Bedford Abbey
Monastery in Bedford, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bedford Abbey was a short-lived Benedictine monastery, recorded in 10th-century England. Bedford Priory, perhaps representing the same institution two centuries later, was an Augustinian priory that within two decades of its foundation moved to nearby Newnham.
![]() Interactive map of Bedford Abbey | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Benedictine/Augustinian |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lincoln |
| Site | |
| Location | Bedford, Bedfordshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52.1354°N 0.4674°W |
Bedford Abbey existed in the 10th-century, staffed with Benedictine monks when Oscytel, Archbishop of York, died in 971.[1][2]: 30 [3]: 147 The archbishop was buried in the abbey, after his body was taken there by its abbot, Thurcytel (who later moved to Crowland Abbey).[2]: 30 [3]: 147, 420 Thurcytel is the only known abbot of the monastery.[3]: 30 Its history after this is obscure, and may have evolved into St Paul's Church in Bedford, which became an Augustinian priory c. 1166.[2]: 147, 420 [3]: 30
Around 1180, the priory moved to Newnham (see Newnham Priory).[2]: 147
