Abbey
Whitby Abbey is a ruined Benedictine Abbey sited on the East Cliff, 199 steps above Whitby's beautiful harbour.
Founded
Founded in 657, by the Anglo-Saxon King of Northumbria, Oswy (Oswiu) as Streoneshalh (the historical town of Whitby. The King appointed Lady Hilda, Abbess of Hartlepool Abbey, and the niece of Edwin, the first Christian King of Northumbria, as founding Abbess.
The name Streoneshalh is thought to signify Fort Bay or Tower Bay in reference to a supposed Roman settlement that previously existed on the site. This contention has never been proven though, and alternative theories have been proposed, such as the name meaning Streona's settlement, a reference to Eadric Streona. Unlikely though, as Streona died in 1017, so the name Streoneshalalh would have preceded his birth by several hundred years.
Caedmon
The double monastery of the monks and nuns was also home to great Saxon poet Caedmon. In 664, the abbey was site of the Synod of Whitby, at which King Oswui ruled that the Northumbrian Church would adopt the Roman calculation of Easter and monastic tonsure.
Viking Attack
In 867, Whitby Abbey fell to Viking attack, and was abandoned. William de Percy ordered that the abbey be refounded in (1078) by Regenfrith (Reinferd), a soldier monk, dedicating it to St. Peter nad St Hilda. Later it became Presteby (meaning the habitation of priests in Old Norse), then Hwytby, next Whiteby (meaning the White Settlement in Old|Norse, probalby from the colour of houses), and finally Whitby.
Henry V111
The second monastery lasted until it was destroyed by Henry V111 in 1540 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The abbey buildings fell into ruins and were mined for stone, but remained a prominent landmark for sailors. It was the inspiration for Bram Stokers Dracula and continues to command attention from a world wide audience.
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