The charters whereby lands were conveyed to Stanlawe and Whalley are
very numerous, and have all been printed.[183] They extended over a
very large area, and included lands in Rochdale, Blackburn, Whalley,
Childwall, and other places in Lancashire and Cheshire. The full
complement of monks belonging to this abbey was twenty, exclusive of a
Lord Abbot and a Prior; in addition to this there were ninety servants,
twenty of whom belonged to the Abbot. That these monks lived well, and
probably entertained strangers on a liberal fare, may be inferred from
the following table of animal food consumed: for the Abbot's table,
75 oxen, 80 sheep, 40 calves, 20 lambs and 4 pigs; for the refectory
tables, 57 oxen, 40 sheep, 20 calves and 10 lambs; whilst 200 quarters
of wheat, 150 quarters of malt and 8 pipes of wine were annually
consumed.
The dissolution of this house in 1539 was accompanied by a tragic
event. John Paslow, the last Abbot, with many of his followers, had
taken part in that rebellion known as "the Pilgrimage of Grace," by
which this and the county of York were for some time greatly agitated,
and on its final suppression Paslow, with others, was lodged in
Lancaster Castle, from whence he was taken back to Whalley, and on
March 12, 1537, was executed in front of his own monastery along with
John Eastgate, one of his monks, who was hung, drawn and quartered,
whilst a third brother of his order was on the following day hung on a
gallows at Padiham. Of this stately building comparatively little now
remains.[184] The whole area of the close contains nearly thirty-seven
statute acres, and is defined by the remains of a deep trench which
surrounds it. The abbey was approached through two strong and stately
gateways yet remaining. These gateways were of the usual plain,
substantial character which was common with the Cistercian brotherhood.
The central portion of the north-west gateway is almost entire, and is
a fine specimen of the late Decorated architecture, probably of the
middle of the fourteenth century. It is of two stories, the higher
being supported on stone groining springing from wall corbels. To this
upper room, however, there is now no staircase; access must have been
gained from apartments lying on the north and south of the existing
portions, but no trace of these is left. The north-east gateway is of
much later date; it has a spiral staircase in an angle turret which
leads to the second story and roof. The house itself stood on the bank
of the Calder; it consisted of three quadrangles, besides stables and
offices. Of these the first and most westerly was the cloister court,
of which the nave of the conventual church formed the north side;
the south transept, sacristy, chapter-house, penitentiary, and part
of the refectory, the east; the kitchens, principal refectory, etc.,
the south; and the guest-house the west. The roof of the cloister
was supported on wooden posts, the corbels for bearing the rafters
being still visible.
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