Easby Abbey
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Easby was a monastic establishment of the White Canons, situate in the Yorkshire town of Richmond. Along with Hurtfew Abbey it was one of the foundations of the Raven King while he remained in Northern England. Like many similar buildings Easby fell into ruin after the Reformation, but one of its granges* later became a private farm. This farm stayed in the same family for generations until it passed into the possession of Robert Findhelm, last owner of the Raven King's book of magic.
Gilbert Norrell, at first inclined to ridicule the idea that any surviving book could have a direct connexion with Uskglass, had pause for thought when he learnt of the origins of Findhelm's farm. It is after all no very fanciful or romantic notion to conceive of the dispossessed monks secretly smuggling away the greatest treasure of their library and entrusting it to the hands of a loyal lay-servant of the abbey at a nearby grange[30].
*In feudal times a grange was an outlying property with barns where tithes were stored.
Gilbert Norrell, at first inclined to ridicule the idea that any surviving book could have a direct connexion with Uskglass, had pause for thought when he learnt of the origins of Findhelm's farm. It is after all no very fanciful or romantic notion to conceive of the dispossessed monks secretly smuggling away the greatest treasure of their library and entrusting it to the hands of a loyal lay-servant of the abbey at a nearby grange[30].
*In feudal times a grange was an outlying property with barns where tithes were stored.