Denny Abbey and the Farmland Museum
The east facade of Denny Abbey, Cambridgeshire

History of Denny Abbey

A monastery was first founded here in the mid 12th century. Uniquely in England, it was successively occupied by three different monastic orders: Benedictine monks, Knights Templar and finally Franciscan nuns, known as the Poor Clares. Each of these communities shaped the monastic buildings to suit their way of life.

In 1539 the abbey fell victim to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries and the nuns were dispersed. The 12th-century church, already remodelled as the abbess’s private quarters, became a farmhouse, while the monastic dining hall was used as a barn and so escaped destruction.

Earthworks south-west of Denny Abbey. The rectangular features are probably Roman and were likely to have been paddocks, associated with nearby Roman settlements
Earthworks south-west of Denny Abbey. The rectangular features are probably Roman and were likely to have been paddocks, associated with nearby Roman settlements

Before the monastery

Denny stands on a small ‘island’ of raised ground in what was once a watery landscape of peat fens and marshes. People have left their mark on the surrounding landscape for millennia.

Pottery dating from between the 2nd and late 4th centuries AD has been found at the site, as have some 4th-century coins, suggesting the presence of a Roman settlement at Denny. A series of linear earthworks south-east and west of the abbey are boundary ditches, probably associated with nearby Roman settlements, while rectangular earthworks to the south and east were probably paddocks and may also be Roman.

The history of the site is then obscure until almost a century after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

An illustration showing Benedictine monks, from a 12th-century English manuscript. A small community of Benedictines founded the first monastery at Denny in about 1159
Benedictine monks depicted in a 12th-century English manuscript. A small community of Benedictines founded the first monastery at Denny in about 1159
© Courtesy British Library (Yates Thompson MS 26 fol 53v)

The Benedictine abbey

The monastic history of Denny starts in the mid 12th century when Robert, chamberlain of Conan IV, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, decided to found a monastery. Modest in scale, it was a cell, or offshoot, of the great Benedictine cathedral priory at nearby Ely.

Robert’s initial plan was to settle the monks at Elmeney (a now deserted site about a mile from Denny). However, the location was liable to flooding and the donation of land by a local lord, Aubrey Picot, allowed the monastery to be sited at Denny instead. According to a late 12th-century source from Ely Cathedral, this was ‘in a position more suitable for the construction of a church and its buildings and for the makings of gardens and coppice woods’.

The monastery was dedicated to Saints James and Leonard. The first prior was Reginald, a monk from Ely.

The wording of Denny’s foundation charter speaks of Robert’s religious motives, stating he founded the monastery ‘for the salvation of his soul’. His pious intentions are similarly revealed by his decision to become a monk at Ely, where he died soon after taking his vows. This was probably in 1159. By then work on the church at Denny was sufficiently well advanced for Bishop Nigel of Ely to consecrate its high altar.

The Benedictine occupation of Denny was short lived. For some reason, the priory never thrived, and by 1170 its monks had returned to Ely. But Denny’s monastic history was far from over.

This image, from a 12th-century map of Jerusalem, shows a Templar knight wearing the distinctive white surcoat with red cross of the order
This image, from a 12th-century map of Jerusalem, shows a Templar knight wearing the distinctive white surcoat with red cross of the order
© Album/Alamy Stock Photo

The Templars

The 12th century was a period of great monastic revival and religious fervour. It witnessed the foundation and proliferation of several new monastic orders, including the so-called military orders. Their members, including fighting men, lived under monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but dedicated their lives to the defence of the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land.

One of the most important of these new military orders was the Knights Templar. They were founded in 1118 in Jerusalem, then under Christian control, to protect the Holy Land and pilgrims there against Islamic armies.

The Templars spread across Europe and reached England in 1128. People across society, from princes to peasants, made gifts of land and money to the order.

In around 1170, the Bishop of Ely agreed to transfer Denny and its estates to the Knights Templar. The reasons for this are not known, but the transfer was approved by the pope in Rome and also by King Henry II. The monastery became a Templar preceptory, so called because it had a ‘preceptor’ at its head. Denny was never a base for fighting men, instead becoming a retirement home for aged and infirm members of the order.

A column capital with a ‘waterleaf ’ design from the second bay of the nave, built by the Templars in the late 12th century
A column capital with a ‘waterleaf ’ design from the second bay of the nave, built by the Templars in the late 12th century

The Templars added to Denny’s possessions, and in the mid 13th century acquired the income from the nearby parish church at Great Wilbraham explicitly for the care of infirm members of the order housed at Denny. Other patrons included Henry III, who in 1244 sent a barrel of wine to the preceptory. Clearly Denny’s benefactors included the highest in the land.

The beautifully carved capitals on the doorway at the west front of the church date to the late 12th century, when the Templars were adapting the building for their use. They also added a stone-built chamber to the south-west of the entrance, possibly as a residence for the chaplain who celebrated Mass for the community.

The Templars would also have used the pre-existing Benedictine dormitory, where the brethren slept, and refectory, used for communal dining. The location of these buildings has yet to be firmly determined.

An inventory made in 1308 reveals that the community at Denny lived austerely. There were 11 beds in the dormitory, and the furnishing of the refectory consisted of little more than benches and tables. There were three silver chalices in the church; together with vestments and books, these were used to celebrate the Mass. The preceptory had an annual income of about £66, about what would be expected for a small to mid-ranking monastery.

Templars being arrested and imprisoned in France, as depicted in a late 14th-century French manuscript. Edward II ordered the arrest of all Templars in England in 1308, although unlike in France, none were executed
Templars being arrested and imprisoned in France, as depicted in a late 14th-century French manuscript. Edward II ordered the arrest of all Templars in England in 1308, although unlike in France, none were executed
© Courtesy British Library (Royal 20 CVII fol 42v)

The end of Templar Denny

The coastal city of Acre, the last major Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, fell to Muslim armies in 1291. The Templars retreated to Cyprus but had largely lost their crusading function. Their wealth and power had long attracted envy and resentment, but the loss of the Holy Land now called the order’s whole existence into question.

In 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of all Templars in his kingdom, and in 1308 Edward II issued a similar instruction in England.

The 11 Templars at Denny were placed under arrest and taken to Cambridge Castle. Their names show that many came from as far away as Yorkshire and Scotland. There can also be little doubt that at least some had seen active service in the Holy Land: one was said to have joined the order in Syria.

The men were taken to the Tower of London in September 1309 to await trial. The trials dragged on until 1311. One by one, the former brethren formally abjured and were absolved. They were then sent into the custody of various bishops ‘to place in certain monasteries to do penance’.

In 1312 the Templar order ceased to exist, disbanded on the orders of the pope.

This illustration from Mary de Valence’s breviary depicts a woman, probably Mary, draped in a surcoat decorated with Mary’s coat of arms and kneeling in prayer before St Cecilia
This illustration from Mary de Valence’s breviary depicts a woman, probably Mary, draped in a surcoat decorated with Mary’s coat of arms, and kneeling in prayer before St Cecilia
© The Syndics of Cambridge University Library (MS Dd.5.5 fol 388r)

The Poor Clares

The ownership of Denny, like other Templar properties, was transferred to the Knights Hospitaller, another military order. They made no use of the site, which in 1324 reverted to the Crown. Three years later, the king granted Denny in perpetuity to Mary de Valence (c.1304–77), the rich widow of Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. It was she who established the third and final religious community at Denny.

The early history of the nunnery is intimately related to the community of Poor Clares (Franciscan nuns) at nearby Waterbeach, founded in 1294 by Dionysia de Munchensey. She died in 1314 and bequeathed many of her properties, including patronage of the Waterbeach nunnery, to her kinswoman Mary de Valence.

The nunnery at Waterbeach had been built on a site liable to flooding. In 1339, Mary secured permission to migrate the community to Denny. The first nuns arrived in 1342, though opposition to the move among the nuns at Waterbeach meant that the process was not completed until 1351.

The Poor Clares took their name from St Clare (d.1253), a close friend of St Francis of Assisi (d.1226). Wearing grey-brown habits, they lived an austere, strictly enclosed life that revolved around the communal chanting of religious services in their church. Only three monasteries of Poor Clares were founded in England, all with the support of noble benefactors.

This impressive first-floor room, with its fine timber roof, was formed above the south aisle of the nave and was part of Mary de Valence’s changes to the building
This impressive first-floor room, with its fine timber roof, was formed above the south aisle of the nave and was part of Mary de Valence’s changes to the building

The buildings at Denny were modified to suit the religious and domestic needs of the nuns, who were far more numerous than their Templar predecessors. The original chancel was demolished to make way for a large extension to be added to the east of the church. Fragments of the painted glass that filled its windows were uncovered during archaeological excavations. The pope granted special spiritual privileges, such as the relaxation of penances, to pilgrims who visited Denny on feast days and who made donations towards the building works.

The countess was deeply pious. Apart from her patronage of Denny, her foundation of Pembroke College, Cambridge, also had religious motives. In 1333 she received papal permission to enter a monastery with six ‘matrons’ as companions, and the buildings at Denny were modified for this purpose. A new floor was inserted into the 12th-century church, so that she could use the upper storey as her residence. It was later used as a lodging for the abbess.

In 1377, Countess Mary died and was buried before the high altar. Her monastery thrived, its community numbering up to 40 nuns. Most of them came from high-status families, including the daughter of a late 14th-century Lord Mayor of London. Visitors to Denny included Margery Kempe, the 15th-century pilgrim and mystic, who sought the spiritual ‘conversation’ of the nuns.

A resident chaplain celebrated Mass for the nuns and their welfare was overseen by a male ‘president’, usually an important Franciscan friar.

Read more about nuns in medieval England
The wooden dole gate from Denny, now at Coughton Court. The nuns’ only communication with the outside world was via the gate’s small hinged doors
The wooden dole gate from Denny, now at Coughton Court. The nuns’ only communication with the outside world was via the gate’s small hinged doors
© National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel

The Dissolution of Denny

Well into the 16th century, members of the local gentry community were making gifts to the nuns in return for their prayers. One of the benefactors lived as far away as Yorkshire.

In 1512, Elizabeth Throckmorton was elected abbess. She corresponded with Erasmus, the great Renaissance scholar who had been a professor at Cambridge. A manuscript containing spiritual texts in English (now at the Bodleian Library, Oxford) has her ownership inscription.

Despite this evidence of intellectual and religious vitality, the monastery was soon caught up in the religious politics of the reign of Henry VIII that ultimately led to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1535, the income of the abbey was assessed at £174. There were 35 nuns in residence, but six wanted to be released from their vows. The exact date of Denny’s suppression is not known. However, by October 1539 the monastery had been forcibly closed and the community dispersed.

Abbess Throckmorton retired to her family home at Coughton Court, Warwickshire. Two or three former nuns from Denny accompanied her. On an upper floor of the house, they continued to maintain an enclosed monastic life, even wearing the distinctive brown garments, or habits, of the Poor Clares. They communicated with the outside world via the ‘dole gate’ taken from Denny, and carved with Elizabeth’s name.

The nuns’ refectory, which was used as a barn from the abbey’s suppression until the 1940s. Its fine large windows were blocked after it was converted into a barn
The nuns’ refectory, which was used as a barn from the abbey’s suppression until the 1940s. Its fine large windows were blocked after it was converted into a barn

Denny as a farm

The dissolved monastery was rapidly stripped of its valuables. Many of its buildings were destroyed, including the nuns’ church, and the stonework sold. However, the former residence of the abbess was converted into a farmhouse. Other monastic structures, such as the nuns’ refectory, were turned into barns and or put to other agricultural uses.

Occupants included Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), the famous Cambridge postal carrier, who leased Denny and lived at the house. His refusal to let his customers choose which of his horses to hire is the origin of the saying ‘Hobson’s choice’.

Later in the 17th century, the courtier Tobias Rustat (1608–94) owned both the Denny estate and that at Waterbeach. In 1671 he gave their annual rent of £134 to endow his scholarships at Jesus College, Cambridge. Rustat was an investor in the Gambia Company and the Royal Africa Company, major agents in the trade of enslaved people from Africa to the Americas.

Denny Abbey photographed from the north in about 1950, before parts of the building added after the Dissolution, and the barn on the right, were taken down by the Ministry of Works
Denny Abbey photographed from the north in about 1950, before parts of the building added after the Dissolution, and the barn on the right, were taken down by the Ministry of Works
© Historic England Archive

In 1741, an Act of Parliament was passed for the drainage of the fens (marshland) near the abbey, creating swathes of new prime agricultural land. The full potential of this was realised by Robert Moyse, tenant of the farm in the early 19th century. In 1828 the author of a treatise on the cultivation of mangel-wurzel (a beet-like root vegetable) described him as ‘a gentleman of great practical knowledge of farming’, and praised Denny Abbey Farm as ‘a specimen of that agricultural judgement and knowledge so requisite and necessary to an English farmer’.

In 1946 Denny came into the hands of Pembroke College, Cambridge. The following year the college transferred the site to the Ministry of Works, a predecessor of English Heritage, though it remained a tenanted farm until the 1960s.

In the late 1960s parts of the then vacant farmhouse were dismantled to reveal evidence of its building phases between the mid 12th and 19th centuries – an intrusive intervention that left few of the farmhouse features intact. Some other later farm buildings were also demolished.

The neighbouring Farmland Museum, which acquired the remaining farm buildings in the mid 1990s, now manages Denny Abbey on behalf of English Heritage. The museum displays vividly evoke the rhythms, practicalities and hardships of agricultural life in Cambridgeshire in bygone ages.

Further reading

M Carter, Denny Abbey (English Heritage guidebook, Swindon, 2024)

PM Christie and JG Coad, ‘Excavations at Denny Abbey’, Archaeological Journal, 137 (1980), 138–279

R Gilchrist, Gender and Material Culture: The Archaeology of Religious Women (London, 1994)

J Poster and D Sherlock, ‘Denny Abbey: the nuns’ refectory’, Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 76 (1987), 67–82

LF Salzman (ed), ‘Houses of Knights Templar: preceptory of Denny’, in A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely, vol 2 (London, 1948), 259–62

LF Salzman (ed), ‘Houses of minoresses: abbey of Denny’, in A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely, vol 2 (London, 1948), 295–302

S Tibble, Templars: The Knights Who Made Britain (London, 2023)

JC Ward, ‘St Pol, Mary de, Countess of Pembroke’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (public library subscription required)


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