The Abbey of St Edmund

The Abbey of St Edmund. . Bury St Edmunds Abbey was one of the largest and grandest monasteries in England. Today, it mostly lies in ruins., The abbey was a large community, with clear roles to make everything ran smoothly - just like any organization. The abbot was in charge, with support from the prior and sub-prior. Beneath them, senior monks ran their own departments in the abbey., With around 80 monks and 21 chaplains living here, it was one of the biggest monasteries in the country. A large number of servants worked for them: in the late 13th century, 111 servants lived within the precinct, and many more lived in the town., Bury's importance led to its destruction. When King Henry VIII closed the abbey in 1539, it was systemically destroyed to demonstrate the king's power and control. We can see the abbey today thanks to excavations in the 20th century and the removal of rubble from the demolished buildings., Edmund's Legend , Before England was unified under one king. Bury St Edmunds (then known as Beodricsworth) was in the kingdom of East Anglia. In the 9th century, invading Danes violently killed its ruler King Edmund. Legend says that he was tied to a tree, shot full of arrows and then beheaded. When supporters went looking for his body. they found a wolf guarding the head., Timeline , Early 900s , King Edmund's body is moved to a new church on Bury., 1020 , King Cnut makes the church into a Benedictine monastery., 1065 , Abbot Baldwin is elected and starts laying out the town plan. Early 11013s Construction in progress on the new abbey buildings., 1214 , In the abbey church, the barons swear to resist King John's tyrannical rule., 1539 , The abbey is suppressed , the monks were removed, and assets given to the king., 1831 , Botanical gardens are laid out in the former abbey precinct., 1903 , Excavations of the abbey begin with the chapter house., 1914 , The parish church of St James becomes St Edmundsbury Cathedral.