How the Cistercians monks rebuilt the Yorkshire economy after the devastation caused by William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North. By using their skills in sheep farming, lead mining and iron working they transformed the economy - and also introduced cheese-making to Wensleydale.
Views: 84 | Enquiries: 0Since retiring as a specialist in career change (counselling on job change and training in pre-retirement), Peter has volunteered as a guide at Fountains Abbey. He has also presented a radio programme - a special addition to "The History of the World in 100 objects" - based on the wartime experience of his Uncle Bryn whose five years in German prison camps included six months each in Auschwitz and Terezin. At Auschwitz a Polish inmate painted a picture of Bryn's fiancee from a Red Cross postcard, which was the subject of the programme. Peter's talks reflect his interest in the history of Yorkshire, especially the devastation wreaked in the 12th Century by the Harrying of the North and the subsequent rebuilding, much of which was undertaken by the newly arrived monastic orders, especially the Cistercians whose abbeys (Riveaulx, Byland, Fountains, Jervaulx, Kirkstall, Sawley, Meaux and Roche), though magnificent ruins, are a reminder of their lasting influence on the Yorkshire landscape.
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