WHITBY ABBEY THE HISTORY OF WHITBY ABBEY BEGINS IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY WHEN OSWY KING OF NORTHUMBERIA SENT HILDA A NORTHUMERIAN PRINCESS TO FOUND AN ABBEY SEVERAL OF THE NORTHUMERIAN ROYAL FAMILY. HILDA, THE FOUNDRESS OF THE ABBEY, WAS OF NOBLE BIRTH BEING THE DAUGHTER OF HERERIC, A PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF NORTHUMBERIA AND IS WIFE BEREGUSWITH.HILDA WAS BORN IN 614 AND BAPTISED BY BISHOP PAULINUS OF YORK SHE WAS EDUCATED BY THE DISCIPLES AIDAN A SCOTTISH BISHOP WHO ADHERED TO THE EARLY TEACHINGS OF THE EARLY ENGLISH CHURCH IN 664 THE SYNOD OF STREONESHALH WAS CONVENED IN WHCH THE REMNANTS OF BRITISH CHRISTIANS WHO HAD ESCAPED THE PERSECUTIONS OF THE SAXON HORDES WHO HAD MAINTAINED THEIR INDEPENDANCE AND STOOD FROM THE CONTINENTAL FOR 200 YEARS WHEN THEY CAME INTO CONTACT WITH ST. AUGUSTINE AND HIS ROMAN MISSIONARIES THE DIFFERENCES WHERE SO GREAT THAT THEY COULD NOT COALESCE, SO THE FUNDEMENTAL POINT FOR THE SYNOD WAS TO DECIDE WHETHER THE BRITISH CHRISTIANS SHOULD KEEP THERE INDEPENANCE OR JOIN THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITITY. THE CHIEF MATTER IN THE DISPUTE WAS THE DATE OF EASTER THE BRITISH FOLLOWED THE DATE SET BY ST.COLUMBA AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC`S THE DATE SET BY ST.PETER AND ST.PAUL. KING OSWY WHO SPOKE FOR THE BRITISH CHURCHES ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE PERSUADED BY WILFRID AND AGREED TO OBEY THE DECREES OF ST.PETER & "LEST" OSWY SAID "WHEN I COME TO THE GATES OF HEAVEN THERE SHOULD BE NONE OPEN, HE BEING MY ADVERSARY WHO IS PROVED TO HOLD THE KEYS". SO THE DATE FOR EASTER WAS SET HERE IN WHITBY IN THE YEAR 664. AT THE ABBEY AT THE SAME TIME AS HILDA WAS CAEDMON A HERDSMAN AT THE ABBEY HE HAD NO GIFT BEYOND THE PERFORMANCE OF IS DUTIES OF LOOKING AFTER THE LIVE STOCK OF THE ABBEY. HE WAS QUIET BY NATURE SO WASN'T INTERESTED IN THE OCCASIONAL SOCIAL GATHERS WHERE THE ALE FLOWED FREELY AND THE FOLK SINGING HE WOULD QUIETLY SLIP AWAY.

ON A MEMORAL NIGHT OF IS LIFE A VIVID DREAM CAME TO HIM WHEN A CELESTIAL VISTIOR CAME TO HIM AND SAID TO HIM, "CAEDMON SING ME A SONG". CAEDMON REPLIED "I CANNOT SING THAT IS WHY I LEFT THE ENTERAINMENT", THE STRANGER PERSISTED "YOU SHALL SING" "WHAT SHALL I SING?" ASKED CAEDMON. "SING OF THE BEGINNING OF CREATED BEINGS" SAID THE STRANGER WHEREUPON CAEDMON BEGAN TO SING THE PRAISES OF GOD.

NOW MUST BE PRAISE THE WARDEN OF HEAVEN`S REALM, THE CREATOR`S MITE AND HIS MINDS THOUGHTS, THE GLORIOUS WORKS OF THE FATHER: HOW OF EVER WONDER HE, THE LORD; ETERNAL, LAID THE FOUNDATION HE SHAPED THE ERST FOR THE SON OF MEN. HEAVEN TO BE THEIR ROOF; HOLY CREATORTHE MIDDLE-WORLD HE, MANKINDS WARDEN ETERNAL LORD, AFTERWARDS PREPARED THE EARTH FOR MEN; LORD ALMIGHTY. DREAMS ARE USALLY FORGOTTEN ON WAKING BUT THIS ONE SO DISTINCT AND CLEAR THAT A FEELING OF THE POWER SO WONDERFULLY GIVEN.HE TOLD THE TOWN REEVE WHO WAS HIS MASTER WHAT A WONDERFUL GIFT HE HAD BEING GIVEN. HE WAS LEAD TO THE ABBESS HILDA SHE BADE ALL THE LEARNED AND THE THERE LEARNERS TO COME AND LISTEN TO CAEDMONS DREAM AND BY THE JUDGEMENT OF THEM ALL IT MIGHT BE KNOWN OF WHENCE IT CAME. IT SEEMED TO THEM THAT THE GIFT CAME FROM THE LORD HIMSELF. CAEMON WAS TAKEN INTO THE ABBEY WHERE HE LIVED UNTIL HE DIED WRITING SONGS FOR THE PEOPLE FROM THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURES.

CAEDMON WAS THE FIRST ENGLISH POET.

TRANSLATION OF CAEDMON'S HYMN

BY CW KENNEDY PRAISE WE THE LORD
OF THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM
GOD'S POWER AND WISDOM
THE WORKS OF HIS HAND;
AS THE FATHER OF GLORY,
ETERNAL LORD,
WROUGHT THE BEGINNING
OFF ALL HIS WONDERS!
HOLY CREATOR!
WARDEN OF MEN!
FIRST, FOR A ROOF;
O'ER CHILDREN OF EARTH,
HE STABLISHED THE HEAVENS,
AND FOUNDED THE WORLD,
AND SPREAD THE DRY LAND
FOR THE LIVING TO DWELL IN.
LORD EVERLASTING!
ALMIGHTY GOD!

ST.HILDA`S CHURCH AT STREONESHALH WAS THE WESTMINSTER ABBEY OF THE NORTH IN ITS GREASTEST DAYS WHEN THE NORTH DOMINATED IN POLITIC`S, RELIGION AND CULTURE. WHITBY ABBEY UNDER ST.HILDA WAS A GREAT SEAT OF LEARNING THE ARTS AND SCIENCES WERE SO WELL ESTABLISHED BY HER FOR SEVERAL AGES AFTER HER DEATH STREONHALH WAS REGARDED AS ONE OF THE BEST SEMINARIES FOR LEARNING IN THE THEN KNOWN WORLD.

ALCUIN THE GREATEST PHILOSOPHER AND DIVINE OF IS AGE WAS BORN IN NORTHUMBERLAND AND EDUCATED IN YORKSHIRE PRINCIPALLY AT WHITBY ABBEY. AFTER FOUNDING THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS HE ADVISED CHARLES THE GREAT EMPOROR OF FRANCE TO SEND HIS YOUNG NOBLE MEN TO THIS PART OF ENGLAND TO LEARN A MORE POLITE, LIBERAL AND LEARNED EDUCATION THAN WAS TO BE HAD AT THAT TIME IN FRANCE.

WHEN CLEVELAND WAS INVADED AND COLINISED BY THE DANES IN 867 A.D THE ABBEY AT WHITBY WAS DESTROYED AND FOR 207 YEARS LAY DESIOLATE,ITS NAME FORGOTTEN BUT WITH THE NORMAN CONQUEST AND WILLIAM THE BASTARD CAME WILLIAM DE PERCY THE FIRST AND UNDER HIS PROTECTION REGENFRITH A SOLDIER MONK. SETTLED IN THE RUINS AND WITH THE HELP OF HIS PROTECTOR REBUILD THE ABBEY BY THE TIME DE PERCY SET OUT FOR THE FIRST CRUSADE THE ABBEY HAD A STOUT ROOF AND A SCORE OF MONKS.

WHITBY ABBEY WAS SUPPRESED IN 1539 A.D BY ORDER OF HENRY VIII, AND WAS DISMANATLED AT THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONESTERIES THE ROOF WAS STRIPPED OF LEAD SO OF IT WAS LAID UPON THE CHURCH OF ST.MARY WHICH HAD ONLY A THATCHED ROOF UNTIL THEN. THE BELLS WHICH WERE VERY NOBLE AND ANTIQUE WERE SOLD AND ORDERED TO BE CONVEYED TO LONDON THE BELLS WERE PLACED ON A SHIP TO THE GRIEF OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN AND THE SHIP STARTED ON ITS SACRILEGIOUS VOYAGE,IT WAS FATED NEVER TO REACH ITS DESTINATION, FOR ALTHOUGH THE SEA WAS CALM PROVIDENCE TOOK A HAND AND COULD NOT PERMIT A FLAGRANT THEFT OF CHURCH PROPERTY. AFTER THE SHIP HAD MOVED OUT OF THE HABOUR IT SUNK PROBABLY FROM THE WEIGHT OF THE BELLS IN FULL SIGHT OF THE SORROWING INAHABITANTS LINING THE CLIFFS, JUST OFF THE END OF BLACK NAB.

THERE THE BELLS LIE TO THIS DAY ON QUIET NIGHTS THE SEA FAIRIES RING THEM FOR THE SMALL TRANSFIGURED BAND WHOSE EARS ARE NOT TO DULL TO HEAR THEM (LEGEND)

WHITBY`S SAINTS

EDWIN (D 633): KING OF NORTHUMBERIA HUSBAND OF THE KENTISH PRINCESS ETHELBURGA, WHO BROUGHT PAULINUS TO THE NORTH.

HILDA (D 680): RELATED TO THE ROYAL HOUSES OF NORTHUMBERIA AND EAST ANGLIA FOUNDRESS OF THE DOUBLE MONASTERY IN WHITBY HILDA WAS BURIED AT WHITBY AND THEN HER BONES WERE MOVED TO GLASTONBURY IN THE TENTH CENTURY.

CAEDMON (D 680): A MONK AT WHITBY ORGINALLY A HERDMAN WHO`S POETIC GIFT WHERE RECOGNISED BY ABBESS HILDA.

BERGU (D AFTER 680): A NUN OF HACKNESS WHO FOR 30 YEARS SERVED THE LORD IN VIRGINITITY AND MONASTIC LIFE WHO ACCORDING TO BEDE HAD A VISION OF THE ABBESS HILDA`S SOUL ON THE DAY OF THE SAINT`S DEATH.

TRUMWIN (D ABOUT 700): FORMERLY BISHOP OF ABERCORN ON THE FIRTH OF FORTH FORCED TO FLEE FROM THE IN 685 AFTER THE DEATH OF IS PATRON IN BATTLE KING EGFRITH.

ENFLEDA (D 704): DAUGHTER OF EDWIN AND WIFE OF KING OSWY AFTER THE DEATH OF OSWY ENFLEDA RETIRED TO WHITBY BECOMING ABBESS IN SUCCESSION TO HILDA. KING OSWY WAS HIMSELF BURIED AT WHITBY.

BOSA (D 705): A FORMER MONK OF WHITBY A MAN OF GREAT HOLINES AND HUMILITY BECAME BISHOP OF YORK.

WILFRID (D 709): BISHOP OF YORK LEADING FIGURE IN THE CHRISTAIN SETTLEMENT OF THE NORTH.

ELFLEDA (D 714): DAUGHTER OF KING OSWY AND DEDICATED TO RELIGION BY HER FATHER FOLLOWING HIS DEFEAT IN BATTLE OF THE HEATHEN PENDA OF MERCIA. BROUGHT UP BY ST HILDA FIRST AT HARTLEPOOL THEN WHITBY BECOMINGG ABBESS IN SUCESSION TO HER MOTHER ENFLEDA WAS ALSO A CLOSE FRIEND OF ST.CUTHBERT.

RUINS ON WHITBY ABBEY TODAY

THE ABBEY IS OPEN DAILY THROUGHT THE YEAR SEPTEMBER - EASTER 10AM-4PM CLOSED 1-2PM EASTER -OCTOBER 10AM-6PM