Byland Abbey

The very last stop on our Yorkshire adventure was Byland Abbey.

This one was massively different to the other properties we have visited, as it is completely unmanned. The site is free to enter and although does have a little museum, this is only open on select days and hours. Otherwise entry to this impressive ruin is anytime within daylight hours and at the mercy of the general public. We assumed this is what it could have been like for the others in North Yorkshire that we had visited, if it wasn't for the building of the giftshops then these too no doubt would have been free, but there was no spare land here for capitalisation and as the Abbey is pretty much on the roadside, it remains open.

Byland Abbey was founded as a Savigniac monastery before being assimilated into the Cistercian order in 1147. Housing only 13 Monks, this was the fifth move they made and they settled in New Byland in 1177 following a raid from the Scottish and being pushed from pillar to post for various religious reasons including being too close to Rievaulx and upsetting the Cistercian Monks there with their bells.

In the early days of this Abbey it had run ins with 4 other religious properties, Rievaulx Abbey, Furness Abbey, Calder Abbey, and Newburgh Priory. However despite this it became 'one of the three shining lights of the north'. It was successful for its Sheep rearing and wool exports and also housed King Edward II during the Battle of Old Byland until he fled to York due to the marauding Scots catching him off guard. 

In the late 12th century the Abbey housed 100 Lay Brothers, 36 Monks, and an Abbott. When big bully Henry VIII started dissolving monasteries, there were only 25 Monks and an Abbott left. In 1539 the site was dissolved and handed to Sir William Pickering (an M.P for Warwick) before passing to the Wombwell family where it remains today.

Like the Abbeys we have visited so far, there have been some burials of note. Listed below are those who are buried somewhere at Byland Abbey:

Mabel de Clare (daughter of Roger de Clare 2nd Earl of Hertford & wife of Nigel de Mowbray)

Roger de Mowbray (Lord of Montbray although it is uncertain if his final resting place is actually here)

William de Mowbray (6th Baron of Thirsk & 4th Baron Mowbray)

Joan of Lancaster (daughter of Henry 3rd Earl of Lancaster, great-grandaughter of King Henry III)

We started with the main body of the Abbey. The walls were a lighter colour stone than the ones we had seen previously. The ruins of the exterior fairly intact, it was the interior walls which seemed to have crumbled to almost nothing first. Tiles from their flooring remained intact (these were covered for protection due to the time of year so we didnt see them), but everything else really was gone. We explored what was left of the altar and presbytery before veering right into the cloister and off into the Chapter House. After this we walked the perimeter over the site of the cistern. We stepped in through the infirmary hall and through the dayroom, into the cellar and zagged through the kitchen to explore the Lay Brothers cellar, dayroom and frater. Unusually the Lay Brothers also had their own Cloister.

Once we spent about an hour weaving through phantom doors and between crumbled walls, we doubled back to explore the ruins of the Abbotts lodging inclusive of well. We then moved over to the cemetary behind the site of the main Abbey (not that we knew this was a burial ground) and peered in the drain. If you get a chance, please take a look at English Heritage's ground plan for Byland Abbey as it is extremely interesting and also shows you the dating of each structure. The Lay Brother's section is the oldest section on site!

There are plenty of ghost stories and reported hauntings at Byland Abbey, we even experienced one ourselves! But more importantly, there is a whole book written by one of the Monks who lived here reciting the ghostly happenings witnessed. This was back in the 1400s and he filled the pages of his manuscript with 12 tales. Now the spirits featured arent your malicious sort (more or less), these are simply the villagers who have died and not confessed their sins so are forced to walk the Earth until they have sought help from the living. There was a ghost detailed in these stories that gouged out an eyeball, but aside from that it's nice ghosts...and maybe a few zombies.

Now this was our first proper ghost encounter at a place of interest. Upon the highest point you'll see a doorway, there are no stairs and no way up, and yet Lauren saw a person up there. Thinking it was a member of the public she looked for a way up (not that she would have risked such an unsafe height) but realised there wasn't any, then when she looked back up within seconds the person was gone.

She told Jamie, who looked at the doorway and saw straight through as of course there is no door. When he looked again he raced to get Lauren, we both then looked up and saw the figure blocking the empty space and peering at us from around the stone! We couldnt make out exact details like clothing, it was just a grey figure with a white face, but we had seen everything by then so we scarpered, especially as Yogi started doing his nut. 

This was another property that we just picked off a map, so upon actual research we found that we were standing on the site of the cemetery at the point of our ghost sighting. Whether or not the ghost seen was one of the people unknowingly under our feet, well we will never know. 

It of course didn't help that it was raining, the sun was starting to set, and we were the only people for a mile or so either side as the Inn opposite didn't look very open. Our ghostly encounter, while fear inducing at the time, is a memory we'll cherish and don't mind sharing to those sceptically minded. We ourselves are a little shocked at what we saw as didn't expect it in the slightest, but the place did have yet another ethereal feel.

Haunted:8/10

Worth the visit: 8/10

Giftshop: N/A

Ghost count: 1

Dog friendly: Yes

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