The 1502 Progress: Flaxley Abbey, Gloucestershire

Item Delivered for the Queen’s offering at Flexley Abbey to the high altar there.
The Queen’s Chamber Books,

John Felde gromes [grooms] of the Quenes chambre for thaire costes wayting upon the Quenes joyelles [jewels] from Langley to Northlache [Northleach] from Northlache to Coberley from Coberley to the Vineyarde from the Vyneyarde to Flexley Abbey from Flexley Abbey to Troye and from Troye to Ragland by the space of vj dayes…

The Queen’s Chamber Books, 2 September 1502.

According to Ford’s thesis, which details the movements of Henry VII throughout his reign, Henry and Elizabeth stayed at Over for just one night, continuing their journey the following morning, 13 August. The cavalcade was heading south-west towards another overnight stop, this time at Flaxley Abbey. 

Their route must have primarily followed the Via Julia, the main Roman road connecting Gloucester with South East Wales. It ran north and essentially parallel to the River Severn and its Estuary, with Flaxley Abbey lying less than two miles north of the main Roman road.

This leg of the journey was short, around 10 miles, taking Elizabeth and Henry deep into the Royal Forest of Dean. The forest had long been a favoured hunting ground of the early Plantagenet Kings on account of its renown as being rich with suitable quarry. William the Conqueror, his great-grandson, Henry II, and King Edward III are all particularly noted to have associations with the area.

One of the best sources we have on the history of Flaxley Abbey comes from Baden Watkins (owner of Flaxley Abbey during the latter part of the twentieth century) in his 1985 biography of the monastery: The Story of Flaxley Abbey and the Cistercian Monks in the Forest of Dean. His account of the arrival of the Cistercian monks in 1147, intent on finding the perfect place to establish their new order, perfectly summarises the area’s isolation, beauty and bounty. Although the royal couple passed the same way some 400 years later, we can imagine Elizabeth enjoying the same natural majesty of the forest as they rode along its leafy tracks :

They were surrounded on all sides by abounding natural wildlife of animals and a great variety of wild birds, singing, warbling and cooing, ministering to the charms they presented by their gay colours in the pristine glory of the Forest scene, where red squirrels entertained them with their acrobatic feats in the branches above, while deer, wild cats, hares, otters and badgers moved stealthily to their dens below.

Work on establishing the Abbey in a valley known as the Vale of Castiard began under the patronage of Earl Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford, in 1148. Legend has it that it was raised on the spot where his father had been killed in a hunting accident on Christmas Eve in 1143.

Under wealthy patronage, Flaxley was established by a group of Cistercian monks who migrated from Bordesley Abbey in Worcestershire. Its isolated location, nestled in the heart of the forest and provided for by the bounty of the surrounding land and nearby river, was perfect for this monastic order, which prized peace, prayer and work above all else. 

However, having said this, the monastery lay not far from the Via Julia, which, as the illustration in Watkins’ book helpfully shows, connected Gloucester at the head of the Severn Estuary with the town of Caerleon in South East Wales. This position meant that it was used extensively by pilgrims travelling from Wales into England, who were visiting the tombs of Edward II and Duke William of Normandy (both of which can still be seen in Gloucester Cathedral today).

It was the middle of August when Elizabeth arrived with her husband at Flaxley. At that time of year, the days would have remained long; the light would not yet have ceded its preeminence to the encroaching darkness of winter. As the entourage rode along the dusty trails leading toward Flaxley, we might imagine the ancient oaks of the forest providing welcome shade from the midday sun, flashes of sunburst breaking through the fulsome canopy to cast dappled shadow upon the forest floor. At the same time, the 100 acres or so of agricultural land close to the abbey, cultivated to serve its needs, may well have rippled with golden crops, ready for the lay brothers to harvest.

The abbot of the time was William Berkeley (1476-1509), who no doubt welcomed the cavalcade as it arrived at Flaxley, afterwards escorting Henry and Elizabeth to their chambers. But what of the layout of the abbey at Flaxley? Where were those lodgings, and do they still exist?

The Layout of Flaxley Abbey Before the Dissolution

As we might expect, an outer gatehouse led into the outer courtyard, or curia. This was sited to the west of the main abbey complex. To the right of this gatehouse (with your back to it, facing east towards the abbey) was the aforementioned ‘Guest House’ built of stone, with a hospice, probably built of timber, on the left. 

The Guest House was reserved for those able to pay for their accommodation, including nobles, while the poor were directed towards the adjacent hospice. One can imagine the difference in living standards between them. However, it is unclear how extensive this Guest House was and how suitable it might have been to house the King and Queen. It certainly set high standards, but were they luxurious enough to accommodate royalty? In The Story of Flaxley Abbey, we hear of the duties of the Hostelier in charge of running the Guest House. He was required to be educated and hospitable, welcoming guests of high rank with charm and intelligence. He was responsible for providing ‘clean towels, clean bedclothes, mattresses and blankets, quilts clean, untorn with a pleasing colour, full-size sheets, candles and candlesticks, writing materials, cups without flaws, spoons of silver and ample fires…’

It is certainly possible that this may have been where Elizabeth and Henry were accommodated for an overnight stay. However, I am sceptical, as other lodgings inside the abbey complex were clearly more closely associated with royal visits, as we shall see in a moment.

The curia beyond the gatehouse contained many of the service buildings of the abbey, along with the lay brethren’s range, while fronting onto it on the east side would have been the west doors of the abbey church and the long-range containing the cellarium on the ground floor and ‘royal refectory’ (as indicated on Watkins’ floor plan) on the first. This is not the usual position for the monks’ refectory, which is shown on the plan above in its normal position on the south side of the cloister buildings. In fact, according to Watkins, the King’s Hall, as it was also known, was a unique feature at Flaxley that arose because of its long tradition of welcoming and hosting royal hunting parties and their entourages.

Although most of the abbey was lost following the Dissolution, amazingly, this part of the monastic complex survives. Sir William Kingston was granted Flaxley when the abbey was closed in September 1536. He had several property interests in Gloucestershire, which clearly added to his portfolio and presence in the area. 

As was not uncommon, Kingston salvaged part of the cloister range, choosing to convert the most prestigious chambers into a manor house. From Watkin’s write-up, this consisted of most of the east range of the cloisters, including the King’s Hall, which is ‘generally regarded as one of the finest examples of early unspoilt Cistercian architecture in existence’. 

The Hall was built between 1148-1150AD, being 65 ft long and 25 ft wide, and to an overall height of 14ft. It was hewn from local stone, although the decorative features, such as the ‘groin ribs, quoins, corbels and arch mouldings, are of Caen stone brought from Normandy’. No expense was spared!

This part of the abbey was controlled by the ‘Fraterer’. Also a monk, he was responsible for ensuring ‘absolute cleanliness’ with floors laid with fresh rushes before the arrival of important guests. He would ‘sweeten the atmosphere with fragrant flowers, mint and fennel’. He ensured that tablecloths were spotlessly clean and everyone was seated according to their status, with the most high-ranking guests sitting at the high end and upon the dias.  Knowing all this, it is hard to imagine that the royal entourage did not dine in that hall on the eve of their stay at Flaxley Abbey.

However, other clues regarding additional high-status lodgings connected to the King’s Hall exist. These include the Abbot’s Guest Hall, which Watkins describes as a ‘stately room, about 40ft by 60 ft wide with an arched roof. The hall has Chestnut arched bracing timbers with double rows of cusped wind braces….The gilded bosses and embattled cornice on the North and South walls add to an impressive style’. A large recess in the North wall may well have acted as a safe for the valuable possessions of his high-status guests, while a recessed doorway ‘apparently’ led to the guest bedchambers. Given all this, it seems highly likely that these are the chambers that the royal couple would have used during their fleeting stay.

We know only one detail from this brief sojourn at the abbey: Elizabeth gave an offering of five shillings to the ‘High Altar there’, as per the opening quote. As we have already seen, this was a common practice for Elizabeth, whose records note that she made several offerings to monastic institutions she visited or passed close to. Although, as Watkins points out, 5 shillings was not a particularly generous gift!

The End of Flaxley Abbey

As Elizabeth and Henry departed, the brethren of the abbey could not have known that they had welcomed their last royal visitors, having served the Crown with generous hospitality for the previous 500 years.

Flaxley had always been a poor house and often in debt. Even at its height, there were only 13 monks, apparently meant to reflect the number of Christ’s Apostles. The large number of visitors and poor who lived roundabouts and depended on handouts from the abbey meant it was continually overstretched and impoverished.

By 1536, when the Abbey was surveyed, there were only seven monks, all priests, ‘by report of convenient conversation’, one lay brother and eighteen servants. Thus, Flaxley fell foul of the Act to suppress the Lesser Monasteries, i.e. those monasteries with an income of under £200. It was among the first wave to be closed on 4 September 1536. However, just before its Dissolution, a devastating fire destroyed much of the abbey, including the church. Therefore, when Kingston was gifted the property, one imagines he had to begin a rebuild, preserving what was left, including, thankfully, the most high-status chambers.

THE NEXT STOP ON YOUR PROGRESS IS TROY HOUSE, MONMOUTHSHIRE: Click HERE to continue your journey…

Visitor Information

Flaxley Abbey is in private hands and cannot be visited. However, you can easily see it from the road that winds through the quiet village of Flaxley. Although Kingston’s house has been subject to later renovations, you can evidently make out its earlier monastic origins, and what is abundantly still evident is the peaceful and idyllic surroundings which still endure. 

For Rest and Refreshment: None.

Transport: A car is highly recommended for this location. Travelling by bus from Gloucester is possible, but the transfer time is around one hour. You would need to check carefully when there is a return bus as there is nowhere to rest or take shelter. I would not recommend it. However, to make this visit worthwhile, if you are in a car, you might aim to stop en route to a more visitor-friendly destination in southeast Wales, such as Chepstow or Raglan Castles.

Other Nearby Tudor Locations of Interest:

Gloucester (1 mile):  Gloucester was a significant city during the medieval and Tudor periods. It had five monastic institutions: The great St Peter’s Abbey (now Gloucester Cathedral); St Oswold’s Priory; Greyfriars; Blackfriars; Whitefriars and Llanthony Priory (note: we have already heard about the priory of Llanthony Secunda delivering gifts of cheese to the Queen. The priory has strong links with Henry VII). Gloucester Cathedral witnessed the coronation of the young Henry III in 1216 and a visit from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1535. You may read about the entire 1535 progress in my co-authored book, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn, and visit the remains of all of the above. However, the old abbey, now Gloucester Cathedral, should not be missed because of its glorious architecture, tombs and the finest cloisters in the country.

You can reach Gloucester from London via train. Trains leave Paddington Station in London and take about 2 hours with a change of station at Swindon.

Raglan Castle (24 miles): You may want to continue in the footsteps of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII and visit the pinnacle of the 1502 progress, Raglan Castle, once the childhood home of Henry VII. I shall be writing in detail about Raglan Castle in a later entry. However, in the meantime, if you want to watch my video about the Tudor history of Raglan, you can do so here. To learn more about the opening times, check out the castle’s website here.

Chepstow Castle (20 Miles): Chepstow is another location on the 1502 progress. This mighty medieval fortress is a fascinating castle, both historically and architecturally. During the Tudor period, it was owned by the Earls of Worcester, with Elizabeth Browne, Countess of Worcester (the woman whose words were first used against Anne Boleyn to ignite the destruction of the Boleyn faction), is buried in the nearby parish church. Just be sure to check it is open before you visit! I will write more about this location in a subsequent entry.

Tintern Abbey (19 Miles): If you love wandering among abbey ruins, nearby Tintern, nestled in the glorious Wye Valley, will be just the ticket. As any medieval abbey, it was slighted following its Dissolution in 1539 and, therefore, is inextricably linked to the seismic religious changes that shook England to its core in the 1530s. You can check out the Cadw website here to learn more about visiting Tintern Abbey.

Resources

Houses of Cistercian Monks: The Abbey of Flaxley A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 2. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, Pages 93-96, 1907.

The Story of Flaxley Abbey and the Cistercian Monks in the Forest of Dean, by Baden Watkins. 1985.