Glastonbury Abbey

Since Medieval times it has held legendary status as the earliest Christian foundation in Britain linked to Joseph of Arimathea and the burial place of King Arthur. The internationally renowned site attracts visitors from around the world for its history, heritage, myths and legends as well as for its spiritual enrichment and there has been a church on the site for at least 1500 years with evidence of even earlier occupation.

Glastonbury was the richest monastery in England at the end of the Saxon period and was second only to Westminster at the close of the Middle Ages.

Its Abbot lived in considerable splendour and wielded tremendous power with the main surviving example of this power and wealth to be found in the Abbot’s Kitchen, one of only three surviving medieval examples in the world.

It’s history is intertwined with English traditions; one of its Abbots, St Dunstan, wrote the Coronation words last used for the coronation of our present Queen Elizabeth II and William Blake’s popular ‘Jerusalem’ is said to be written about the story that a young Jesus, accompanied by Joseph of Arimathea, visited Glastonbury.

The Holy Thorn which grows at Glastonbury Abbey has become part of the legend of Joseph of Arimathea. According to the story when Joseph arrived in Britain he landed on the island of Avalon and climbed up Wearyall Hill, exhausted he thrust his staff into the ground and rested. By morning his staff had taken root and it grew into the miraculous thorn tree which flowers every Easter and Christmas.

Glastonbury Abbey is said to be the final resting place of King Arthur. In 1184, a great fire destroyed the monastic buildings and pilgrim visits fell. However in 1191 the discovery of Arthur and Guinevere’s tomb was reported, providing fresh impetus for visiting. The monks told how while digging they had discovered two skeletons, above was a leaden cross with the inscription 'Here lies interred the famous King Arthur on the Isle of Avalon' written in Latin. In the 13th century King Edward I and Queen Eleanor attended the reburial of King Arthur’s bones in the choir. Artist impressions of the tomb can be seen today in the abbey’s museum.

In 1536, during the 27th year of the reign of Henry VIII, there were over 800 monasteries, nunneries and friaries in Britain. It is said that, at the time of the dissolution, Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury, hoping to appease Henry VIII, sent his steward Jack Horner to London with a Christmas gift. The gift, a pie, had hidden under it's pastry crust, the deeds of twelve manors. On the journey, Jack opened the pie and removed the deeds of Mells Manor, in the village of Mells. 

By 1541 there were none and the last abbot of Glastonbury, Richard Whiting was hung, drawn and quartered on Glastonbury Tor; a brutal end for a pious man

The earliest historical evidence of the monastery at Glastonbury comes from charters of the late 7th century which show grants of land made by three Saxon kings, matching the earliest archaeological evidence we have of a church here. However, by the time of Abbot Dunstan, the myth of a much earlier foundation had gained popularity – a belief that followers of Christ settled here within the 1st century CE and built ‘The Old Church’.
Three distinct phases of Saxon church have been recorded, the last being part of Dunstan’s ambitious remodelling and expansion of the abbey. By the time of the coming of the Normans, the abbey was the wealthiest in England. 

With the coming of the Normans came a change in regime. Abbot Thurstin’s reforms were not welcomed by all of the monks, and tension ended in a bloody battle in which several monks were killed by Norman forces. The Norman abbey, however, continued to flourish, particularly under the rule of Abbot Henry of Blois. It was during this time that William of Malmesbury wrote his famous History of Glastonbury that served to expand upon the early origin legend. 

Disaster struck in 1184 when a great fire destroyed most of the abbey including the Old Church. Rebuilding began immediately, with the support of King Henry II, beginning with the Lady Chapel which commemorated and preserved the position of the Old Church. Within two years it was complete, and work began upon the rest of the church.
A few years later, the monks of Glastonbury announced the discovery of the body of King Arthur and his queen, Guinevere, a claim that helped draw much needed funding, which had ceased with Henry II’s death two years before. By the end of the 13th century the church was complete, and Arthur’s bones were reburied in a lavish ceremony attended by King Edward I and Queen Eleanor. 

By the 16th century, the abbey’s power and wealth had peaked. The abbot lived in enviable splendour in his own lodgings, and entertained the rich and powerful from his great hall. Glastonbury’s mythic power also peaked, with the final development of centuries of legend - the claim that Joseph of Arimathea was the abbey’s first founder. 

In 1534, the passing of the Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII the head of the Church of England and suppression of the monasteries began. Glastonbury held out as long as possible, but eventually Abbot Richard Whiting was arrested on a fabricated charge of treason and executed in 1539, marking the end for the monastery. 

Immediately following the Dissolution, the abbey was stripped of its valuables and the land was awarded to the Duke of Somerset. Ornate stone and hardcore alike were taken for use in new buildings and roads in the town. The Abbot’s Kitchen escaped the dismantling – perhaps because it proved useful intermittently over the centuries. The ruins drew the attention of antiquarians of the 17th and 18th centuries, and William Stukeley’s sketches, although drawing on earlier sources not just his eye, prove to be amongst the most famous of the post-Dissolution abbey.

The site changed hands over the years, and in 1825 was acquired by new owner John Fry Reeves who had Abbey House constructed with a view over the ruins. The last family to live in the house were the locally well-known and prosperous Austin family at the turn of the 20th century. When the house and grounds went to auction in 1907 there was considerable speculation about who would acquire it. The abbey was purchased by Ernest Jardine who then passed it to the Church of England when the necessary funds were raised. 

The abbey was opened to the public and extensive restoration work began, as well as the beginnings of archaeological digs that would continue sporadically throughout the century.

The abbey is now operated by a registered charity and continues to welcome visitors from the world over.