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Coverham Abbey, North Yorkshire, England, was a Premonstratensian monastery that was founded at Swainby in 1190 by Helewisia, daughter of the Chief Justiciar Ranulf de Glanville. It was refounded at Coverham in about 1212 by her son Ranulf fitzRalph, who had the body of his late mother reinterred in the chapter house at Coverham.
There is some evidence that the during the first half of the 14th century the abbey and its holdings were attacked by the Scots, with the abbey itself being virtually destroyed. Later in that century there is a record of there being fifteen canons plus the abbot in residence.
The abbey ruins are a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.
The principal surviving remains include the ruins of the church and the guesthouse, which were incorporated into two houses: Garth Cottage, and another house built on the site in 1674.White, Robert (2002) The Yorkshire Dales. A Landscape Through Time. Ilkley: Great Northern Books, pp 56-62 This was replaced in the late 18th century by the current building known as Coverham Abbey House but still retains the surviving monastic features. It is in stone, and has a stone slate roof with stone copings and shaped kneelers. There are two storeys and an L-shaped plan, with a main range of five bays. On the south front is a Doric order doorway with an entablature, a fanlight and an open pediment. The windows are sash window, the window above the door is tripartite and has a moulded hood mould. The older range is lower and on the east front is a long Latin inscription. (2026). 9780300259032, Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300259032
The ruins of the gatehouse at the entry to the grounds of Coverham Abbey are in stone with a stone slate roof, and consist of an archway and flanking gatehouse buildings. The arch is semicircular with two orders and moulded imposts. The buildings each has a small vent and a chamfered window, and the sides have been converted into chambers for animal shelters.
There are many sculptural remains preserved. Two stone effigies have been set against a garden wall at Coverham Abbey House. The right effigy is the earlier, depicting a knight in chain mail with a surcoat, a long sword and a shield. The hands are folded in prayer, and the legs are crossed. The left effigy dates from the early 14th century, and depicts a knight, also in chain mail with a surcoat, a sword and a shield, and with crossed legs. Behind it is a scene of a stag chased by two hounds, with a third hound biting the shield.
The site is usually inaccessible to the public but can be glimpsed from the churchyard of Coverham's redundant medieval parish church, Holy Trinity Church, Coverham.
The exterior of the abbey and its grounds doubled as the home of Mrs Bond in two early episodes of the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small. All Memories Great & Small, Oliver Crocker (2016; MIWK)
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