---- Forwarded Message -----
From: Trevor . . .
To: Donald. . . .
Sent: Monday, 23 April 2012, 8:47
Subject: Furness Abbey crozier
From: Trevor . . .
To: Donald. . . .
Sent: Monday, 23 April 2012, 8:47
Subject: Furness Abbey crozier
Attach an image of the abbot's crozier discovered last week at furness abbey, cumbria. alice leach has taken some phots of the crozier which i'll forward when i receive them.
[Edit: high-light]
the next issue will be what english heritage may decide to do with the skeletal remains of the abbot (and others????). will they be re-interred at furness or would a "live" cistercian abbey take the remains?
should the remains be re-interred at furness would nunraw and msb be interseted in sending representatives to sucha service?
will keep you updated as english heritage investigations continue.
regards.
trevor.
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http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/news/rare-medieval-treasures-found-at-furness-abbey/
19 APRIL 2012
RARE MEDIEVAL TREASURES FOUND AT FURNESS ABBEY
An extremely rare medieval silver-gilt crozier and bejewelled ring discovered during emergency repairs to the ruins of Furness Abbey in Cumbria – one of the great monasteries of England and in the care of English Heritage – will go on display at the Abbey over the May bank holiday weekend (Friday 4 - Monday 7 May 2012). The head of the crozier or staff is particularly beautiful and is decorated with gilded silver medallions showing the Archangel Michael defeating a dragon.
Founded in 1124 by Stephen, later King of England, the monastery was originally located at Tulketh, near Preston but the monks moved to Furness in 1127. Furness Abbey was one of the richest and most powerful Cistercian Abbeys in the country. By 2010, the “antique walls” which had once inspired poet William Wordsworth and painter J M W Turner, had started to crack as their rotting medieval wooden foundations gave way.
EXCAVATION AND DISCOVERY
During excavations, led by Oxford Archaeology North, to investigate the seriousness of the problem, the undisturbed grave of an abbot – one of the heads of the monastery – was uncovered. An initial examination of his skeleton, which is currently in the care of Oxford Archaeology North, indicated that he was probably between 40 and 50 years old when he died. Like many monastic burials of middle-aged and older men, he had a pathological condition of the spine often considered to be associated with obesity and mature-onset (Type II) diabetes. The grave – which could date to as early as the 1150’s – also included the decorated crozier and a gemstone ring. The grave was situated in the presbytery, the most prestigious position in the church and generally reserved for the richest benefactors. Most Cistercian abbots were buried in the chapter house.
Kevin Booth, Senior Curator at English Heritage, said: “This is a very rare find which underlines the Abbey’s status as one of the great power bases of the Middle Ages.While we don’t yet know the identity of the abbot, he was clearly someone important and respected by the monastic community. Given that the crozier and ring have been buried for over 500 years, they are in remarkable condition. Further research is required but before that, we are inviting the public to come to Furness Abbey on the early May bank holiday and see these wonderful finds.”
The head of the crozier is made of gilded copper and decorated with gilded silver medallions showing the Archangel Michael defeating a dragon. The crozier’s crook or end is decorated with a serpent’s head. It may have been the Abbot’s own crozier or commissioned specially for his burial. An abbot or bishop usually held a crozier with his left hand, leaving his right hand free to bestow blessings. Remarkably a small section of the painted wooden staff survives as do remains of the cloth designed to prevent the abbot from touching the crozier with his bare hands. The ring is gilded silver and set with a gemstone of a white rock crystal or white sapphire. It is possible that a hollow behind the gemstone contains a relic, part of the body of a saint or a venerated person.
Set in the “vale of nightshade”, the red sandstone ruins of Furness Abbey were celebrated by Wordsworth in his Prelude of 1805 and Turner produced several etchings of the site. Wordsworth described the Abbey as a “mouldering pile with fractured arch” and was so charmed by the song of a single wren that he professed, “I could have made my dwelling-place and lived for ever there.”
To prevent further fractures from the sinking foundations and ensure that the abbey continues to inspire future poets, artists and visitors, English Heritage installed a temporary steel frame to support the cracking walls. Over the next few years, the Abbey will be underpinned and stabilised so that its future will be secured for generations to come.
The crozier and ring will be on display at Furness Abbey from Friday 4 until Monday 7 May 2012, 10am-5pm
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