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The Muchelney Abbey collection is largely derived from excavations in the 1870s. Fragments of sculpture and everyday objects offer an insight into the lives of the abbots and monks, and the appearance of the monastic buildings, which were mostly destroyed soon after the dissolution in 1538.
The abbot’s lodging, one of the only buildings to survive – complete with its impressive late medieval interiors – is now home to a display of objects.
Most of the collection consists of stonework, much of it fragments of extremely high-quality statues, tombs and architectural pieces. Little metalwork has survived from the site but painted window glass, pottery and an exceptional collection of floor tiles survive.
Explore a selection of the collection’s highlights below.
Crucifixion sculpture
Crucifixion sculpture
Date: Late 10th or early 11th century
Type: Sculpture
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
These carved feet are all that remains of a 1,000-year-old sculpture that once showed Christ on the cross. The fragment was probably part of the most sacred image in the Anglo-Saxon church at Muchelney, a rood or crucifix. This would have been set above the entrance to the chancel, the space around the altar at the east end of the church.
Excavations in 1948–52 uncovered the foundations of the early church, but just four pieces of decorated stonework survive from the Anglo-Saxon period.
Boss
Boss
Date: Late 15th century
Type: Boss
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Probably from the south cloister alley, Muchelney
Stone bosses hid the areas where the ribs of a vaulted ceiling met or crossed. The bearded head on this example represents Christ or a saint. The boss probably came from the ceiling of the south cloister walkway at Muchelney, which was rebuilt in about 1500 and retained as part of the later farmhouse.
Monk sculpture
Monk sculpture
Date: 14th century
Type: Sculpture
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
The sculpture shows a monk carrying loaves of bread in his left hand, while a container for ale, known as a costrel, hangs from his right arm.
The subject may refer to the monks’ charitable responsibilities. The abbey was sometimes required to support members of the local community, typically elderly priests or retired royal servants, providing them with a ‘corrody’. This was a form of pension that was usually paid in bread and ale.
Female head
Female head
Date: 14th century
Type: Sculpture
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
The identity of this female is unknown, but she may represent a saint or an important benefactor of the abbey. Both would have been common subjects of the sculpture that adorned the inside of the abbey church.
This is a very high-quality piece. The skill of the mason can be seen in the detailed carving of the eyes, smile and the neat folds of the cloth headdress.
Owl sculpture
Owl sculpture
Date: Probably 15th century
Type: Sculpture
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
Today owls are seen as symbols of wisdom because of their association with the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena. In the medieval world, however, the owl was sometimes seen as unclean and evil. The reasons for this are unclear, but it may be because owls are nocturnal. The owls’ rejection of daylight may have been seen as an analogy for the rejection of the light of Christ.
Mortuary cross
Mortuary cross
Date: 12th to 16th century
Type: Personal item
Material: Lead
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
The function of this crudely made lead cross is unclear, but it may have been buried with a monk. Mortuary crosses were especially common during the Black Death (1348–9), which probably claimed the lives of many of the monks at Muchelney. It may also have been carried by one of the monks to protect against evil.
Bone tool
Bone tool
Date: 12th to 14th century
Type: Awl
Material: Bone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
This finely cut bone piercing tool or awl would have been used for leather working, such as making book covers and bindings or repairing clothing. The monks’ day was structured around singing eight services each day, but time was also set for manual labour.
Lock and keys
Lock and keys
Date: 17th century
Type: Lock and keys
Material: Wood and iron
Place Made/Found: From a private collection; said to come from Muchelney
A handwritten label, probably pinned to the lock in the early 20th century, records that it was once owned by a local antiques dealer, Mr Read of Langport, and dates the lock to about 1530.
The massive lock is likely to be later than the label suggests. It may have been installed soon after the abbey became a tenanted farmhouse in 1614. It has survived complete with a pair of matching keys of a rare hinged design.
Statue of John the Baptist
Statue of John the Baptist
Date: Mid 15th century
Type: Statue
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Thorney, Somerset
This figure can be identified as John the Baptist by the pose: the right hand points at a lamb, representing Christ, which is seated on a book held in the left hand. The saint was revered by strict Benedictine monks for his isolated existence, a model for monastic life.
The statue was found in 1936 in the village of Thorney, less than 2 miles south of Muchelney. The head and feet have been levelled off, turning the statue into a convenient building block.
Tomb effigy
Tomb effigy
Date: Late 14th century
Type: Tomb monument
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: North-east aisle of the church, Muchelney
This figure, a priest wearing mass vestments, may represent an abbot of Muchelney, although there is no crosier, the symbol of his office. The head is missing but the feet rest on a small lion.
Originally the figure may have been placed on the surviving tomb base in the church’s north-east aisle, where the effigy was excavated in 1874.
Grave slab
Grave slab
Date: Late 12th or early 13th century
Type: Grave slab
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
The mason who carved this grave slab used the natural strata of the Blue Lias stone to dramatic effect. The cross and decorative sprigs of foliage are cut into a sandy coloured layer below the surface of the stone, highlighting the design.
The slab probably came from the grave of an abbot or important benefactor.
Defaced sculpture
Defaced sculpture
Date: 13th or 14th century
Type: Sculpture
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
After the abbey’s suppression in 1538, the church and cloistral buildings were systematically demolished and any religious images defaced. This piece shows signs of a deliberate and violent act of desecration, or iconoclasm. The face has been cut away, leaving only the long wavy hair and the edge of a beard visible. The figure probably represents Christ or a saint.
Statue fragment
Statue fragment
Date: 14th or 15th century
Type: Statue
Material: Stone
Place Made/Found: The church, Muchelney
Little survives of this sculpture of the Virgin and Child, which was found in one of the church’s eastern chapels during excavations in the 1870s. Only the Virgin’s hand remains, holding the infant Christ who, in turn, holds a bird.
The bird often represents the human soul and its resurrection. This would have made the statue an important focus for prayer and contemplation.
Floor tile
Floor tile
Date: 13th century
Type: Floor tile
Material: Ceramic
Place Made/Found: Muchelney
The estates of Muchelney Abbey included a number of fisheries, which are known to have produced around 6,000 eels a year. This tile, featuring a heron catching an eel, shows the importance of the eel to the monks’ diet and the economic wellbeing of the abbey.
The design was stamped into the clay and filled with a pale slip before the tile was glazed and fired.
Floor tile
Floor tile
Date: Late 12th century
Type: Floor tile
Material: Ceramic
Place Made/Found: The church, Muchelney
The elephant and castle design is often associated with Eleanor of Castile (d. 1290), wife of King Edward I (reigned 1272–1307). It became a common decorative motif from this time and may have served a purely decorative function at Muchelney.
Many of the tiles found during excavations in the 1870s were re-laid in the parish church next door to the abbey. The re-laid parish church pavement includes an example of this design.
Royal emblems were popular subjects for monastic floor tiles. This design was associated with Richard, Earl of Cornwall (1209–72), the younger brother of King Henry III. The double-headed eagle refers to Richard’s role as King of the Romans, a title given to the Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. Although Richard never became Holy Roman Emperor, he was one of the most powerful and wealthy men in Europe in the 13th century. There is no evidence suggesting that he was a benefactor of Muchelney.
Muchelney Abbey was first founded in the Anglo-Saxon period, and today its buildings and history provide valuable insights into monastic life between the 7th and 16th centuries.
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.
