Jervaulx Abbey: The historic abbey where monks first came up with the recipe for Wensleydale cheese

Because the land was found to be too poor for farming, ten years later the monastery moved to a location near today’s village of East Witton, further down the dale, and was dedicated to St. Mary.

The name Jervaulx was derived from the abbey’s original name, Jorvalle, thought to be either French for the Ure valley, by which Wensleydale was then known because of the River Ure, or a translation of the Old English for Uredale or Yoredale.

It was a daughter house of another Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, Byland Abbey on the edge of the North York Moors.

In common with other abbeys, Jervaulx became extremely wealthy through vast land ownership.

It was famous for breeding horses, a tradition which is still carried on in the nearby town of Middleham, and is reputed to be where the recipe for Wensleydale cheese was first developed by monks who came from the cheese-making Roquefort area of France.

Following the abbey’s destruction during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, which began in 1536, the buildings were plundered.

St. Andrew’s Church at Aysgarth now contains the gilded rood screen; another carved screen is at nearby Spennithorne; and a window was moved to St. Gregory’s Church in Bedale.

Today the striking ruins include large sections of the church, cloister buildings, and a watermill. Unlike better known abbeys like Fountains and Rievaulx, Jervaulx is privately owned.

The Burdon family purchased it in 1971 and now maintains the estate with visitors making contributions in an honesty box or online.

The abbey’s website states: “Our restoration ethos prioritises preserving the peace, wildlife and tranquility”.