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Greyabbey or Grey Abbey is a small village, townland (of 208 acres) [4] and civil parish located on the eastern shores of Strangford Lough, on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 7 miles (11 km) south of Newtownards. Both townland and civil parish are situated in the historic barony of Ards Lower. [4]
About. Along with Inch Abbey, Greyabbey is the best example of Anglo-Norman Cistercian architecture in Ulster and was the daughter house of Holm Cultram (Cumbria). It was founded in 1193 by Affreca, wife of John de Courcy, the Anglo-Norman invader of East Ulster.
Greyabbey is known as locally as the ‘wedding village’ due to the array of businesses that cater for them. From a church to a wedding venue to a wedding dress shop, not forgetting beautiful bespoke accommodation for you and your friends, this little village really does have everything.
This historic building dating from 1193 is one of Ireland’s most impressive examples of early gothic architecture. The remains of the Abbey are situated in beautiful parkland on the outskirts of our village.
- Greyabbey Location
- John de Courcy and Affreca
- The Abbey
- The Fate of The Abbey
- The Montgomerys
- The Village of Greyabbey
- Epilogue
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In the historic barony of Ards Lower, and 7 miles from Newtownards, not far from the eastern shores of Strangford Lough sits the little village of Greyabbey (also known as Grey Abbey). As its name suggests, this townland grew up around an important monastic settlement. Even today the ruins of Greyabbey are an impressive and imposing sight at the no...
Marriage
Affreca was the daughter of Godred Olafsson, King of the Isles. These were the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands in the Firth of Clyde. Her mother, Finnguala was born into the MacLochlainn clan. This dynasty ruled Cenel Eoghain, the western region of the province of Ulster. They were branch or ‘kin’ of the northern Ui Neills, who had their capital at Ailechin modern County Donegal. In 1180 Affreca wed John de Courcy, an ambitious Anglo-Norman invader knight, who had successfully estab...
Conflict
However, in 1205, de Courcy was ousted from Ireland by the English king John, who was concerned at just how powerful de Courcy was becoming. He was replaced by Hugh de Lacy, the 1st Earl of Ulster. De Courcy turned for help to his brother-in-law Ragnvald Godredsson, who had succeeded his father in 1187. With 100 ships, Ragnvald and de Courcy laid siege to Dundrum Castle. It is ironic that de Courcy had actually had this castle constructed in 1203 with defence in mind. His siege was unsuccessf...
Appearance
The abbey was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was also originally known as Lugem Dei meaning in Latin ‘the Yoke of God’. It consisted of a number of buildings including the church, refectory and administrative buildings. It is believed to be the first church in Ireland built in the Gothic style. The fact that so much of this 12th century monastery remains standing is a testament to the quality of construction.
Construction
Like most settlements at the time, the monastery was built close to a stream to provide fresh water for drinking and washing. The size and majesty of Greyabbey was designed to advertise and reflect the wealth and power of the new ruling de Courcy’s. In the Papal taxation of 1306, the temporalities of the church were valued at £35 6s 8d. As was the Cistercian custom, the Abbey was built from local rubble then plastered over, whitewashed and marked out with false masonry joints. That this was t...
Life in the Abbey
A large part of the monastic community would have consisted of lay brothers. These men did not follow the strict Benedictine Rule, attending only two religious services a day, as opposed to the eight ceremonies attended by the choir monks. They did however, provide manual labour in the form of agricultural duties, building maintenance and cooking. From the eastern edge lay access to the church as well as the Chapter room and the day room. The monks who sang in the choir had their accommodatio...
Greyabbey was attacked during the invasion of Edward Bruce. The brother of Robert Bruce, he invaded Ireland and in the subsequent wars 1315-1318, attempted to establish himself as King of Ireland. The Abbey was greatly damaged. In the 15th century the Abbey came under the patronage of the O’Neills of Clandeboye. It is thought they undertook the ren...
By the early 17th century however, this area of eastern Down, including the Ards peninsula was in the hands of Scotsman, Hugh Montgomery. Montgomery was born at Broadstone Castle, the son of Adam Montgomery, 5th Laird of Braidstone. He attended the University of Glasgow and spent some time at the royal court in France. After serving time as the cap...
Cottages
The little settlement that grew up around the monastic enclave of Greyabbey was originally just a collection of small cottages. It was not until the time of the Montgomery’s that the houses became a distinct village. “Sir James Montgomery made the old town of Gray Abbey a new one and entirely regular” In 1834 the village is described as consisting of one principal street about 550 yards long leading from the shore. It then branched off, 190 yards to the north and 80 yards to the south. This w...
Trade within Greyabbey
The majority of the inhabitants of Greyabbey were weavers, with looms in their own homes. There was also at this time 7 grocers, 1 bootmaker, 1 doctor, 2 woollen drapers and 25 spirit shops in the village. Public buildings in the village included one Protestant Church and two Presbyterian Meeting Houses. There was a schoolhouse for boys and girls. The teacher’s salary was paid by the Montgomery’s of Rosemount. There were two fairs held every year, one on 28th March and one on October 29th. By...
In researching this Greyabbey post we discovered this wonderful Youtube drone footage of the Abbey which does so much more to illustrate the scale and beauty of the ruins than ground-level photos ever could. Why not take a few minutes to watch Johnny’s excellent video below. (See links below the video to Johnny’s Youtube Channels containing other d...
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Local attractions in Greyabbey include Antiques Shops, Hoops Courtyard Cafe, Ruins of Grey Abbey and Quaint Tourist Charm (Co, Down, Northern Ireland).
Apr 8, 2024 · Nestled in the enchanting landscape of Newtownards in County Down, Northern Ireland, the historic site of Greyabbey, also known as Grey Abbey, stands as a testament to a rich and layered past.
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