Its not just about vampires - the literary connections of Yorkshire's abbeys.
Peter Lewis
- Region:
- Yorkshire & Humber
- Notice Period:
- Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid: £60 (including expenses)
- Category:
- Humanities
- Updated:
- 16th August 2025
- Tagged:
- Abbeys | Literature | 17Th Century | 19Th Century
Whitby Abbey's connection with Bram Stoker's Count Dracula is famous but there are other, less well-known links between Yorkshire's abbeys and a range of writers - including Alexandre Dumas, John Dryden, William Wordsworth, Walter Scott and the Brontes. Both Dumas and Dryden wrote about the scandalous doings of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, who lived in Helmsley and had an unfortunate impact on George Aislabie - owner of Studley Royal, while the abbot of Jervaulx appears as a character in Ivanhoe.
Views: 895 | Enquiries: 5About Peter Lewis
Since retiring in 2015 as a specialist in career change, Peter has volunteered as a guide at Fountains Abbey. He has also presented a radio programme - 'A History of the World Special' - about his Uncle Bryn's five years as a POW (from 1940-45) in Poland and Czechoslovakia, which included six months in Auschwitz and four months in the small fort in Terezin.
Peter's talks reflect his interest in the history of Yorkshire, especially its numerous abbeys. The monks of the eight Cistercian abbeys were instrumental in rebuilding the county after the devastation of the Harrying of the North. This has led him to explore other links between Burgundy and Yorkshire, which include Selby, Rotherham and Scarborough. He also has a talk entitled "It's not just about Vampires" - about the literary links of Yorkshire's abbeys.
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