T MA HE FOR GYAOZINE MEMBEUNG RS!
THE Kids RuLe! GUIDE TO…
Can you find this cheeky monkey inside?
L K INSIDE... Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island
INTERVIEW Meet St Aelred at Rievaulx Abbey inside!
SNAKES & A B B OT S Play the game to see if you can win the top job!
ABbey daYs
BRING THIS ISSUE TO LIFE!
Discover what life was like for the monks and nuns living at our medieval monasteries
Turn to page 3 to find out how with Blippar!
Heavens!
• MEGA POSTER • PUZZLES
INSIDE • LOLS! • COOL COMPETITION
Monumental monasteriEs
In the crazy medieval world, monasteries were places of prayer, learning, charity and, above all, quiet edieval England was a pretty wild place with all the kings, queens and knights fighting over castles and land. But there were some people who just wanted a bit of peace to follow their Christian faith. Male monks and female nuns devoted their lives to the service of God from the tranquil surroundings of their monasteries (page 6). In these beautiful buildings the monks and nuns would spend most of each day praying to God and living a simple life, giving up wealth, family and even trousers and warm underwear – they preferred to just wear a simple woollen robe called a habit. When they weren’t busy saving their souls, they cared for others, giving charity to the poor and shelter for travellers, as well as looking after animals, growing food and even brewing beer (page 8).
Blip to see a video about the different types of monks See facing page to find out how! You're like a brother to me!
and gold, in what we call illuminated manuscripts (see next page). Across the country there were different types of monks and nuns. They all spent a lot of time praying but also lived and worshipped in different ways. There were those who liked grand churches (Benedictines), beautiful art (Cluniacs), those who liked to keep things simple and plain (Cistercians) and even those who chose to live on their own (Carthusians). Sadly for the monks and nuns, King Henry VIII fell out with the Pope (the head of the Catholic church) and his control of life in England, so he shut down the monasteries, taking all their wealth and letting the buildings fall into ruin. You can still see the remains of many of these today (page 10). Fortunately all the records the monks and nuns kept mean we know a lot about their history.
LOL!
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Monks and nuns were also very well educated, at a time where few people went to school (page 4). The monasteries became the libraries of their day, as monks and sometimes nuns would copy out books by hand, including the Bible, as well as recording the news of the time. Many of these books were beautifully decorated with brightly coloured pictures
Medieval D598 monasteries TheAfirst English monastery timeline is created in
The rise and fall of our grand religious buildings 02
Canterbury
How did th saints greeetwo each other?t Halo!
AD680
AD793
AD1071
The first abbess of Whitby, Hilda, passes away. She later becomes St Hilda
The monks of Lindisfarne Priory are killed by Vikings from Scandinavia
William the Conqueror creates Battle Abbey on the spot where Harold was killed
Bring THIS ISSUE TO LIFE! Look for the Blippar logo to discover extra cool stuff through a smartphone camera. Here's how... Ask a grown-up to download the Blippar app to a phone or tablet
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Launch Blippar and fill the screen with the page you wish to Blipp
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A day in the life...
6
St Augustine's Abbey guide
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Look inside...
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Medieval monastery poster
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Rievaulx Abbey revealed
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Interview with St Aelred
Turn your initials into a work of art and send a photo for your chance to win
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What's for dinner?
When monks and nuns made books they decorated the pages with beautiful illuminated letters like those below. We’re challenging you to design your own illuminated initials for your chance to win a goody bag worth £100. Go to www.englishheritage.org.uk/kids to find out how to enter.
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Snakes & abbots
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Monastery of fun
Look out for this symbol on pages that have Blippable content
2
Watch the page come to life, giving you access to extra cool stuff!
4
WIN
A COOL GOODY BAG!
of a chorister at Battle Abbey
Introducing the centre of Christianity
Discover life within Lindisfarne Priory
The next part of your mega timeline!
Inside Yorkshire's famous monastery
Meet Rievaulx's kindly abbot
Join us for Lent at Cleeve Abbey
Play to see if you can get the top job!
Put your new knowledge to the test! Hey you! Come and play on page 14!
This magazine is published on behalf of English Heritage by Immediate Media Co. www.immediate.co.uk For English Heritage Luke Whitcomb, Johanna Lovesey, Tersia Boorer, Tony Dike, Rebecca Thompson For Immediate Media Co Group editor Matt Havercroft Art editor Sam Freeman Group production editor Oliver Hurley Senior account executive Georgina Luton Director Julie Williams Editorial director Dan Linstead Design director Will Slater
Illustration and photographs Wesley Robins, Peter Byrne 200440
Terms and conditions The closing date and time for entries is 30 April 2018. The promoter is English Heritage. If you are under 13 you need permission from your parent/guardian before entering the competition. One winner will receive an English Heritage goody bag worth £100. For full terms and conditions go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/kids.
Contributors Jeremy Ashbee, Michael Carter, Adam Rees
AD1128
AD1227
AD1348
AD1536
AD1540
The first Cistercian monastery, Waverley Abbey, is created in Surrey
Hinton Priory is created. It is the first of the Carthusian monasteries
Lots of monks and nuns die during the Black Death
King Henry VIII starts to shut down the monasteries in what is known as the dissolution
England's last monasteries are closed. The monks and nuns have to find new lives 03
A day in the life…
O Lord, make haste to help us…
Meet Martin, a chorister at Battle Abbey in the year 1500
Martin is a chorister. He’s been at Battle Abbey – dedicated to St Martin – for a year and is getting used to the routine of singing, worship, singing, waiting on the lord abbot, and more singing…
Even on the coldest mornings, Martin and the other boys get up before dawn to sing the first service in the abbot’s private chapel.
O Lord (yawn), have mercy on us…
What is it today sir?
Latin, some chanting and a service from the king’s chapel!
After a breakfast of bread and weak beer, it’s off to the abbey’s song school, where he reports to the master.
Martin remembers that the abbey was founded on the very spot where William the Conqueror defeated King Harold, England’s last Saxon king.
I’m glad I’m singing instead of fighting!
After a few hours, it’s time to go into the abbey church to sing High Mass. The church is decorated with the coat of arms of the Norman knights who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Lord, have mercy on their souls
Back to school… Martin and the other choristers are wearing the uniform of the abbot of Battle. It’s made of fine cloth and is richly embroidered with the abbey’s coat of arms.
It’s time to wait on Abbot Laurence in his sumptuous hall. But Martin’s more interested in playing with the abbot’s pet monkey.
That’s a nice gold chain around your neck… oops!
Pride is a sin! Get back to your Latin… you’ve 150 Psalms to learn!
As a punishment, Martin is sent to clean out the monks’ toilets. There’s no natural water supply, so this has to be done by hand.
The monkey has escaped again! Now you’re in trouble boy!
Be merry all…
Eurgh! O Lord, make haste to help me…
It’s dinner time for Martin and the other boys. As usual, it’s vegetable stew, grainy bread and more very weak beer. Martin and the other choristers sing a carol written by one of the monks.
Martin heads back to the abbot’s chapel for the evening service. To his horror, he realises it’s the king’s chapel music from earlier that he hasn’t learned.
Gulp!
Thankfully, the abbot has to welcome an important visitor, so Martin escapes any punishment. As he goes to bed, he vows to be a better student. To follow in Martin’s footsteps at Battle Abbey, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/battle
LOL!
St What did nd a e in t s u Aug ave h rt e b h St Cut mmon? in co me! A first na
mAN On A
MIsSIoN
Visit the monastery in Kent where Christianity was introduced to England
X MARKS THE SPOT
THEN MAKING BELIEVERS
HOLY ORDER
The St Augustine monks’ biggest rivals were the monks at near by Canterbury Cathed ral. They used to argu e over who should be in charge.
after The abbey is named n who St Augustine, an Italia ns to xo -Sa glo An converted s here Christianity. The monk tine followed the Benedic practice of worship.
The abbey was cre ated in 598 to mark th e place where Augustine starte his mission. By 1066 d it was one of the big gest monasteries in En gland.
NOW
OVER TO YO U W
HOLIDAY HOME
rist The abbey was a tou es. tim l va die me in n tio attrac ct pe res y pa to Pilgrims came the as h suc ics rel s ou igi to rel who was remains of St Mildred, nnery. nu y arb ne a of ss abbe
h Augusti y was St ne enough impor tant to abbey n have an am af ter him ed ?
SAINT OR SINGER?
There have been many English saints but can you guess which of the following are the pop imposters?
Historians think th e Bayeux Tapestry, showing the even ts of the Battle of Hasti ng could have been ma s, de by the St Augustine mo nks.
06
ST CUTHBERT
ST SWIFT ST BENEDICT
Saint or ain’t? Answers below...
ST BIEBER
ST SHEERAN
ST HILD IMPOSTERS St Swift, St Bieber and St Sheeran
BATTLE SCENES
Look inside... Lindisfarne Priory
LOL!
What’s and whitbelaack red all over?nd A sunburnt nun!
Discover what life was like at this monastery on remote Holy Island
1
Daily prayers
The church at Lindisfarne on Holy Island, Northumberland, was the location of a shrine of St Cuthbert, an important AngloSaxon saint. The monks gathered here several times a day for services.
2
Broken sleep
The upper floor of this building was the dormitory, where the monks slept. It was unheated and the monks had to get up in the middle of the night to go to church.
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Prior protection
The prior – the head of the monastery – lived here. The towers and battlements are unusual for a monastery and gave protection from attacks by the Scots.
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Stew on the menu
This was the refectory where the monks ate together. Their diet was based on a thick vegetable stew, bread and weak beer. Meals were eaten in silence while listening to a reading from a religious book.
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Bed and breakfast
THEN NOW
The monastery’s guests were provided with food and shelter in the guesthouse. Visitors to Lindisfarne would have included pilgrims to its shrine of St Cuthbert.
6
Fortified farm
With its stables, piggeries, henhouses, haystacks and piles of wood, the monastery’s outer court was like a farmyard. The strong outer wall provided protection in case of attack.
Discover more at www.english-heritage.org.uk/lindisfarne 07
$ COLLECT
ALL 12 POSTERS!
Life in the outer court of this 14thcentury monastery was a hive of activity, with a guest house, piggery, almonry (where charity was given to the poor), grammar school and a beer brewery.
Over to you! • What jobs are the children doing? • How many monks can you spot? • Why did people visit here? • What’s happening in the chapel? • What would school be like here?
Collect them all! This is the fifth of 12 posters you can collect to make a mega timeline of English history. You can get the first four at www. english-heritage.org.uk/kids
The ruins of Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire tell the story of this magnificent monastery and its most famous saint
NORTHE ST R FOUNDING FATHERS Cistercian monks, who liked to keep things simple and plain, set up Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire in 1132. The abbey’s magnificent ruins are evidence of the dedication of its monks. As well as being a place of worship, the abbey was very influential.
IRON MEN
As well as being very good at praying, the monks of Rievaulx were also skilled craftsmen. They even mined iron ore and had furnaces to make iron objects. The furnaces were so good that after it was closed down, ironworks were set up within the ruins of Rievaulx.
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SCOTTISH SCOUNDRELS While many abbeys were attacked by Vikings in earlier centuries, Rievaulx’s location in north England meant it was target for Scottish raiders. After the Scots defeated the English army at the Battle of Scawton Moor, King Edward II, who was staying at the abbey, had to flee, leaving his wife, treasure and even his dinner!
Here’s hoping it’s gruel for dinner!
rn
ALL CHANGE
The Rievaulx monks started off as Cistercians, worshipping in a simple and strict way. They rebuilt their church to provide a magnificent setting for the relics – or bones – of St Aelred. Their food and accommodation also improved.
DIVINE INSPIRATION
TURN OVER TO READ AN INTERVIEW WITH AELRED!
When the sun shines through the remains of its great arches, the ruins of Rievaulx are very beautiful, providing inspiration to many artists and writers over the last 200 years. Perhaps you should plan a visit too?
HOLY AELRED
Rievaulx’s most famous abbot was a man called Aelred. He lived a life of such holiness that after his death he became a saint. He wrote many books that are still read today.
PROMISES, PROMISES…
Can you guess which of the following vows monks and nuns really used to take?
ReliabilITY (no lateness)
EWE MUST BE JOKING!
spontaneity (no planning)
POVERTY (no money)
HUMIDITY (no humming) HilarITY (no laughing) OBEDIENCE (obeying God, the abbot or abbess)
ANSWERS Poverty and obedience
TENDING THE FLOCK
A type of monk, called lay brothers, helped look after 12,000 sheep. Sheep fleeces were sold as far away as Italy and, thanks to the money they generated, the abbey was very wealthy.
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Q&A Interview with St Aelred We sent young Members Emily and Sam to Rievaulx Abbey to meet its most famous monk
E: Why are you called Aelred? My name means noble counsel – it’s Anglo-Saxon. My family come from the north of England and they are devoted to the northern saints – especially St Cuthbert.
S: What does a monk do? When you become a monk you leave the world behind with all its riches and possessions, and instead you come to an abbey and dedicate your life to the glory of God.
S: What do you eat for breakfast?
S: Why are your robes white? White is the natural colour of wool when it comes off a sheep’s back and so it is the cheapest, and it’s a way of showing that we believe strongly in our vow of poverty.
E: Do you have to be silent all the time and, if so, how do you communicate ? St Benedict, whose rule we follow, stresses that silence is important as it stops us gossiping and lets us concentrate on God. We’re not allowed to talk at certain times of day but we have signs we use to communicate so people still know what is going on!
Watch the video Scan this page with Blippar (see page 3) or go to www. english-heritage.org.uk/kids
PETER BYRNE
St Aelred shows Sam and Emily how to make monk porridge!
We have one meal a day, usually in the middle of the day, which is sort of like porridge, made of bread that you grind up, hot
water, vegetables, herbs and maybe some fish.
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What’s for dinner? It’s the mid-15th century and the Cistercian monks are gathered in the refectory at Cleeve Abbey to eat their only meal of the day LOL! an
’s Whatot’s abb rite favouood? seaf sh! fi Monk
Monks ate together in a special room called the refectory. Their diet was mainly vegetarian, although fish (and, by the late Middle Ages, also meat) was allowed on special occasions. For most of the year the monks had only one main meal a day. They ate in silence while listening to a reading from the bible or another religious book.
Vegetable soup
Grainy bread
Green vegetables
The monks lived mainly on a diet of thick, porridge-like soup, cooked without any fat. It would have tasted very plain – not like the soup we’re used to today!
Although fresh, the monk’s bread was rough and teeth-breakingly hard. However, they would soften it by soaking it in beer and it would have been filling.
Monks would have eaten the vegetables they grew in their gardens in the grounds of the abbey. These included leeks, peas and beans.
Fish Fresh fish was a real treat that was only eaten on occasions such as the feast days of saints. Eggs and other delicacies were also served on special occasions. These treats were known as pittances.
How has food changed?
OVER TO YO U W
hat foo d you mis would most liv s the in a mona g in stery?
Weak beer (and lots of it!) Monks would drink up to a gallon of ‘small beer’ a day. As well as being a safe way of staying hydrated, it was an important source of energy.
Imagine you invited a monk to dinner. What modern-day meal would you make for them? What things that we eat today do you think a monk would find strange or funny?
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49
You are seen falling asleep in church!
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51
52 53
48
47 46
Being in charge seems like a lot of work – you decide to say no to being abbot
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45 34
35
Oh no! Someone spots you taking a midnight snack from the kitchen!
You go on a long journey to Rome and bring back special presents for the abbey from the Pope!
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36 37
30
28 Your Latin is terrible!
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31
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29 20
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You are friendly and supportive to other monks
You do lots of horrible jobs without moaning – even cleaning the toilets!
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21 13
You are told off for chatting when you should be reading
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16 15 1
2
START
You enter the abbey as a novice
3
4
You work hard at your reading!
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11
54
55
56 YOU ARE CHOSEN TO BE ABBOT!
Oops! You spend all the abbey’s money on delicious dinners
42
Sister Sledge
MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYER!
Baz Habit
41 Seya Prayer
43 38
39
40
The current abbot retires‌ other monks think you might do a good job
You have lots of arguments with other monks
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26
25
You go to Oxford University and work hard to get a degree
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24 9
1 You learn a lot about God, the saints and your monastery
10 7 You have just celebrated your 30th birthday, the minimum age for an abbot
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8
Keith
SNAKES
&
AbBOTs Play the game to see if you can make it to the top of the board first to become an abbot. If you land on a ladder, follow it up to the space above. If you land on a snake, follow it down. Go to www.english-heritage. org.uk/kids to download the printable 3D players, spinner and game board.
Y r e t s a n Mo of fun
Cool stuff to try now you’ve learned about life in the abbeys
Make medieval parchment
Chanting practice
Monks and nuns create d the libraries of the day, copying out religious texts an d histories in beautifu l handwriting. Here’s how to make your own parchment to write on
When monks and nuns sang in y church, they did so in Latin. The Irae Dies like nts cha le sang simp (Day of Wrath), which had lines such as, ‘O what shall I, so guilty plead? And who for me will intercede? When even saints shall comfort need?’
ke a piece of paper. Dip 1 aTatea and bag in some water 5 wrUnitefuronl yoit.urIfscryoollu wa nt to make it look more rea Put the wet bag on the listic, 2 paper, turning it brown you can put a few sm all
Why not try singing this over one of your favourite pop songs, to then find the real thing online n whe nd sou to d use it how see sung in the monasteries?
Monks had to stay silent for hours and hours at a time. See how long you can manage. Your parents will be very pleased!
Once you’ve finished your 6 do cument, roll it back up
s dried, roll 4 itOnupceanit dhakee p it tight
and ask a grown up to seal it with some can dle wax, using a 2p piece to make a mark.
with an elastic band
LOL!
Guess who
What do ople in monaspe te sleep on?ries There were loads of different jobs in England’s monasteries. See if you Monk beds!
can match the job with the correct job description (answers below)
A
Abbot/abbess
B Choir leader
Prior/prioress
C
Almoner
D
Bursar Cantor Cellarer
infirmarer
Looked after financial affairs of monastery
I don’t think much of the new barber!
In charge of the cellar and stores
Gave alms (money or food) to the poor and sick
E Cared for sick and elderly mo nk
s
F
The head of a priory
G The head of an abbey ANSWERS 1G, 2F, 3D, 4A, 5B, 6C, 7E
TAKE A VOW OF SILENCE
3
tears on the edges
Leave the paper and wait until it’s dried ou t
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