You are here:
Burial at Kirkstall: surviving tombs
(1/2)
Burial within the precinct at Kirkstall was
at first intended only for members of the community, since the
General Chapter of the Order ruled that no outsiders, except for
guests and familiars who died during their stay, should be buried
at Cistercian houses. The General Chapter later revised its position:
outsiders were permitted to be buried at Cistercian abbeys and
Kirkstall, like other houses of the Order, now became a possible
burial site for patrons, benefactors and neighbours, as well as
family and friends. Burial within the walls of the monastery precinct
was a great privilege for the laity. To be physically present forever
within the abbey grounds was highly desirable for it was believed
that this would help the soul’s passage to salvation. Requests
for burial within the precinct of Kirkstall underline the importance
of this abbey to the locals and are testimony to the high reputation
of the monks.
Lay burial was also beneficial to the community since those who
donated their body generally also gave a gift, and some of these
were substantial. For example, in the twelfth century Ralph of
Adewich gave his body to the monks of Kirkstall to be buried within
their cemetery, along with land within the court of his grange
at Bessacar;(1) at the beginning of the
thirteenth century Stephen of Hamerton granted the community twenty
loads of hay and his chattels
along with his body for burial; Nigel of Horsforth(2) gave his
body and land in Horsforth. The community might also consolidate
relations
with the family of the deceased and secure their help and patronage
in the future.
A wide range of people sought burial at Kirkstall
Abbey. Although we do not have a complete record of everyone who
was buried or
requested to be buried at the house miscellaneous references in
charters (such as those just mentioned) and several remains of
coffins shed some light on the identity of those who sought burial
and the various places in the precinct where they – and also
members of the community – were interred.
<next>
|