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Rushen Abbey Excavations

‌Located in the south of the Isle of Man, the site of Rushen Abbey represents some of the most significant ecclesiastical remains on the Island.

About the Project

Following its acquisition by the Isle of Man Government in 1998, control of the site was conveyed to Manx National Heritage who, with the assistance of our research experts in Manx Studies at the University of Liverpool, began a programme of research and excavation in an attempt to understand both the upstanding and sub-surface remains. Excavations continued seasonally from 1998 until 2008.

History

Rushen Abbey was founded in 1134 by Olaf 1st King of Man and the Isles, as a daughter house of the Savignac Abbey of Furness in Cumbria. It formed part of the King's policy to bring his realm, which stretched from the Isle of Man in the south to Lewis in the north, into the modern world. In 1149, along with the other Savignac houses in Europe, Rushen was incorporated into the successful Cistercian order. On the Isle of Man, Rushen Abbey was the most important landowner, apart from the King himself and also functioned as a royal mausoleum - the Westminster Abbey of the Irish Sea. The Abbot wielded great secular as well as religious power, many of the abbots eventually becoming bishops of Sodor (i.e. the southern isles ie the Isle of Man and the Hebrides).

The Abbey was dissolved in 1540 and its assets stripped and sold off in a three-month period in the summer of that year in order to help fund the enormous expenditure of Henry VIII on his foreign adventures. Only fragments of the abbot's lodgings and a single tower survived, the site eventually being taken over and run by a local family as a working farm.

Excavations

In 1998 the site was purchased by the Manx government and opened to the public as a museum in 2000. The Centre for Manx Studies at the University of Liverpool carried out a series of excavations in 1998 and 1999 in order to establish the location of the main abbey buildings and to test for the survival of archaeological deposits. These showed that, despite its large land-holdings and rent income the Abbey itself was very small. The church had no aisle - very unusual for a Cistercian site - and the cloister was only around 11m2, instead of the normal 30m2. The abbey is the smallest in the British Isles and probably in Europe.

The work that has been carried out each year since 2000 has been directed towards understanding the nature of the site, its origins, the nature of its buildings and their function, as well as looking at the landscape of the monastic properties throughout the Island. In 2007 and 2008 work continued on a set of buildings situated to the west of the cloisters, where evidence for the earliest use of the site can be found. A field survey of neighbouring village Ballasalla, which appears to have been very closely connected with the Abbey from an early date, is worthy of consideration.

Founded in 1134, Rushen Abbey was the largest monastic establishment on the Island. Now under the protection of Manx National Heritage, the history of the site is slowly being uncovered by archaeologists from the University of Liverpool. Earlier excavations on the site provided an outline for the basic layout of the abbey but did not consider the archaeology of the demolition period or accurately assess the extent of the site and nature of the buildings within.

1998

The Centre for Manx Studies at the University of Liverpool began its research programme in 1998, undertaking an initial phase of assessment and has since returned to the site to run yearly field schools, training undergraduate students and volunteers in the basics of archaeological excavation. These field schools have significantly advanced understanding of the pre- and post-monastic periods on the site, alongside a growing understanding of the nature and extent of the monastic complex itself.

2006

Excavations in 2006 focused on a series of buildings to the west of the West Range. The exact nature of these structures is as yet unclear as work so far has focused on the evidence relating to the Dissolution of 1540 when the monastery was systematically demolished. This in itself has yielded much information regarding the nature of the demolition process alongside a wealth of metal, ceramic and bone finds.

2007-2008

The 2007 and 2008 seasons saw a continuation of work in this area, below the demolition material, with the primary aim of clarifying the nature and phasing of the walls. Walls on a different alignment to those that are still upstanding indicates a more complex phasing than previously anticipated.

Current position

Excavations at Rushen Abbey have been paused whilst the research design and publication plans are put in place. The University of Liverpool is grateful to Manx National Heritage, the owners and managers of the site, for their sponsoring of this project.

Archaeological Field School

Other archaeology training opportunities are now available on the Island, visit our Archaeological Field School page to find out more.

Bibliography

  • BRUCE JR (1968) The Manx Archaeological Survey: Sixth Report. Keeills and Burial Grounds in the Sheading of Rushen. Manx Museum and National Trust: Douglas
  • BUTLER LAS (1978) A Guide to Rushen Abbey. IOM Examiner Ltd: Douglas
  • BUTLER LAS (1988) 'The Cistercian Abbey of St Mary of Rushen: Excavations 1978-79'. Journal of British Archaeologists Association 141 (pp60-104)
  • BUTLER LAS (1996) 'The early church on the Isle of Man c 500-1200'. in:Church archaeology: research directions for the future (eds) J. Blair and C. Pyrah. CBA Research Report 104 Council for British Archaeology: York
  • BUTLER LAS (2002) 'The Cistercian Abbey of St Mary of Rushen, Isle of Man: Excavations on the East Range, 1988-89'. Journal of the British Archaeological Association 155 (pp168-194)
  • CUBBON W (1925-1932) 'Presidential Address: Rushen Abbey' Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society 3 (pp181-190)
  • CUBBON W (1933-1942) 'A History of Rushen Abbey'. Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society 4 (pp98-106)
  • CUMMING JG (1857) The Story of Rushen Castle and Rushen Abbey in the Isle of Man. Bell and Daldy: London
  • CUMMING JG (1868) 'Rushen Abbey in the Isle of Man' (pp36-55) in: JG Cumming (ed) 'Antiquitates Manniae: or, a collection of Memoirs on the Antiquities of the Isle of Man' Manx Society 15
  • DAVEY PJ (ed) (1999) Rushen Abbey: First Archaeological Report. Centre for Manx Studies Research Report 7: Douglas
  • KERMODE PMC & WA HERDMAN (1914) Manx Antiquities. University Press: Liverpool
  • MOORE AW (1893) Diocesan Histories: Sodor and Man. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge: London
  • MUNCH PA (1878) 'Chronica Regum Manniae et Insvlarvm: The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys, from the Manuscript Codex in the British Museum. With historical notes'. (2 vols). Manx Society 22 & 23