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nunneries
nunneries. In the early Anglo-Saxon period, monastic life for women was almost always in double houses, of which Theodore disapproved. In most of these, monks and nuns shared a church, though at Wimborne (Dorset) each group had its own church. An abbess ruled over the community. She was often of royal or noble birth and for centuries nunneries remained places for aristocratic women. Hilda of Whitby was related to King Oswiu of Northumbria and Wimborne was founded by two sisters of King Ine. The first double monastery was probably at Hartlepool, since Hilda is said to have modelled her foundation at Whitby upon it, c.650. In the largest of these houses at Wimborne, there were said to have been 500 nuns in the early 8th cent., and Shaftesbury, Wilton, Winchester, Romsey, and Amesbury were all flourishing foundations.
A number of double monasteries were destroyed during the Viking incursions, and when the monastic revival developed in the 10th cent. single houses were in favour. The second Council of Nicaea in 787 forbade the foundation of double monasteries. By 1275 there were ten Saxon nunneries surviving in England and Wales, and another 118 had been founded since the Conquest. After 1275 only another ten nunneries were established, including the famous one by the Thames at Syon, endowed by Henry V in 1414. Of the total of 138 nunneries between 1275 and 1535, well over half were Benedictine; there were 28 Cistercian nunneries, 18 Augustinian, 4 Franciscan, 2 Cluniac, and 2 Premonstratensian. In Scotland there were a dozen or so nunneries, mainly Cistercian, and in Ireland about ten of the 140 monasteries were nunneries, all of them for regular canonesses. By the time of the dissolution, there were some 125 English nunneries still in existence, sheltering about 2,000 women. Sandra M. Dunkin |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "nunneries." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "nunneries." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-nunneries.html JOHN CANNON. "nunneries." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-nunneries.html |
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Amesbury
Amesbury, UK, USA 1. UK (England): formerly Ambresbyrig and Ambresberie, this town is near Salisbury and has a name meaning ‘Ambre's Stronghold’ from byrig, the dative of burh, and an Old English personal name.2. USA (Massachusetts): the American town was founded in 1642 as part of Salisbury and was thus given the name Amesbury.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Amesbury." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Amesbury." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Amesbury.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Amesbury." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Amesbury.html |
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Amesbury
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Cite this article
"Amesbury." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Amesbury." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AmesburyUS.html "Amesbury." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AmesburyUS.html |
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Amesbury
Amesbury Wilts. Ambresbyrig c.880, Ambresberie 1086 (DB). Possibly ‘stronghold of a man called *Ambre’, OE pers. name + burh (dative byrig). Alternatively ‘(disused) stronghold frequented by buntings’ if the first element is rather OE amer.
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Cite this article
A. D. MILLS. "Amesbury." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Amesbury." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Amesbury.html A. D. MILLS. "Amesbury." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Amesbury.html |
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Amesbury
Amesbury , rural region, Wiltshire, S central England. In 980 the widow of King Edgar founded Amesbury Abbey, where Queen Guinevere of Arthurian legend is believed to have died. Stonehenge , the chief megalithic monument in Britain, is nearby. |
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Cite this article
"Amesbury." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Amesbury." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AmesburyEng.html "Amesbury." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AmesburyEng.html |
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