Hospitality in a Cistercian abbey: the Case of Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds in the Later Middle Ages (13-15th c.)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: School of History
Abstract
Context
Kirkstall Abbey, located in south-western suburb of Leeds, is an iconic reminder of Yorkshire's monastic past. Like other picturesque ruins in the region, Kirkstall was painted by J.M.W. Turner and other romantic artists, but its location, in the growing industrial city, put the abbey in real danger of being demolished. Kirkstall Abbey was eventually bought by John Thomas North in 1889. The site was open to public in 1895 as a public park. The abbey is now a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Kirkstall Abbey is under the care of Leeds Museums and Galleries (Leeds City Council) and is a very popular recreational area and plays an important role in LMG's educational work. In 2005 a major redevelopment project at the Abbey was completed, including structural and security work, new interpretation boards, and a permanent Visitor Centre housing museum displays. The site was excavated in various stages in the 19th and 20th centuries and a very large quantity of objects is stored in the Discovery Centre and West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. The guest-house and abbot's house of Kirkstall Abbey are an ideal body of material to address the emerging topic of monastic hospitality.
Aims and Objectives
This project will address the issue of monastic hospitality by investigating some of the most interesting buildings of the Kirkstall Abbey - the guest houses and abbot's house and their role in the context of medieval hospitality in the abbey. Cistercian houses were not, as commonly believed, isolated, and they did not avoid any connection with the wider world. The obligation of hospitality was placed on the monks by the Rule of St Benedict and Cistercians' own customary 'Ecclesiastica Officia'. However, guests in the Cistercian houses were carefully separated from the monastic community and housed in guest-houses. The most important visitors were entertained by the abbot in his residence. The growth of abbatial residences accelerated from the late thirteenth century, reflecting the increase in the importance of the office and its separation from the rest of communal life. Late medieval Cistercian abbots were powerful prelates who wanted suitable residences to reflect their status.
In fact, we know very little about most of English Cistercian abbatial residences and guests houses and the practice of hospitality. Apart from very fragmentary references in the primary sources, especially chronicles, the care of guests in the Cistercian houses is little understood, yet it was fundamental to the relationships between monastic communities and their patrons, benefactors and neighbours. Real advancements in the study of medieval monastic history have come from the archaeology. Kirkstall Abbey was located on the busy trading route through the Pennines and was a stopping point for the wide range of people. This monastery is a unique case in having had its guest-house excavated, but the work done in 1979-1986 has not been fully published and the finds resulting from this work have not been fully assessed and catalogued.
Applications and benefits
By investigating the following issues, the project addresses key research questions:
- who visited Kirkstall Abbey and why?
- how did changes in the size and shape of the guest-house in the 14th and 15th c. reflect changes in the late-medieval hospitality practices?
- what do the organic remain tell us about role of food in medieval monastic hospitality?
This project will make an important contribution to our understanding of the Cistercian relationship with the wider world, and hospitality in monastic context. For Kirkstall Abbey it will provide new interpretative boards on the site of the guest-house and abbot's residence as well as new a section to the on-site exhibition using, and cataloguing, so far uncatalogued finds. The cataloguing of the material will be an impo
Kirkstall Abbey, located in south-western suburb of Leeds, is an iconic reminder of Yorkshire's monastic past. Like other picturesque ruins in the region, Kirkstall was painted by J.M.W. Turner and other romantic artists, but its location, in the growing industrial city, put the abbey in real danger of being demolished. Kirkstall Abbey was eventually bought by John Thomas North in 1889. The site was open to public in 1895 as a public park. The abbey is now a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Kirkstall Abbey is under the care of Leeds Museums and Galleries (Leeds City Council) and is a very popular recreational area and plays an important role in LMG's educational work. In 2005 a major redevelopment project at the Abbey was completed, including structural and security work, new interpretation boards, and a permanent Visitor Centre housing museum displays. The site was excavated in various stages in the 19th and 20th centuries and a very large quantity of objects is stored in the Discovery Centre and West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. The guest-house and abbot's house of Kirkstall Abbey are an ideal body of material to address the emerging topic of monastic hospitality.
Aims and Objectives
This project will address the issue of monastic hospitality by investigating some of the most interesting buildings of the Kirkstall Abbey - the guest houses and abbot's house and their role in the context of medieval hospitality in the abbey. Cistercian houses were not, as commonly believed, isolated, and they did not avoid any connection with the wider world. The obligation of hospitality was placed on the monks by the Rule of St Benedict and Cistercians' own customary 'Ecclesiastica Officia'. However, guests in the Cistercian houses were carefully separated from the monastic community and housed in guest-houses. The most important visitors were entertained by the abbot in his residence. The growth of abbatial residences accelerated from the late thirteenth century, reflecting the increase in the importance of the office and its separation from the rest of communal life. Late medieval Cistercian abbots were powerful prelates who wanted suitable residences to reflect their status.
In fact, we know very little about most of English Cistercian abbatial residences and guests houses and the practice of hospitality. Apart from very fragmentary references in the primary sources, especially chronicles, the care of guests in the Cistercian houses is little understood, yet it was fundamental to the relationships between monastic communities and their patrons, benefactors and neighbours. Real advancements in the study of medieval monastic history have come from the archaeology. Kirkstall Abbey was located on the busy trading route through the Pennines and was a stopping point for the wide range of people. This monastery is a unique case in having had its guest-house excavated, but the work done in 1979-1986 has not been fully published and the finds resulting from this work have not been fully assessed and catalogued.
Applications and benefits
By investigating the following issues, the project addresses key research questions:
- who visited Kirkstall Abbey and why?
- how did changes in the size and shape of the guest-house in the 14th and 15th c. reflect changes in the late-medieval hospitality practices?
- what do the organic remain tell us about role of food in medieval monastic hospitality?
This project will make an important contribution to our understanding of the Cistercian relationship with the wider world, and hospitality in monastic context. For Kirkstall Abbey it will provide new interpretative boards on the site of the guest-house and abbot's residence as well as new a section to the on-site exhibition using, and cataloguing, so far uncatalogued finds. The cataloguing of the material will be an impo
Planned Impact
The impact of this project has several overlapping dimensions. These can be specified as:
1. Impact on individuals and communities
(i) The main element of the work in the project is the investigating of Kirkstall Abbey's medieval past, specifically exploring the Cistercian monks' contact with those outside the monastery. Kirkstall Abbey has iconic status in Leeds, particularly in the community of Kirkstall, and researching the history of the Abbey in terms of its relationship to 'the non-monastic person' in the Middle Ages will resonate strongly with individuals and local communities. Community groups, particularly the Kirkstall Valley Community Association, already actively use Kirkstall Abbey for community activities and publish extracts of its history in their monthly magazine. This interest in, and dissemination of, research on the Abbey creates a sense of ownership. Thus the research will engage with Leeds Museums and Galleries' wide-ranging audiences and communities, many of the members of which are connected to Kirkstall Abbey through growing up in the local area. As the research shapes exhibitions and interpretation of the site in which local communities see relevance, so further museum visits will be encouraged with associated quality of life outcomes, as well as individual inspiration and creative output.
(ii) As the profile of Kirkstall Abbey is raised through research and interpretation, so it will have a greater impact on local and national culture.
2. Impact on the museum service and its activities
(i) The research will assist in the development of the interpretation in both Kirkstall Abbey and its Visitor Centre, and in the galleries at Leeds City Museum. The interpretation will take a variety of forms (see Case for Support-Expected Outcomes). These visitor attractions play a key role in the regeneration of the surrounding districts through their own development and engagement with the local communities.
(ii) The academic research generated by the project will support a range of LMG work by opening up the collections at LMG sites to new users. The Learning and Access team at LMG has existing experience in making specialist academic knowledge accessible to a wide range of audiences, which include school children at all levels.
(iii) Activities will be developed to tie in with schools' priorities and will link to Key Stages of the National Curriculum, as well as GCSE, A-Level and Higher Education qualifications. The research will particularly benefit the 'Brother Gilbert's Day' (KS2) and 'Power and Politics' (KS3/4) workshops already being delivered at Kirkstall Abbey as part of the varied education programme.
3. Impact on the economy
(i) As those involved in the project learn new skills and raise the profile of the heritage sector in universities and museums, so student interest in the sector will increase and in time will enhance the skill base of the sector.
(ii) At the level of the local economy, new exhibitions and interpretation lead to increased museum visitor numbers, which will generate growing demand for other Leeds-based attractions.
1. Impact on individuals and communities
(i) The main element of the work in the project is the investigating of Kirkstall Abbey's medieval past, specifically exploring the Cistercian monks' contact with those outside the monastery. Kirkstall Abbey has iconic status in Leeds, particularly in the community of Kirkstall, and researching the history of the Abbey in terms of its relationship to 'the non-monastic person' in the Middle Ages will resonate strongly with individuals and local communities. Community groups, particularly the Kirkstall Valley Community Association, already actively use Kirkstall Abbey for community activities and publish extracts of its history in their monthly magazine. This interest in, and dissemination of, research on the Abbey creates a sense of ownership. Thus the research will engage with Leeds Museums and Galleries' wide-ranging audiences and communities, many of the members of which are connected to Kirkstall Abbey through growing up in the local area. As the research shapes exhibitions and interpretation of the site in which local communities see relevance, so further museum visits will be encouraged with associated quality of life outcomes, as well as individual inspiration and creative output.
(ii) As the profile of Kirkstall Abbey is raised through research and interpretation, so it will have a greater impact on local and national culture.
2. Impact on the museum service and its activities
(i) The research will assist in the development of the interpretation in both Kirkstall Abbey and its Visitor Centre, and in the galleries at Leeds City Museum. The interpretation will take a variety of forms (see Case for Support-Expected Outcomes). These visitor attractions play a key role in the regeneration of the surrounding districts through their own development and engagement with the local communities.
(ii) The academic research generated by the project will support a range of LMG work by opening up the collections at LMG sites to new users. The Learning and Access team at LMG has existing experience in making specialist academic knowledge accessible to a wide range of audiences, which include school children at all levels.
(iii) Activities will be developed to tie in with schools' priorities and will link to Key Stages of the National Curriculum, as well as GCSE, A-Level and Higher Education qualifications. The research will particularly benefit the 'Brother Gilbert's Day' (KS2) and 'Power and Politics' (KS3/4) workshops already being delivered at Kirkstall Abbey as part of the varied education programme.
3. Impact on the economy
(i) As those involved in the project learn new skills and raise the profile of the heritage sector in universities and museums, so student interest in the sector will increase and in time will enhance the skill base of the sector.
(ii) At the level of the local economy, new exhibitions and interpretation lead to increased museum visitor numbers, which will generate growing demand for other Leeds-based attractions.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Emilia Jamroziak (Principal Investigator) |