|
|
You are here:
The first foundation at Waverley
(1/1)
The first Cistercians arrived
in Britain in 1128, when Bishop William Gifford of Winchester (1107-29)
invited a group
of monks from l’Aumône, in Normandy, to colonise his foundation
at Waverley. L’Aumône
was a daughter-house of Cîteaux,
and Waverley was thus affiliated to the Cîteaux line. Waverley
was situated by the R. Wey, and suffered from dampness and the
frequent
flooding of the river. Nevertheless, the abbey thrived, attracting
a number of recruits and donors. In 1133 Waverley was ready to
expand,
and from 1133-1281 founded a total of thirteen daughter-houses.
The abbey also attracted a rather exceptional associate in 1225,
when Henry III requested that he be made an honorary member.
In 1131 the second Cistercian
house, Tintern
Abbey, was founded in Monmouthshire, Wales, by Walter Fitz
Richard de Clare, whose residence, Chepstow Castle, was within
a few miles
of the abbey. Tintern was also colonised by monks of l’Aumône
and affiliated to Cîteaux. In the same year Bernard
of Clairvaux embarked on negotiations to found an abbey in
the North of England. Bernard wrote to Henry I, describing his
intentions
in terms of a military campaign. The foundation was carefully planned,
and the arrival of the first Clairvaux monks in 1132 marked a real
turning-point in the development of the Order. From their base
in Yorkshire, the Cistercians swept through the country, and by
the
mid-twelfth century had reached England, Ireland, Scotland and
Wales.
We know from their first fruits that they
served the Lord Christ like the clever bees; there were numerous
holy colonies which, they sent out from their midst like swarms
of bees endowed with reason, and they dispersed them not only
through the English provinces, but also amongst barbarous nations.
(1)
<back><new
section>
|
