Eastminster

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the abbey. For the ship, see Eastminster (ship).

Eastminster 1543

Eastminster (The Abbey of St. Mary de Graces) was a Cistercian abbey on Tower Hill at East Smithfield in London, founded by Edward III in 1350 immediately outside the Roman London Wall[1] in what is now the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It stood just to the north of an older royal foundation, the Hospital and Collegiate Church of St Katharine by the Tower.

New Abbey was an alternative name.[2]

Among the abbey’s endowments was the reversion of one of the four manors of Shere in Gomshall, Surrey, given by King Edward III in 1350. This manor acquired the name Towerhill, due to its patronage by the abbey.[3]

In 1375, Sir Nicholas de Loveyne bequeathed to the Abbot and Convent the reversion of the mills of Crash Mills, to endow the perpetual singing of masses for the donor.[4] Crash Mills were situated on the River Thames, near East Smithfield.[5]

The Abbey’s benefactors were mainly courtiers; it attracted relatively few bequests from the merchants of the City of London.[6]

The abbey was dissolved in 1538. From 1805 to 1966 the site was the home of the Royal Mint,[7] after which it was renamed as Royal Mint Court and used for offices.

A large-scale excavation of the site of the abbey took place between 1983 and 1988. An analysis of the archaeological and documentary evidence uncovered has been published by the Museum of London.[8]

Burials at the Abbey[]

References[]

  1. ^ Eastminster - British History Online
  2. ^ Weinreb and Hibbert, The London Encyclopaedia (1984)
  3. ^ H. E. Malden (editor) (1911). "Parishes: Shere". A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 9 June 2017.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Leland L. Duncan. "Medieval & Tudor Wills at Lambeth". Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  5. ^ 'Stepney: Economic History', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11: Stepney, Bethnal Green (1998), pp. 52-63. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22735 Date accessed: 9 June 2017.
  6. ^ Paul Trio, Marjan de Smet, The Use and Abuse of Sacred Places in Late Medieval Towns (Leuven, 2006), pp. 163–164
  7. ^ Harvey, John (1978). The Perpendicular Style. Batsford.
  8. ^ The Cistercian abbey of St Mary Graces, East Smithfield, London. London: Museum of London. 2011.

Coordinates: 51°30′34″N 0°04′20″W / 51.5094°N 0.0723°W / 51.5094; -0.0723


Stub icon

This article about a church or other Christian place of worship in England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""