The Abbey, Parish of St. Nicholas, Abingdon

[gilly3]

I'm hoping someone out there knows the town of Abingdon and will find this question easy to answer.  There is someone in my husband's family tree who was living in 1891 in The Abbey, Parish of St. Nicholas, Abingdon.  I know she wasn't a nun (!) so wondered if these were almshouses - she was an 81-year-old widow in 1891 so seems a likely candidate if they were almshouses.  Any info on that address would be welcome.  I've tried googling and, whilst there is reams of stuff on the abbey/church, I've failed to find anything about why "The Abbey" would be the address of ordinary folk.

Many thanks,
Gill

[Sloe Gin]

I don't think so, I think this is just the name of a street as there are numerous diverse households with the same address. 

Would have to look at an old map to be sure, but my guess is that it's roughly equivalent to the road called Abbey Close today.  This area has been redeveloped (council offices, car parks, Waitrose etc), but runs behind, and roughly parallel to, Stert Street. 

There are almshouses in Abingdon, but these are in the parish of St Helen.  The Abbey itself of course has not existed since Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

[Little Nell]

Have you looked at David Nash Ford's site at all?

http://www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/abingdon_abbey.html
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/abingdon.html

Nell

[Sloe Gin]

No map, sadly, unless I've missed it.

I found one on the Francis Frith site, but annoyingly when you click to enlarge it the wrong map comes up.

[gilly3]

Many thanks to Sloe Gin and Little Nell.  I've looked at an aerial view of Abingdon and agree that Abbey Close is a likely location.  I did Google it but couldn't find anything about the use of the buildings at the end of the 1800s.  However, with lots of other families listed in "The Abbey" it is pretty clear that it was just another street in the town, probably quite poor.  One of these days I'll visit - the websites make Abingdon look very inviting, I must say. 

Again, thanks for your interest and help.

Gill

[dulonmike]

Gill
Not sure about this, I too have relations living here in 1841 and beyond. I don't think it is "just a street" It could be some kind of workhouse but I don't think so given the occupations of the inhabitants. I will keep digging and let you know if I come up with anything.
Mike

[gilly3]

Thanks, Mike.   I would be very interested in anything you can turn up.  In the meantime, I'll have another dig around - you've revived my interest in this little conundrum!

Best of luck,
Gill

[Sloe Gin]

I think it simply refers to the dwellings around the site of the old Abbey, and is a convenient description rather than a specific address.  They are clearly separate households and dwellings, not an institution of any kind.

The description of the enumeration district for 1891 includes: ".... along Stert Street to St Nicholas Church taking the whole of the Abbey to the Old Grammar School then to the Crown & Thistle ...."

The Abbey as an institution had not existed for several hundred years at that time, and there would have been, as now, only the remains of some of its buildings.

[Ethowe]

hi  gilly  3   my great great grandma was married from this  address

in   1891  name  being  viner     the house lived in was the one next  to the abbey hall  do hope this helps   the full address given is  the abbey  abingdon