale (some thirty miles from the abbey), was an important area where the community acquired lands and resources, and endeavoured to create compact estates, was. Most of this land was held by Byland’s founder, Roger de Mowbray, and was largely reserved for hunting. It was essentially unpopulated and therefore ripe for exploitation. From the mid-twelfth century, Roger granted his community various rights here, providing Byland with pastoral lands, supplies of building timber and minerals. Roger’s concern to preserve the hunting here led him to impose restrictions regarding the cultivation of the land. Accordingly, he permitted the monks to cut hay and to make a herb garden, but forbade any other arable farming. For the sake of the young deer, the community was to remove its pigs from 8 June until 10 July, and any fierce guard dogs were to be chained. Furthermore, Roger stipulated that Byland’s shepherds should not poach game and warned that any offenders would lose their livelihood.(8) Roger’s need for money in the late twelfth century provided an opening for Byland to develop its interests in Upper Nidderdale. In 1172 Roger mortgaged his lands here to the monks, in the area later known as StoneBeck Down, and simply reserved the right to hunt. He received 300 marks in return, on the understanding that the community could retain these lands should he fail to repay this sum within ten years. This arrangement enabled the monks to establish a network of granges and lodges in Nidderdale, to cultivate the land and to pursue cattle farming and sheep-rearing. Fountains Abbey benefited equally as well from Roger de Mowbray’s generosity and his need for money, and by the end of the twelfth century these two Cistercian abbeys between them held Upper Nidderdale: Stonebeck Up and Down was chiefly worked by Byland; Fountains Earth, Dacre and Bewerley by the Fountains community.(9) It was not simply important to acquire resources
but to consolidate the monastery’s holdings and develop compact estates. The
community was therefore intent to concentrate its resources in
certain areas, and to manage these through agricultural centres,
known as granges. Byland created its first grange at Wildon in
1142, and established a second soon after at the site of Old Byland.
In the late twelfth century the first of three granges was created
in Westmorland, underlining the economic importance of the community’s
holdings here.(10) Whereas Byland’s
moorland granges tended to concentrate on sheep-farming, others
specialised in arable farming,
cattle-rearing or industry. |
