As we have seen Tavistock Abbey had an auspicious start.
Initially gifted land by Ordulph and playing a significant part in the Benedictine reforms and building programme driven by the triumvirate of King Edgar and his supportive Archbishops.
Tavistock Abbey was built on the banks of the River Tavy.
The site had huge strategic importance, essentially being one of the most westerly seats of power in Saxon England. Celtic traditions and practices prevailed across the Tamar in, what is now, Cornwall.
More practically, the site provided access to essential resources like water and was also strategically located on the route between Exeter and St Michael’s Mount, facilitating the monks’ connections with the community and maintaining services.
According to the Rule of Saint Benedict, written in the 6th century, monks were originally prohibited from eating the flesh of four-legged animals, so a regular source of fish was important to the Abbey.
Monasteries often chose valley locations near rivers for their resources, and Tavistock was no different. The site offered not only good water from the streams running into the Tavy and also provided an ideal setting for a thriving abbey.
Three streams flowed into the River Tavy and the monks could effectively “farm” fish by diverting the water source to build ‘stew ponds’ in which to keep fish. As a part of the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey project, it is hoped that a definitive view of how the monks used the available water sources to provide sanitation, powering mills as well as for food can be established.
The Research Group is also plotting the extent of the land owned by the Abbey throughout its history, the wealth that it generated and its strategic importance.
After Edgar’s rule, turbulent times were ahead for both the country and its religious institutions.
King Edgar, also known ‘the Peaceable’, died unexpectedly on 8th July 975. As we have seen, his reign, which started in 959 when he was about 16, was marked by internal peace and consolidation of power, particularly through the promotion of the monastic reform and strengthening the influence of the Church. This stable period was also one of economic strength.
However, Edgar’s death led to a lengthy period of instability, with a succession dispute between his sons, Edward and Æthelred. Edward, as eldest son, was initially crowned King – he was only 13. Competing factions surrounding Edgar’s wives and various children created vicious infighting. Edward became known as Edward the Martyr after he was assassinated 2 years into his reign.
Whilst the identity of the assassins is still shrouded in mystery it perhaps doesn’t take a super sleuth to understand that as his successor, Æthelred was still a child, and those with most to gain from his death were Æthelred’s mother Queen Ælfthryth and those magnates around her, including, of course, her brother Ordulph who was likely in his 20s at the time of his disappearance.
As Edward became known as ‘the Martyr’, Ætherlred became known as ‘the Unready’.
The term "Unready" doesn't mean that Æthelred was unprepared or incompetent, although his reign is often characterised by failures and poor decision-making. Instead, the nickname comes from the Old English word "unræd,” which means "bad counsel" or "ill-advised". This passed as medieval wit as "Æthelred" itself means "noble counsel" (from Old English "æthel" meaning noble, and "ræd" meaning counsel).
In summary, Æthelred’s 35 years reign was hallmarked for his reliance on poor advice, and his inability to effectively manage the kingdom in the face of Viking threats. As well as failing to fend off the Vikings, Æthelred raised ever increasing taxes in order to attempt to do so.
This made life more difficult for abbeys like Tavistock, as holders of considerable wealth, they became targets for Viking raids.
The raid that destroyed Tavistock Abbey in 997 was part of a larger Viking campaign during the reign of Æthelred, when Viking attacks were intensifying across England. The Vikings, under the leadership of raiders such as Thorkell the Tall, raided the coastline of Devon and other regions, causing widespread destruction. Tavistock Abbey was one of the notable sites destroyed in this period of renewed Viking aggression.
Through a full survey, using state of the art geophysical equipment, of the churchyard, Plymouth Road and the Guildhall Square the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey Project aims to turn back time and plot the most detailed footprint yet established of the early abbey and the surrounding land.
This survey, complemented by a full archaeological survey of the extant remains, seeks to determine the age of the various elements of the abbey site and its environs. Led by professional archaeologists and using community volunteers, the aim is to determine the most detailed geography of the abbey and its rich and complex history to date.
If you would like to be kept abreast of the Redisovering Tavistock Abbey project and / or want to be involved in future community archeology projects please feel free to add your name to our mailing list.
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