Historic Description of Muchelney Abbey

Muchelney Abbey

a.k.a. Michelney Abbey

Located on a large island in the marsh, as its name implies, an Abbey dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, whose effigies appear on its seal, ranks among the foundations of King Athelstan in 939. Leland also mentions Alfred, and even Ina, as founders, but we do know what he went upon, and the later date is the accepted one.

This was one of the churches visited and paced by William of Worcester. He also gives the length as 104 paces, and if his pace is taken as 19 ½ inches (so Mr Brakspear reckons it in his account of Malmesbury) this gives 169 feet as the result. He speaks of a Lady Chapel and a cloister 90 feet each way.

The church has quite disappeared. It stood on the south of the parish church, only a few feet from it. Some foundations are visible in the churchyard, and tiles found on the site of the Lady Chapel are in the parish church (which is otherwise interesting and notable for its roof painted with angels).

But the best thing to be seen here is the Abbot’s house, a good deal of which remains as a farmhouse, it is of the fifteenth century. The staircase and doorway into the large room n the first floor are very fine, and the principal room itself is admirable. It has a splendid fireplace with two lions high up, a very beautiful wooden settle with linen-fold panelling, and a nice open-work cresting. There are scanty remains of old stained glass in the windows.

Behind this, on the lower floor, is a portion of the cloister, notably the south-west angle with its vaulting. More rooms, also interesting, with good ceilings, are above this, and somewhat to the east, in the garden of the house, the stone panelled wall of the frater. North of the parish church is the (restored) cross, and an exceedingly pretty priests house of the fourteenth century.

Only a mile away is Huish Episcopi, with one of the most pleasing of Somerset towers; and two miles off is Langport, where the “hanging chapel” over the road will catch the eye, and the church has interesting old glass in its east window; this consists of single figures of saints.

There are in the larger lights: Above – St Cecilia, The Annunciation, St Elizabeth, St Laurence. Below – St Antony, St Clement (anchor), St Peter, St Gregory, St Joseph of Arimathea with the cruets.

In the tracery lights: Above – St James the Less with club, St James the Great, St Bartholomew, St John with Cup. Below – A Virgin with palm and book, St Anthony, A Virgin with palm and rosary, St Sitha with book and keys, St Margaret, St Dorothy, St Katherine, St Etheldreda (?) abbess.

One or two Muchelney Abbey service-books are extant, from the kalenders of which we gather something about the succession of the abbots. There is nothing to show that the Abbey possessed much in the way of a library.

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