St Mary's Abbey, Museum Gardens, York
The now ruined St Mary's Abbey was originally founded as the minster of St Olave at Galmanho before 1055. It had been re-established by 1068 as a Benedictine monastery. This was as part of an exchange of land between the Archbishop of York and Monk Stephen of Whitby. Following a visit by William Rufus in c1086-9, the church was found to be too small for the brethren and William granted land next to the church to expand the abbey. A new church was built and re-dedicated to St Mary. It was the first monastic establishment founded in Yorkshire after the Conquest. It became one of the wealthiest abbeys of the order. The monastery also had a mitred Abbot who sat in the House of Lords. In 1539 the abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII and acquired by the Crown for the northern headquarters of the King's Council.
