[From Proc IoMNH&ASoc vol 3]

A. GLEN TAYLOR, F.R.A.I.

15 December, 1927.

In the articles on Rushen Abbey in your Proceedings, and also in the 'Guide to Rushen Abbey,' it is stated that the Abbey was founded by the Cistercian Order. Such, however, is not the case, as Furness Abbey, from which Rushen was colonized, was at that time attached to the Order of Savigny. Neath Abbey is, in many books, also described as a Cistercian foundation, although of Savignian origin and colonized direct from the parent house. Very little appears to be generally known of this important, but short-lived, Order.

It will, therefore, perhaps be of interest to give some account of the Order to which Rushen owes its foundation.

The Order of Savigny, although following closely the reformed Benedictine rule, was not, as the Cistercian Order, an offshoot of the Order of St. Benedict. It was founded by Vitalis de Tierceville, who, in his childhood, seems to have shown the characteristics of a future churchman and reformer, and was nicknamed by his playmates 'The little Abbot.' Later in life, he became Chaplain to the powerful Comte de Mortmain, who so greatly esteemed him that he conferred on him the Canonry of the newly-founded Collegiate Church of St. Evroult. This life of ease, and, one might say, luxury, was far removed from the ideals of so zealous a character as St. Vitalis and, no doubt, greatly influenced him in his decision to leave the world and seek solitude in the wilderness for a more intimate communion with his Creator. He, therefore, gave up this life and retired to a cave in the Rocher de Mortmain. After a brief sojourn there, he joined Robert de Arbrissel in the forests of Brittany, and became a devout follower of this noted Breton ascetic. For nearly seventeen years he continued this life, and was, as Bernard de Tiron puts it, 'Chief and master of the hermits.' Later, still in emulation of d'Arbrissel, he left his solitude and became an itinerant preacher. Unshod and clad in sackcloth, he toured the country denouncing the sins of Society. After a tour of France, he crossed to England and joined forces with Archbishop Anselm in a crusade against the vices of the people, and ably seconded his attempt to combat the corruption amongst both clergy and laity. In 1102, he was in London turning fallen people from their sins and restoring them to a better life. His great personality was the distinguishing characteristic of his campaign. It has been said of him that, although preaching in a language unknown to his audience, his personality was so great that he was readily understood by all. To quote one writer: 'To hear him none grudged the distance to be travelled, and the sermon ended, each man went his way shaken indeed in soul and with bowed head.' Fragments of his clothing even wece treasured as being endowed with miraculous powers to heal the sick.

Such, then, was the man who, after a short return to his disciples at Dompierre, led them in 1105 to the forest of Savigny. It was, however, not till January 25th, 1112, that the official foundation of the Savignian Order took place, when its Charter was granted by Raoul de Fougeres to the New Settlement. This Charter was confirmed on 2nd of March in the same year by King Henry the First of England, then at Avranches. Although, no doubt, at least temporary buildings had been erected to house the community even prior to the granting of the Charter, the progress made by the Order in its early days was slow. The original church was of wood and was consecrated and dedicated to the Holy Trinity on June ist, 1124. The rules of the Order were largely based on those of St. Benedict, but, with a rigid interpretation of their original meaning, much on similar lines to those of the Cistercians and Cluniacs. The habit of the Order was grey, from which they became known as the 'Fraters Grises' or Grey brothers. The Order, owing in a great measure to the zeal and fame of its founder, later made swift headway, and soon founded daughter Abbeys at Beaubec and Vause d'Arnay.

St. Vitalis died in September, 1122, while taking part in the Office of Our Lady in his church, He was succeeded as Abbot and head of the Order by his Prior, Geoffrey, a former Benedictine monk of Cerisy. Under his rule, the Order greatly prospered, and it was during his abbacy that the British houses of the Order were founded.

In 1124, a colony left the mother Abbey and came to Lancashire. Their first settlement was near the present site of Preston, where they started to build an Abbey on land granted to them by the new Comte de Mortmain. Three years later, they left this spot and settled at Furness, where they started building the Abbey of which we still have such splendid remains. The date of this foundation is given in its Chapter House records as July 7th, 1127. A few years later, a second British house of the Order was founded at Neath, and colonized direct from the mother Abbey on the 25th of October, 1130. Later British foundations direct from the parent house were, Quarr (Isle of Wight) 1132; Basingwerk, 1132, and Combermere, 1133. Neath Abbey is named in deeds prior to 1147 as 'The Church of the Holy Trinity of Neath.' The dedication of all the daughter houses followed that of the Mother Church, as was also the case in the Cistercian Order, which were all dedicated to the Virgin. (I would be pleased to have any reference to Rushen by name prior to its affiliation to Citeaux in 1147). The colony at Furness had made good headway and outgrown its capacity. It, therefore, became necessary to set up daughter houses. In the first two months of 1135, three swarms issued from the Furness hive and settled at Calder, Rushen and Swinesheard (Lincs.). Abbot Geoffrey died in April, 1138, surrounded by all the abbots of the Savignian dependances. He had, during his rule, made several changes in the customs of the Order. A system of yearly visitations to Savigny for all abbots of the Order had been introduced much on the lines of that of the Cistercians. He exacted from the monks an even more strict observance than did St. Vitalis.

On Geoffrey's death, Abbot Yves of Furness was chosen as his successor. His term of office was short, and, two years later, his death occurred. During his brief rule, the Abbey of St. Mary, Dublin, was founded.

The next ruler of the Order was Serlon de Vaubadon, who, like Geoffrey, was a former Benedictine monk. The new Abbot appears to have had little taste for the direction and government of the Order. He was a lover of study and solitude and, although gifted with power to rule, preferred to live the life of a monk rather than as ruler of the order. During his rule, the Congregation of Savigny became split up with dissentions and conflicts, which eventually finished its career. In these quarrels, the Abbey of Furness played a large part, in fact, the whole trouble may be said to have been started, if not caused, by the strife between Furness and her daughter Abbey of Calder. The community of Calder had passed through troublesome times, owing largely to the wars between England and Scotland, when their abbey was plundered and ruined. They resolved to return to their Mother house at Furness, but met with a very cold reception, and were even accused of cowardice for deserting their Abbey.

To enable them to rebuild their house, large grants were made to Calder by several benefactors, and their future prospects appeared secure. In view of their former treatment at the hands of the Abbot of Furness, they rather dreaded his future treatment, and sought to free themselves from the control which he exercised as Abbot of their parent house. To this end, Abbot Gerald of Calder appeared at Savigny, appealing to Serlon to allow them to pass under direct control of the Mother house of the Order, and obtained the necessary sanction. This caused great dissension and split the Order into two rival factions. Serlon, finding his authority flouted, appealed to the Pope, and, in 1144, a Bull was issued to him authorizing him to dismiss any Abbot or monk who sought to turn from the common life of the Order. The Pope also admonished all Abbots of the Order not to attempt to bring the house they governed under any other Order, At the General Chapter at Savigny in 1147, at which every French Abbot attended, only three British houses were represented, Byland, Neath and Quarr. Seeing his authority treated with contempt and the whole Order in a state of dissension, Serlon sought a remedy which would guard against a recurrence of such disorders. He, therefore, sought the help and advice of St. Bernard of Clairvaulx, whose fame was then world-wide as a just and pious ruler. In this step he was well supported by the Abbots of the French houses, and it was eventually decided to seek fusion with the Cistercian Order. To this end, Serlon made a personal appeal at the General Chapter of Citeaux in 1147, to allow himself and the houses he governed to range themselves under the Rule of Citeaux. The appeal was at once favoured by the Chapter, and, in addition, gained the ratifi- cation of Pope Eugenius III, who, being in France on account of a revolt at Rome, attended this Chapter of the Cistercian Order, to which he formerly belonged. The Chapter, to mark its appreci- ation of the fusion, bestowed on Serlon a future rank coming next to the Abbots ofthe four Premier houses and head of all the houses of Savignian origin.

Eugenius, in a Bull issued from Saint Seine dated 19th Septem- ber, 1147, announced to the whole community of Savigny and to all the Abbots of that Order the important event which had taken place. He exhorted them to loyally support the new arrangement and remain loyal to Serlon who had but worked for their welfare. A number of monks were sent out from Citeaux to introduce the Cistercian use into the Savignian houses, but were not readily received, especially in the British houses, who were loth to submit to the new Rule. A further Bull was, therefore, issued in April, 1148, decreeing that the Cistercian rule and custom must be introduced and followed by every Savignian house, and gives a full list of the British Savignian foundations to show that none was exempted from the union or from their obedience to their Mother house. The Abbot of Citeaux thereupon sent his Prior, Guy, to England to introduce the Cistercian rule and custom to the houses of the Savignian dependance, His efforts met with a better reception than those of the monks previously sent, and the opposition died down rapidly in all houses except Furness, whose fourth Abbot, Peter of York, strongly opposed the fusion, Peter, therefore, set out for Rome for a personal appeal to the Pope, but met with a rather poor reception and was later deposed and excommunicated, Richard of Bayeavx being appointed in his stead as first Abbot of Furness under the Cistercian rule. Thus, Rushen, on September 19th, 1147, passed over, with twelve other British houses,.from the rule of Savigny to that of Citeaux.

Of the great Cistercian Order much has been published in your transactions. It owes its foundations to St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme, who, in an attempt to restore the Rule of St. Benedict to its original strict and severe observance, started an Abbey at Citeaux. It was the foundation of a new Benedictine Abbey where the rule was to be strictly carried out, rather than an attempt to found a new Order. In fact, Robert never severed his connection with the Parent Order, and was, a year later, recalled to his Abbacy of Molesme by a Papal behest. The rule had, at this period, become very relaxed in the Benedictine Order, and in this laxity Robert found sufficient cause to leave his Abbey and, with a band of twenty of his monks, he settled in the dreary district of Citeaux to lead a life of hardship and piety as laid down in the original rule of the Order. Owing to the extreme severity of the observances, very few new members could be found, anud the effort at first almost proved a failure.

A change came during the time of the third Abbot, St. Stephen Harding, a native of Sherborne in Dorsetshire, who was appointed to the office in 1109. He was one of the original band of monks who left Molesme with Robert in 1098, and succeeded Alberic, who was Prior at Molesme. Up to the time of St. Stephen, the house was still under the Benedictine rule, and there is no evidence to show a new order was even contemplated. Soon after Abbot Stephen's appointment, he discarded the old name and announced the foundation of a new order based on the literal observance of the rule of St. Benedict with a system of reciprocal visitation between the Abbeys to insure the strict interpretation at each house of the ancient rule. His object was to form the order into a family bound by ties of blood, a true brotherhood ruled by a bond of love. The statutes of the Order which he drew up and presented to the General Chapter of 1119 he called the 'Charter of Charity'. In it the Abbot of Citeaux was termed ' Pater universalis ordinis,' and the affliated Abbeys were 'daughter houses.' Each Abbot went every year to visit the filiations right throughout the Order, and every Abbot had to attend Citeaux for the General Chapter held yearly.

Throughout the Order, Brotherly love, a warm and abiding charity was to be their bond of union, and simplicity in all things was to be their distinguishing characteristic.

The houses were to be erected in some secluded spot 'far from the intercourse of men,' and their architecture of the simplest and plainest, avoiding anything which savoured of ostentation or superfluity. Painted glass, carving or sculpture was forbidden. High towers were not to be built, and it is said that even a triforum between nave, arcade and clerestory was not allowed. Even in their vestments and dress a similar severity was enjoined. Their habit was of white or undyed wool in keeping with their simplicity. The Altar was as plain as possible, its cross of wood, painted in one colour, and its one candle-stick of iron. Such was the simplicity of the Cistercian Order and Rule in its early days, although in later years it became much relaxed, and, from the fourteenth century on, the Churches became quite ornate, This can be quite easily understood when we consider the remarkable change which has taken place in our everyday life during the past two centuries.

Although the foundation of the Order was largely due to St. Stephen, its popularity and spread was mainly the work of St. Bernard. Born in 1090, the son of a Crusader, Bernard at the age of twenty-three entered the new house of Citeaux, where he soon distinguished himself by his piety, zeal and administrative powers. He was, in 1115, chosen to become Abbot of the daughter house of Clairvaulx. He largely assisted Stephen in the formation of the Order, and the Charter of Charity seems to bear many traces of his soldierly instinct, e.g. 'New soldiers of Christ, poor with the poor Christ,' as they term themselves, His zeal and piety were so great that his fame rapidly rang throughout Europe,and he became founder of over one hundred convents. In the words of Archbishop Trench, - Probably no man during his lifetime ever exercised a personal influence in Christendom equal to his.' Of him, the famous Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, says: 'If ever there lived on the earth a God-fearing and holy monk it was St. Bernard of Clairvaulx.' Thus, the Cistercian Order, founded under such pure motives and fathered by men of such piety and Zeal, at once became a power — in fact the spread was so rapid that, in 1152, the General Chapter thought it advisable to prohibit the foundation of any new houses. During the first half-century, over three hundred houses had been added to the Order, and, in spite of the prohibition, the increase stillwent on, The Charter of Charity laid down distinctly the principles on which the Cistercian Church was to be built, and also the cloister arrangements. Thus we have great similarity in the planning of the houses throughout the Order.

The original churches were built with aisleless nave and presby- tery with short transepts with often but a single chapel on their eastern side, all plainly built in accordance with the simplicity of the Order. Later, in most cases, aisles were added to. form procession paths, as the rule became relaxed for a more advanced ritual, and for the celebration of Chapter Mass daily by each monk holding priest's orders.

The High Altar was placed slightly in advance of the eastern wall, and, later, one or two bays westward to provide eastern chapels andambulatory. The presbytery extended to the crossing, the choir occupying the crossing and one or two bays of the nave. This was screened off from the aisles by walling between the arcade piers flush on the nave side, against which were the choir stalls of the monks. The lower or western end of the choir was screened off by the pulpitum with its central doorway flanked by altars to the West. A bay or two West came the Rood Screen supporting the Crucifix. This formed the eastern extremity or reredos of the church of the lay brothers (or conversi). . 'Thus a monastic church may be considered as two churches end on end, the eastern portion being set apart for the monks, while the western part was either for parochial use, as in the Benedictine houses, or for the Conversi in the Cistercian Church.

The division of the Cistercian Order into two classes, the Monks (monacht) and lay brothers (conversi:), had a marked effect on the planning of their houses. The monk was a clerk who could read and write and took full part of the service of the Church, and generally took priest's orders. The Conversus had taken vows similar to those of the Monks, but was illiterate and was even precluded from being taught to read and write. He was taught sufficient by heart to allow him to take some part in the Church service, but his chief business was the manual and agrarian tasks of the convent and granges. He was required to attend some of the services in the Church, but other 'hours' he observed by recitation of prayers at his work. The Conversi lived entirely apart from the Monks, and had their own refectory, dormitory, chapter-house, infirmary and even their own choir in church. They were housed in the range of buildings on the western side of the Cloisters, that portion farthest from the church being their refrectory. To provide for the feeding of these two classes of brethren, the Cistercian refectory. occupies a different position to that of the other Orders. It was built in the centre of the range farthest from the Church, with its axis at right angles to that of the Church. This arrangement gave space for a kitchen on its west side which could serve the needs of the refectories of both monks and lay brothers through hatches in its east and west walls. After the terrible Black-Death in 1348, it was found difficult to make good the terrible mortality amongst the lay brothers, and the Cenversi disappeared from the Order, causing, in most cases, a modification of the Cistercian plan. Refectories rebuilt after that date are usually on the Benedictine plan parallel to the church. In the houses of Savignian origin, the frater appears to have been built with their length East and West and, in some cases, were never altered, but generally they were rebuilt on Cistercian lines after the affili- ation in 1147, or subsequently altered.

Such are the main features of the Cistercian plan, as it differs from that of the other Orders. As this is an attempt to describe the Orders to which Rushen belonged rather than the architectural features, it is not necessary to go more fully into the subject, as, to do justice to the Cistercian planning, it would take up many times the time allotted.

I have, in the course of this paper, referred to the foundation of Rushen in 1135. In the papers by Canon Quine and Mr. Cubbon, the date is given as 1134. This I would like to explain. In Dugdale's Monasticon (written 1655-73) and in Dom Avory's History of the Savignian Order (written about 1700) the date is stated as 1134. Lanauschek's Oviginum Cisterciensium (1877) gives the date as January 10th, 1134/5, while Guiloreau in his English Foundations of the Abbey of Savigny (from which many notes on the Savignian Order have been taken for this paper) says the foundation occurred in 'the first two months of 1135'. Although these may at first appear at variance, we must bear in mind that the years up to 1751 commenced on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25th. The year 1752 and subsequent years started on January 1st by virtue of an Act of Parliament 24, Geo. II, 'for the regulating the commencement of the year.' It, therefore, will be seen that Dugdale and Avory give January as the tenth month of 1134, whereas the later writers quoted give it as the first month of the year 1135.

A rather more serious discrepancy is the record in the Furness Coucher Book of the foundation of Rushen in 1238 by a grant of land first given to Rievaulx but afterwards to Furness. This date is obviously an error. The land was granted to Furness during the Abbacy of Yves, who was appointed to Savigny in 1138. Rushen appears to have made fair headway and is credited with one daughter Abbey, Sandal in Cantyre, Scotland, said to have been built by Soirle Mackilorid, who was slain in 1164, and endowed by his son Reginald about 1220.

Very little record of Rushen appears to have been kept at Savigny. Dom Avory, a monk of that house, in his history of the Order quotes largely from the Chronicles of Man in his reference to Rushen, but adds: 'I think that one ought not to place too much faith in this Chronicle in which many mistakes are to be found. That is all we know about the Abbey.'

This extract from the book of a writer having access to the deeds of the Savignian Order, and who quotes fully the now missing Charter of Neath, then 'still to be seen' at Savigny,seems to point to the fact that Rushen was not in close touch with the mother house of the Order. This may perhaps be attributed to the quarrels between Furness and Savigny already referred to.

I feel that the History of Rushen is tar better left in the hands of the local members who have access to the records of Man, but trust that I may be excused for dealing with the foundation dates in an attempt to settle the 1134 and 1135 quotations.

So little is generally known of the Savignian Order that I think these notes may be of interest to, at least, a small number of my fellow members as an addition to the early history of your Abbey.