Selby Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey and current Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the Major Churches Network in England.

Monastic history

thumb|275x275px|The Nave

The church is one of the few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period and one of the largest. It was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family.

On 31 May 1256, the abbey was bestowed with the grant of a mitre by Pope Alexander IV and from this date was a "Mitred Abbey". This privilege fell into abeyance a number of times, but on 11 April 1308, Archbishop William Greenfield confirmed the grant, and Selby remained a "Mitred Abbey" until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Archbishop Walter Giffard visited the monastery in 1275 by commission, and several monks and the abbot were charged with a list of faults including loose living: many complaints referred to misconduct with married women. In 1279 Archbishop William de Wickwane made a visitation, and found fault with the abbot as he did not observe the Rule of Saint Benedict, was not singing mass, preaching or teaching, and was seldom attending chapter. Things had not improved much in 1306 when Archbishop William Greenfield visited, and similar visitations in later years resulted in similar findings.

Vicars of Selby Abbey

Source:

The fire of 1906

thumb|left|The abbey after the fire of 1906

The organ builders from John Compton had been working until 11.00 pm on Friday 19 October, and shortly after midnight on Saturday the organist Frederick William Sykes spotted flames coming from the organ chamber. The organ builders had been installing a new kinetic gas engine to provide power to the new organ. Initial reports that the new organ equipment was to blame for the fire were later proved inaccurate.

The fire destroyed the roof of the choir and the belfry and peal of eight bells was also destroyed. All of the interior fittings were also destroyed but thanks to the actions of the local fire brigade, the fourteenth-century stained glass in the East window was saved.

A secondary fire broke out in the nave roof on the Sunday, but this was quickly extinguished.

The abbey was rebuilt under the supervision of John Oldrid Scott at a cost of around £50,000 (equivalent to £ in ) and reopened in 1909. The restoration of the south transept was completed in 1912, funded by William Liversedge.

Later twentieth century

In 1952 the abbey was given Grade I listed status. World Monuments Fund committed more than $800,000 to exterior work, including roof repairs, beginning in 2002.

The Washington Window

thumb|right|[[Coat of arms of the Washington family in fifteenth-century stained glass at Selby Abbey, England]]

A notable feature of the abbey is the fifteenth-century Washington Window, located at the clerestory level of the quire, which features the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. It is believed the shield is in the Abbey thanks to a financial benefaction supporting the work of the monastery at Selby from John Wessington, one of George Washington's ancestors, who was Prior of Durham from 1416 to 1446. The design is thought to be one of the oldest representations of the Flag of the United States in the world.

Selby Abbey is on the 'American Trail' of attractions around the UK with strong American historical connections.

Organ

thumb|left|The organ at Selby Abbey, built in 1909 by [[William Hill & Son, (south) case designed by John Oldrid Scott]]

The previous organ was installed in 1825 by Renn and Boston, in a gallery on the east side of the choir screen wall. It was rebuilt several times by Booth of Wakefield, Forster and Andrews of Hull and Conacher of Huddersfield. In 1868 the organ was rebuilt and moved to a bay in the quire. The opening recital was given by William Thomas Best. This organ was rebuilt in 1891 by James Jepson Binns of Bramley and moved again, this time to the north side of the quire. A rebuild took place by John Compton in 1906, but the organ was destroyed by the great fire of that year, which nearly destroyed the abbey too.

Following the 1906 fire and as part of the subsequent restoration of the Abbey, the firm of William Hill & Son was commissioned to build the current organ, completed in 1909. With 67 speaking stops and 4 manuals, most of the pipes of this instrument occupy two organ cases designed by John Oldrid Scott and placed either side of the choir stalls in the Chancel. The huge pipes of the "Pedal: 32' Double Open Diapason" lie horizontally on the floor of the Triforium overlooking the Nave.

The first major restoration of this organ was carried out in 1950 by Hill, Norman and Beard. In the early 1960s, the Italian virtuoso Fernando Germani made several LP recordings at the Abbey of organ music by Reger, Franck and Liszt, bringing the organ to international attention. In 1975, further alterations and additions were made to the organ by John T. Jackson.

By the 2010s, the organ was showing its age and becoming increasingly unreliable. In 2014, Geoffrey Coffin and Principal Pipe Organs of York were commissioned to carry out a major restoration with Paul Hale as the adviser. The project was completed in 2016.

Organists and Directors of Music

  • Wharton Hooper 1864–1866
  • Edward Johnson Bellerby 1878–1881
  • Frederick William Sykes 1881–1919
  • Henry Oswald Hodgson 1920–1921
  • Herbert Hill 1921–1922
  • Walter Hartley 1922–1962
  • David Patrick Gedge 1962–1966
  • Mervyn John Byers 1966–1976
  • Peter Seymour 1976–1978
  • Anthony Langford 1978–1980
  • Mervyn John Byers 1980–1987
  • Geoffrey Pearce 1987–1994
  • Roger Tebbet 1994–2020
  • James Lowery (Interim Organist) 2020–2021
  • Oliver Waterer 2021–
  • Ian Seddon (Assistant Organist) 2023–

Burials

  • Thomas Thwaites<!-- not Thomas Thwaites (civil servant) --> and wife Alice de la Hay

Bishop of Selby

The Bishop of Selby is a Suffragan Bishop to the Archbishop of York and oversees the Archdeaconry of York, which includes the Deanery of Selby.

See also

  • Monk Fryston
  • Monk Fryston Hall
  • List of monastic houses in North Yorkshire
  • List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches
  • Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire (district)
  • Listed buildings in Selby

References

  • Selby Abbey Online Gallery
  • Official website of Selby Abbey.
  • Views of Selby Abbey.
  • Selby Abbey Images
  • Selby Abbey Organ Appeal