Ecumenical landmark as ruined priory hosts saint's day service

THE last time Catholics were able to worship on the site of Bolton Priory was before the Reformation.

On the orders of Henry VIII, the monastery was torn down and pillaged for its lead as the Church of England broke away from Rome.

But the years were rolled back yesterday when an ecumenical service was held on the site of the majestic ruins.

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It was organised by Canon George Moffat, rector of Bolton Priory, who said: "This is the first time since the English Reformation that all these Christians have joined together so it's quite a considerable gap."

He added: "It has taken them a long time to sort it out."

Today the priory, which overlooks the River Wharfe on the Bolton Abbey estate, is a destination popular with tourists but it was once the scene of destruction.

After the dissolution of the monasteries was completed in 1541 the nave remained in use at the priory and to this day it continues as a place of worship.

All the attached priory buildings were, however, stripped of their lead roofs and the stonework crumbled after being left exposed to the elements.

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Yesterday those from different faiths gathered for the service which took place partly in the priory church and partly in the ruined chancel of the priory.

Guests included the Duke of Devonshire, the former Archbishop of York, David Hope, Father David Kelly, of the Milltown Institute in Dublin, and the Rev Geoffrey Wainwright, a professor, Methodist academic and ordained minister from Duke University in North Carolina, in the United States.

Canon Moffat, speaking ahead of the celebration, said: "I think it will be very evocative for people of what the Church used to be like and this may be a sign of what can be in the future.

"It's to give people a vision of what you can do with a ruin. You can still use it to worship."

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He added: "The chancel was the burial place of the Clifford family until the Reformation and John Clifford who fought with Henry VIII at Agincourt was interred there and some of the great local families were buried there as well because it was considered to be the most holiest place in all of Wharfedale really."

The celebration was held to mark the holy day of St Mary, who is the patron saint of the priory. Canon Moffat believes it is the first time an ecumenical service has been held on the site since the Reformation. Over time, occasional services have been held in the ruins but it is thought yesterday's worship

was the first in more than 20 years.

The land at Bolton Abbey was granted to Augustinian Canons in 1154 by Lady Alice de Rumilly.

Canon Moffat said the monastery was never sizeable. It had only about fifteen canons, but there would have been about 200 people working on the site, including farmers and teachers.

"It would be a typical kind of community life," he added.

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The estate's tenants tended to have long leases so they were not as affected by the dissolution. But in other ways, with the canons gone, community life changed considerably.

People lost their source of education and things like health services and the local economy began to be driven by individuals rather than the community.

Some of the monks bequeathed money to Bolton Priory hoping that they could come back. "They actually thought that God would severely punish Henry VIII," Canon Moffat added.

In 1543 the Bolton Abbey estate was given to Henry Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, and its ownership then passed through marriage to the Earl of Burlington and then to the Duke of Devonshire in 1753.

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The estate, which includes the ruins of the 11th century Bolton Priory, features more than 85 miles of footpaths, 14,000 acres of heather moorland, 1,500 acres of woodland, several residential and commercial properties and 14,000 acres of agricultural land supporting more than 50 farms.

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