Whitby Abbey

a view from across the harbour

Whitby Abbey is a ruined monastery sited on Whitby's East Cliff. It was founded in 657 AD by the Saxon King of Northumbria, Oswy (Oswiu). He appointed Lady Hilda, niece of Edwin, the first christian king of Northumbria, Abbess. The double monastery of monks and nuns was also home home to the great Saxon poet Caedmon.

In 664, the abbey was the site of the Synod of Whitby, at which the Northumbrian Celtic church was reconciled to Rome. In 867, the abbey fell to Viking attack, and was abandoned until 1078, when it was re-founded by Regenfrith (Reinferd) a soldier monk, under the orders of his protector, the Norman, William de Percy. The second monastery lasted until it was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1540. The abbey buildings fell into ruins, and were mined for stone, but remained a prominent landmark for sailors.

See also

• [History of Whitby Abbey]
• Whitby History at GENUKI