Hexham Abbey


Hexham Abbey is a Grade I listed church dedicated to St Andrew, in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in the North East of England. Originally built in AD 674, the Abbey was built up during the 12th century into its current form, with additions around the turn of the 20th century. Since the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham. In 2014 the Abbey regained ownership of its former monastic buildings, which had been used as Hexham magistrates' court, and subsequently developed them into a permanent exhibition and visitor centre, telling the story of the Abbey's history.

History

There has been a church on the site for over 1300 years since Etheldreda, Queen of Northumbria, made a grant of lands to St Wilfrid, Bishop of York, c.674 AD. Of Wilfrid's Benedictine abbey, which was constructed almost entirely of material salvaged from nearby Roman ruins, the Saxon crypt still remains; as does a frith stool, a 7th/8th century cathedra or throne. For a little while around that time it was the seat of a bishopric.
In the year 875 Halfdan Ragnarsson the Dane ravaged the whole of Tyneside, and Hexham Church was plundered and burnt to the ground.
About 1050, one Eilaf was put in charge of Hexham, although as treasurer of Durham, he probably never went there. Eilaf was instructed to rebuild Hexham Church, which then lay in utter ruin. His son Eilaf II completed the work, probably building in the Norman style.
In Norman times, Wilfrid's abbey was replaced by an Augustinian priory. The current church largely dates from c.1170–1250, built in the Early English style of architecture. The choir, north and south transepts and the cloisters, where canons studied and meditated, date from this period.
The east end was rebuilt in 1858. The Abbey was largely rebuilt during the incumbency of Canon Edwin Sidney Savage, who came to Hexham in 1898 and remained until 1919. This mammoth project involved re-building the nave, whose walls incorporate some of the earlier church, and the restoration of the choir. The nave was re-consecrated on 8 August 1908.
The church was recorded as Grade I listed in 1951. In 1996 an additional chapel was created at the east end of the north choir aisle; named St Wilfrid's Chapel, which offers a place for prayer or quiet reflection. A high-profile wedding in the same year saw West Sussex socialites, Joanna and Richard Britton, married in the Abbey with their first-born son, Joshua, returning a year later for his christening service.

Stained glass

Four of the stained glass windows in the Abbey are the work of Jersey-born stained glass artist Henry Thomas Bosdet who was commissioned by the Abbey. The east window was the first project and was installed about 1907. Two smaller windows followed and the large west window was installed in 1918.

Crypt

The crypt is a plain structure of four chambers. Here were exhibited the relics which were a feature of Wilfrid's church. It consists of a chapel with an ante-chapel at the west end, two side passages with enlarged vestibules and three stairways. The chapel and ante-chapel are barrel-vaulted. All the stones used are of Roman workmanship and many are carved or with inscriptions. One inscription on a slab, partially erased, is:

IMP •CAES •L •SEP • • •
PERTINAX •ET •IMPC • •
AVR •ANTONINV • • • •
VS • • • • • • • • •
• • • •HORTE • • •
VEXILLATION • • • • •
FECERVNT SVB • • • • •

Translated, this means The Emperor Lucius Septimus Severus Pius Pertinax and his sons the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus and Publius Geta Caesar the cohorts and detachments made this under the command of ….. The words erased are of great interest: after the Emperor Geta was murdered by his brother Caracalla, an edict was made at Rome ordering that whenever the two names appeared in combination that of Geta was to be erased. This so-called damnatio memoriae was carried out, but so poorly that the name can still be read.

Bishopric of Hexham

The first diocese of Lindisfarne was merged into the Diocese of York in 664. York diocese was then divided in 678 by Theodore of Tarsus, forming a bishopric for the country between the Rivers Aln and Tees, with a seat at Hexham and/or Lindisfarne. This gradually and erratically merged back into the bishopric of Lindisfarne. Eleven bishops of Hexham followed St. Eata, of which six were saints.
No successor was appointed in 821, the condition of the country being too unsettled. A period of disorder followed the Danish devastations, after which Hexham monastery was reconstituted in 1113 as a priory of Austin Canons, which flourished until its dissolution under Henry VIII. Meantime the bishopric had been merged in that of Lindisfarne, which latter see was removed to Chester-le-Street in 883, and thence to Durham in 995.

Bishops

  • Eata, 'bishop of Bernicia', with his seat at Hexham and/or Lindisfarne, died 685, succeeded by John of Beverley
  • Trumbert, 682, as 'bishop of Hexham', at the same time as Trumwine's installation, with Eata continuing as bishop at Lindisfarne
  • Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, 685, after Trumbert's deposition, moving his seat to Lindisfarne to become bishop of Lindisfarne
  • St. John of Beverley . From then on, the seat was at Hexham, and the bishopric of Lindisfarne continued independently, with Eadberht succeeding Cuthbert
  • St. Wilfrid, who, resigning the See of York, died as Bishop of Hexham in 709
  • St. Acca, Wilfrid's successor, from 709
  • Frithubeorht 734–766
  • St. Eahlmund 767–781
  • Tilbeorht 781–789
  • Æthelberht 789–797 transferred from Whithorn
  • Heardred 797–800
  • Eanbehrt 800–813
  • Tidfrith, last bishop in this line, who died about 821

    Rectors

  • Canon Barker 1866–18
  • Edwin Sidney Savage 1898–1918
  • James Vaux Cornell Farquhar 1919–1945
  • Archibald George Hardie 1945–1962
  • Rowland Lemmon 1962–1975
  • Bishop Anthony Hunter 1975–1979
  • Timothy Withers Green 1979–1984
  • Michael Middleton 1985–1992
  • Canon Michael Nelson 1992–2004
  • Canon Graham Usher 2004–2014
  • Canon Dr Dagmar Winter 2015–2019
  • Canon David Glover, KHC 2020

    Other notable clergy

  • Reverend Thomas Henry Sparshott 1876, temporary junior curate

    Notable burials

  • Ælfwald I of Northumbria
  • Eata of Hexham
  • Frithubeorht
  • Acca of Hexham
  • Alchmund of Hexham
  • Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
  • Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros
  • Robert Umfraville I
  • Odinel Umfraville I
  • Gilbert de Umfraville
  • Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus
  • Matilda, Countess of Angus
  • Robert Ogle
  • Caleb Rotheram D.D., dissenting minister and tutor

    Tombstone of Flavinus, Roman standard-bearer

The tombstone of Flavinus is one of the most significant Roman finds in Britain. It can be found in the Abbey in front of a blocked doorway at the foot of the Night Stair. Flavinus was a Roman cavalry officer who died aged 25 in the first century. The slab is thought to have once stood near the fort of Coria near Corbridge and was brought here as a building stone in the 12th century. The slab was laid face-upward in the foundations of the cloister and was rediscovered in 1881.

Hexham Hoard

In 1833 a hoard of approximately 8000 stycas were discovered whilst a grave was being dug in the Campey Hill area close to the north transept. The Hexham Hoard was concealed circa 850. It was composed of coins from the reigns of Eanred, Aethelred II and Redwulf, as well as coins of two archbishops Eanbald and Wigmund.

Organ

In 1865 the Abbey acquired a second-hand organ from Carlisle Cathedral dating from 1804. It was installed in Hexham by Nicholson of Newcastle and opened on 19 October 1865. In 1905 this was rebuilt by Norman and Beard with Sir Frederick Bridge of Westminster Abbey as the consultant.
In 1974 a new instrument by Lawrence Phelps of Pennsylvania was installed. It is a two manual 34-stop mechanical action instrument.

Organists

  • George Agnew Reay 1820–????
  • William Turner 1826–1865 1834–1855–1865
  • John Nicholson 1865–1878
  • James Price 1878–1882
  • Thomas Simpson Camidge 1882–1889
  • Richard Seaton 1889–1909
  • Ronald Richardson Potter 1909–1911
  • Newell Smith Wallbank 1911–1917
  • Harry William Tupper 1917–1918
  • Hubert Henry Norsworthy 1918
  • Newell Smith Wallbank 1918–1926
  • Cecil S. Richards 1926
  • Reginald Tustin Baker 1928–1929
  • Thomas Christy 1933–1945
  • Alfred Southcott Morrish 1945–1948
  • Frederick Hudson 1948–1949
  • Dr Reginald Cooper
  • Ronald Womersley
  • Terence Atkinson 1965–1985
  • John Green 1985–2000
  • Michael Haynes 2000–2011
  • Marcus Wibberley 2011–2017
  • Michael Haynes 2017–present

    Assistant organists

  • Colin Basil Fanshaw 1947–1949
  • Dorothy Alder
  • John Green 1961–1968
  • Ron Lane 1969–1977
  • John Green 1977–1983
  • Henry Wallace 1983–1999
  • Hugh Morris 2001–2009
  • Alexander Woodrow 2009–2012
  • Michael Haynes 2015–2017
  • Keith Dale 2017–2025
  • Matthew Kelley 2025–present

    Choirs

Hexham Abbey Boys' Choir consists of boys' and men's voices and sings choral evensong on Wednesdays during term time in addition to alternating morning and evening services on Sundays with the Girls Choir. The choir has made two CDs in recent years and has toured to Paris, Rome, Hanover, Berlin, Antwerp and Tallinn in addition to several tours within Great Britain. Several past members of the choir have gone on to win choral/organ scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge colleges. The choir has appeared on BBC Songs of Praise.
Hexham Abbey Girls' Choir consists of girls and men and sings choral evensong on Thursdays in term time in addition to alternating morning and evening services on Sundays with the Boys Choir. The choir began in September 2001 and is divided into junior & senior choristers aging from 7–18. The choir has toured to Dublin, Paris, Hanover, Berlin and several other places.
Hexham Abbey Chamber Choir was entirely made up of adults. They sang evensong on the first Sunday of the month and when the other Abbey Choirs we're unavailable. They appeared live on BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship. The Choir has been disbanded and no-longer performs services.