Treasures from the Parish Chest: exploring North Yorkshire’s church history from archives to architecture
A magnificent former abbey church containing stunning examples of Romanesque and Decorated architecture
Originally founded as a Benedictine monastery in 1069, the present building was probably begun around 1100. The church is mainly 12th century Romanesque and 14th century Decorated Gothic in style.
During the Medieval period, the abbey held the high status of being a ‘mitred abbey’. This honour was conferred on the abbot in 1256 and was held in perpetuity until the Reformation. Only the most important and wealthy abbeys applied to the Pope for this enhanced status. The only other mitred abbey in the whole of the North of England was St Mary’s in York.
The abbey was supressed in 1539, and lay unused for many years before formerly becoming the parish church of the town in 1618. The fabric of the building has also suffered some misfortune! The church has long suffered from subsidence, which led to the collapse of the central tower in 1690. Restoration work was carried out in the 19th century by George Gilbert Scott and J. Oldrid Scott. However, in 1906 a devastating fire, sparked by the new organ, destroyed the church interior and choir roof. Oldrid Scott also undertook the repair work which was completed in 1909.
The 14th century choir with early-20th century roof. It was badly damaged by two significant fires in the 1340s and in 1906
The parish records for Selby are held by the Borthwick Institute, York [PR/SEL], although the Record Office holds related material, including photographs of the 1906 fire. In recent years, the Record Office has partnered with the Abbey to deliver a range of outreach projects. From working with local artists to attending heritage events at the Abbey, the Record Office continues to support the Abbey’s heritage volunteers by providing advice on archive cataloguing and conservation.
Selby Abbey after the 1906 fire [EF 287/23]
Photographs of Selby Abbey © Sophie Cawthorne; text © Sophie Cawthorne and NYCRO
Further information about Selby Abbey
Borthwick Institute for Archives online catalogue listing of parish records for Selby, St Mary & St Germain [PR/SEL]
Selby Abbey website
National Heritage List for England Selby Abbey Grade I listed building description
Church of England Church Heritage Record for Selby Abbey
National Churches Trust webpage for Selby Abbey
Selby Abbey entry in the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland
North Yorkshire Archives Blog 