1. Time period Definition Norman Conquest Crusades Black Death
This began in 1066 when William the Conqueror invaded England. He then tried to keep control in England by controlling taxes, religion and land
Crusades
A series of religious wars between Muslims and Christians who fought over which religion Jerusalem belonged to
Black Death
A plague that spread through Europe and wiped out about 1/3 of the population. It was not known what caused it
Reformation
This was sparked off by Henry VIII’s desire to get a divorce. Monasteries and Abbeys were closed and England became Protestant

2. Which time period had the biggest impact on Romsey Abbey?

3. Learning objectives
To investigate what evidence there is of different time periods in Romsey Abbey
To investigate change over time
To gather information for your local study project

4. Background…
The Abbey Church of St Mary and St Ethelflaeda can trace its origins back to 907 AD
The first stone church and nunnery were built c AD under the Saxon Kings

5. William the Conqueror
William and the Normans wanted to show power over the country as soon as possible and built cathedrals twice the size of the Saxon churches
In Romsey, he knocked down the old Saxon Church and built a new stone Abbey in its place
It was built c – 1140 and still stands today

6. Local History competition
Warner competition
A Trust set up by Mr Warner before he passed away. He left money in a Trust and asked his wife to award it to pupils who are enthusiastic and write about local history

7. History Enrichment Portfolio
SELECT ACTIVITY… 1 2 3
Name & TG:
Teacher & class:
Mid-review date:
Due date:
Habits of Mind
Stamp

8. Pictures speak a thousand words…
Activity 1
Tell me a story…
Activity 3
Write it in a letter…
Success criteria:
-Write your FULL NAME on your work
-Create an original piece of work, individually
-Use historical evidence to support and explain points using PEEL
-Use evidence to form a historical enquiry
Activity 2
Pictures speak a thousand words…
Useful Links:
REFLECTION
What Went Well…
Even Better If…
Teacher
Pupil
ABC:
Local Warner Competition
Write a story or an article, with illustrations, about the changes that took place in Romsey Abbey throughout the time periods that you have studied
Write a collection of letters or diary entries, about the changes that took place in Romsey Abbey throughout the time periods that you have studied
Prizes to be won
Remember the 5Ws
Collate a series of photos and/or drawings and annotate them about the changes that took place in Romsey Abbey throughout the time periods that you have studied

9. Norman Conquest

10. After the Norman Conquest, William ordered for a new stone Abbey to be built on the site of the old Saxon Church.
Work began c and continued until c.1240.
The cathedrals and Abbeys begun during William’s reign were the largest buildings seen in England up to that time.
Norman architecture is also referred to as Romanesque because it was influenced by the Ancient Romans.
Ceilings of Norman churches and cathedrals were vaulted. These vaults allowed the weight of the roof to be evenly distributed throughout the pillars and walls as the main points of the vaults rested on the tops of the pillars. The Normans used three styles of vaulting: barrel, rib and cross

11. Norman architecture tends to be dominated by a round shape style
Norman architecture tends to be dominated by a round shape style. In Medieval England, the Normans used barely skilled Saxons as labourers and the tools they used were limited – axes, chisels etc. The churches and cathedrals built by the Normans tended to use large stones. This was because cutting stone to certain measurements was a skilled art and it is assumed that the Normans reckoned that the Saxons who worked on the stone would not be able to master such a skill.
DOORWAYS: Norman doorways into a church or cathedral tended to be highly decorated with concentric arches that receded into the thickness of the wall.
ROOF AND PILLARS: To assist in the support of the roofs, the Normans used large pillars. These allowed the weight of the roof to be dispersed into the foundations via the pillars – once again saving the walls from taking all of the weight of the roof. 
WINDOWS: Windows were built in a similar way to the doors, but they remained small and let in little light. This was because the Normans realised that their walls with large window spaces would not have been able to hold up the weight of the roof. 

12. Rubble at (old) ground level
WALLS AND PILLARS:
Norman walls and pillars had stone on the outer surfaces but rubble was put into the hollow between the cut stone. Hence, the effect would be wall, rubble and wall.
Pillars were effectively hollow until the central core was filled with rubble.
This method of building was not particularly strong.
To get round this and strengthen them, the Normans made their walls much thicker than later styles of building which relied on specifically cut stone that fitted together with the blocks surrounding it thus creating its own strength.
Big stones
Rubble at (old) ground level

13. The Crusades

14. This new design was called gothic.
When the Crusaders returned from Jerusalem, they brought with them many new ideas and inventions, such as: windmills, concentric castles, banks, coffee etc
One of the main ideas that they brought back with them was architecture (building design).
The Crusaders had been particularly impressed with the strong buildings and structures that they come across in Jerusalem and the decorative design.
When the Crusaders returned home, they started to use the designs that they had seen in Jerusalem in the buildings in England.
They did this because it would make the buildings stronger and because the design looked nice.
This new design was called gothic.
Flying
buttresses
The characteristic features of gothic architecture include the ribbed vault, pointed arch and the flying buttress.
By the mid-12th century many large cathedrals and abbeys had been built and the skills required to build high arches etc were well established.

15. These floor tiles are said to show pictures of crusaders
The style evolved to one that was less heavy and had larger windows and the pointed arch which is the defining characteristic of the style now known as Gothic.
With thinner walls, larger windows and high pointed arched vaults, the distinctive flying buttresses developed as a means of support. The huge windows were decorated with stone tracery and filled with stained glass showing Bible stories for the education of those who could not read.
Pressure from roof
Stone tracery
These floor tiles are said to show pictures of crusaders
The pointed arches distributed the weight from the roof well and so were much stronger than the Norman arches. This meant that windows could be bigger.

16. The Black Death

17. This is a plaque showing all of the vicars of Romsey Abbey from 1334-1984
What happened here?
A vicar died in 1349 and was replaced and then that vicar died too…WHY?
So what affect did the Black Death have on Romsey Abbey?
In 1349 the Black Death decimated (reduced) the population at large and, at the Abbey, 2 vicars died and the number of nuns declined to just 19 from 100 – so 81 nuns died of the Black Death (there wasn’t another vicar until 1371 – the Black Death struck again in ).
One of the Abbesses also died in 1349 and had to be replaced

18. Why is Salisbury Cathedral more decorative than Winchester?
The arrival of the Black Death had a big affect on the history of Romsey.
Most of the nuns, their servants and many townspeople died. The few survivors in the Abbey had to take over both the rule of the Abbey and the town.
Many peasants had died, leaving few people to work the land which was a major source of wealth for the Abbey. The nuns who survived nearly starved to death.
The numbers of people wishing to become monks or nuns fell dramatically after the Black Death, possibly because people realised that working for God did not actually protect you from disease, as they had once thought. Nuns, priests and monks died along with the rest.
Compared to the ninety or a hundred nuns before 1349, afterwards there were never more than twenty-five at the Abbey.
Winchester Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Why is Salisbury Cathedral more decorative than Winchester?
The front of Winchester Cathedral was being built and extended when the Black Death struck.
People kept dying so there were not enough people to complete the work and so the builders decided to add on a temporary front.
They intended to change the front to a more decorative one, like Salisbury Cathedral, after the Black Death – but they never got round to it and the front remains the same to this day.

19. The Reformation

20. Henry VIII wanted total power of the Church in England, as well as all it’s money. In 1536 the small monasteries were closed down. In 1539 all the big monasteries were also dissolved. Not one monastery was left in England.
The King took much of the land and the valuables. Other land was sold to the nobles and gentry. Some abbey buildings fell into ruin, some became private houses while a few became cathedrals.
The Bill of Sale (receipt) for the £100 that the people of Romsey paid Henry VIII to stop him knocking down the Abbey – but they could not stop him from knocking down the nunnery
From the list of Abbesses: After 1539 there were no more Abbesses at the Abbey because of the Dissolution of the Monasteries

21. Doors were bricked up and turned into windows.
This is where the lady chapel once stood – Henry ordered for it to be ripped down (the lady chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary – a figure of worship in the Catholic religion).
Remains of old nunnery buildings that were torn down can be seen on the outside of the Abbey
Doors were bricked up and turned into windows.
A plaque in the Abbey says that the people of Romsey paid to keep the Abbey during the Reformation.