In the centre of Sawley Village next to the Village Hall is Sawley Abbey a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Sawley Abbey was founded in 1146 on land given by William, third Lord Percy. The Percys, Northumberland’s greatest family, remained patrons of the abbey for much of its existence.

The help of these wealthy benefactors proved invaluable in the 1280s when it seemed likely that the monks would abandon the site, as they claimed that poor harvests, marshy ground and the inhospitable climate made life at Sawley untenable.

In spring 1536 the monks of Sawley Abbey surrendered during Henry VIII’s Suppression of the Monasteries. However, that autumn, during the northern rising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, the abbey was restored under a new abbot, William Trafford.

The rebellion failed and Trafford was hanged at Lancaster in March 1537 and the abbey was immediately plundered of all its valuables.

(Photographed Tuesday 12th November 2024)