History

Bayham Abbey Collection Highlights

Ranging from shackles to restrain criminals to a costly glass bowl that displays the owner’s status, objects found at Bayham show that not everyone who came to the abbey in the Middle Ages had the same experience.

This small selection of highlights gives a sense of the scope of the collection of about 1,000 objects excavated at Bayham. Together these objects hint at the grandeur of the abbey at its height and provide a glimpse of the lives of those who lived and worked there.

Find out more

  • History of Bayham Abbey

    Bayham is the best surviving example of a Premonstratensian abbey in England, and its impressive ruins show how life evolved at the monastery over 300 years.

  • WHAT BECAME OF THE MONKS AND NUNS AT THE DISSOLUTION?

    Discover what happened to the many thousands of monks and nuns whose lives were changed forever when, on the orders of Henry VIII, every abbey and priory in England was closed.

  • Abbeys and Priories

    Learn about England's medieval monasteries and uncover the stories of those who lived and prayed in them.

  • Collections Highlights

    English Heritage cares for more than 700,000 objects. Browse collections highlights from English Heritage sites across the country.