Thornton Abbey Project
*Now Accepting Applications for 2012*
Thornton abbey was founded as an Augustinian priory in 1139 by William Le Gros and over the next two centuries expanded into one of the richest houses in England, eventually becoming a mitred abbey in 1518. In 1539 the abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII, at which point it had a gross annual income of £730 17s 3d, although it continued to be used as a college of secular priests until 1547 when it was finally suppressed by Edward VI. After passing through ownership of the Bishop of Lincoln and the Tyrwhitt family the abbey was acquired in 1603 by Sir Vincent Skinner. He demolished many of the church buildings to provide building material for a newly constructed mansion situated close to the medieval gatehouse. According to the antiquarian Abraham de la Pryme, no sooner had the house been completed that it "fell quite down to the bare ground without any visible cause". In part as a result of this disaster, Skinner fell into bankruptcy and died in a debtors’ prison in 1616, although his widow continued to live in the former guest lodging which was converted into a more modest dwelling.
Project Background
Despite having one of the largest and best preserved monastic enclosures in the country, surprisingly little work has taken place at the abbey. The estate was acquired by Charles 1st Earl of Yarborough in the early 19th century, and he was responsible for excavating the church in the 1830s. Following portions of the site coming into state care in 1938, the Ministry of Works cleared some of the cloister area. However, since this date no excavation has taken place and the majority of the site remains in private ownership. Between 2007-2009 English Heritage undertook a detailed field survey of approximately one third of the monastic enclosure which highlighted the remarkable level of preservation of the many earthwork and subsurface features.
In 2011 The University of Sheffield, in collaboration with English Heritage, started a five year research programme on the abbey precinct. This aims to not only complete the topographical and geophysical survey started by English Heritage, but also includes targeted excavation of the identified medieval and post-dissolution features in order to gain a better understanding of the site’s long history.
Joining Us in 2012
We will be returning for our next season between 1st-28th July 2012 and are now accepting applications from volunteers. If you're interested in getting involved please download the application form using the link on the righthand side.
You can now pay online via credit card or PayPal via the University of Sheffield's Online Store.
If you have any questions about volunteering or the project more generally, please don't hesitate to contact us using the email below.
The 2011 Season
During June-July 2011 we worked in a number of different areas with very exciting results. We located and excavated a portion of the medieval monastic great barn, a building that despite being in an area of ploughing had huge mortared walls that still survived up to a height of 1.2m. We also excavated a trench immediately behind Sir Vincent Skinner's mansion and another looking at garden terracing associated with his new house. Alongside excavation we undertook a significant amount of geophysical survey across the site, one highlight of which was to positively identify the well-preserved monastic infirmary for the first time.
Over the course of the field season we were joined by 64 volunteers. Whilst many were students from the University of Sheffield and elsewhere in the UK, others came from far afield as Mexico, USA, Canada, Ukraine, Hungary, Croatia and Italy, making it a very international experience!
We have produced a brief interim report outlining our findings from 2011, and this is available now via a downloadable link on the righthand side.
Contact the Project
Dr Hugh Willmott
Department of Archaeology
University of Sheffield
Northgate House
West Street
Sheffield, S1 4ET
United Kingdom
- email : h.willmott@sheffield.ac.uk