The Life of the Nuns at West Malling Abbey: Social and Religious Dynamics from the Middle Medieval Period to the Reformation
This thesis examines historical texts and archaeological evidence to explore the lives of the nuns of St. Mary’s Abbey and their impact on the growth of the town of West Malling. These resources are few and widely scattered across archives. There are two short books exclusively about the abbey, one written by the nuns themselves and a second by Anne Oakley. For research on Benedictine nuns, while not specific to St. Mary’s at West Malling, it is the works of Janet Burton, Sally Thompson, Eileen Power, Roberta Gilchrist and Maralyn Oliva which give a more general understanding of the life of a nun. This thesis aims to collate the existing works and original manuscripts to construct a chronological picture of 450 years of abbey life. Research has shown both the scarcity and ambiguities of sources while equally placing the abbey and town within the tumultuous natural and political events of the time. The thesis highlights a period when monastic life was at its height, before ending with the Dissolution. Nonetheless, life continued in West Malling whose town and abbey site still bear visible reminders of this inheritance. The enduring legacy of Gundulf, the Bishop of Rochester, would no doubt amaze him: but over a thousand years later the town, people and nuns of Malling remain a remarkable reminder of his vision to create a monastic place of worship for women.
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