Romsey Abbey, South West England

The Abbey Church of St Mary and St Ethelflaeda at Romsey was begun in 907AD. In this year, Kind Edward the Elder, who was the son of King Alfred the Great, endowed a nunnery here under his daughter Elflaeda, who became the Abbess.  In the 10th Century the practice continued, when King Edgar placed his own daughter at Romsey. 

The first stone church was built in the early 11th Century.  The Benedictine nunnery was also a place of education for the daughters of Kings and noblemen.  The nuns were drawn from the highest levels of society.  The Abbess controlled the area around Romsey and just as an Abbot would have, she controlled the whole region - she was Lord of the Manor, held court and was in charge of the local markets and fairs. 

The current church dates from the early 12th Century and took over 100 years to be completed. By the time it was finished in the early 13th Century there were over 100 nuns here.  It is one of the best examples of a large late Romanesque church.

Legend says that in the 12th Century, William Rufus came to the nunnery to convince Matilda, the daughter of King Malcolm of Scotland to marry him.  Christina a nun at the Abbey and aunt to Matilda, took a dislike to William and drew a veil over Matilda’s face, declaring untruthfully that she had already taken her vows.  After the death of William Rufus, his brother Henry I married Matilda of Scotland, who became known as Good Queen Maud. 

King Stephen’s daughter Marie (possibly Mary) became Abbess here in 1155 but in 1160 left the monastery to become the wife of Matthew, son of Theodoric, Count of Flanders.  It is thought that she was abducted due to the fact that she had become the heiress of Boulogne after the death of her brothers. She had two daughters with the Count but in 1170 the marriage was annulled and she was allowed returned to Romsey.

Romsey Abbey was also visited by Henry II and Archbishop Thomas Becket, they stayed here while waiting for ships at Southampton.  Edward I also stayed here on a few occasions.

In 1349 the plague hit Romsey and the number of nuns declined to just 19. In 1472 the Abbey was inspected and Abbess Brooke confessed that on occasion she suspected that the nuns escaped through the church gates, but denied that any frequented taverns or suspect places.  The Prioress however testified to the contrary, that some of the nuns did frequent taverns, and went into the town without leave, she also hinted at a scandal concerning the Abbess.  Various nuns were interrogated and one of them complained that their sins were not punished and that the doors were not kept shut. 

In the 15th Century an extension was added on the north side, a small church for the townspeople that was dedicated to St. Lawrence.  This addition created a dual purpose for the building and may well have saved it from ruin.  Without the townspeople using the church, it is likely that the whole building would have fallen under the Dissolution of the Abbeys in the 1530’s and been left a ruin.  It was not spared entirely though - the Lady Chapel was demolished. The town was allowed to purchase their church, the one they were already using, which was already theirs, for the sum of £100, so that they could continue to use it as they had been.  The Deed of Sale was signed by Henry VIII and is on display at the church.   All that remains of the medieval nunnery today is the Abbey Church.