Fountains Abbey Page One home

Fountains Abbey is the largest Abbey in the United Kingdom, and was founded in the year 1132 by 13 Benedictine monks (later to become members of the Cistercian order). The monks led a poor existence bordering on the starvation levels and with the minimum of very poor rough quality habits as their only means of clothing.
Although they led a very poor life the monks were by no means poor, they made a lot of money through sheep farming, working with iron and lead and also breeding horses. In the 14th Century they went through serious financial problems but managed to overcome these and keep the Abbey going up until the dissolution by Henry the 8th in 1539. Although the Abbey and the surrounding land passed through several private owners the are is now owned and run by The National Trust.
The Abbey since 1986 has been designated a World Heritage Site, one of only 24 in all the United Kingdom.