Godstow Nunnery in Oxfordshire, England, the ruins of an abbey built in the 1100s and burial place of ‘Fair Rosamund’ de Clifford (died c. 1176), mistress of King Henry II (1133 - 1189). Borderless crop of copperplate engraving dated 28 March 1785, from a drawing by Francis Grose (1731 - 1791), which was published in Grose’s ‘Antiquities of England and Wales’ (1772 - 1787).
Godstow Nunnery, Oxfordshire, England. Borderless crop of copperplate engraving dated 28 March 1785, first published in ‘The Antiquities of England and Wales’ by Francis Grose. Engraved by J. Newton from a drawing by Francis Grose. ‘The Antiquities’ was published in London by Samuel Hooper 1772 - 1787. Godstow Nunnery is the ruins of an abbey built in the 1100s at the village of Godstow, just north of the city of Oxford. It is the burial place of ‘Fair Rosamund’ de Clifford, Henry II’s mistress. The abbey was founded by Edith of Winchester, widow of Sir William Launceline, in 1133 and the abbey church was completed in 1139. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the abbess and nuns were given pensions. The abbey itself was given to Henry VIII’s physician, who tore down the abbey church and built a mansion called Godstow House from the abbey ruins. In 1645, Godstow House was badly damage in the English Civil war. In 1924, the abbey site was given to Oxford University in trust for the nation. Francis Grose (1731 - 1791) was an English antiquary and draughtsman who wrote and illustrated many successful books on the antiquities of Britain. Responding to a growing interest in the past, he travelled around the country collecting material with the aim of making it more intelligible and accessible to non-specialists. Grose’s ‘Antiquities’ was a vast, abundantly illustrated project and its full title was: ‘he Antiquities of England and Wales; Being a Collection of Views of the Most remarkable Ruins and antient (sic) Buildings, Accurately drawn on the spot. To each view is added An Historical Account of its Situation, when & by whom built, with every interesting Circumstance relating thereto. Collected from the best authorities.’ There were volumes covering Scotland and Ireland, in addition to England and Wales. J (James) Newton (1748 - 1804) was a student at the Royal Academy in London from November 1769 and later an engraver workin
Size: 16123px × 10748px
Location: Godstow Nunnery, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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