“Stir up in your Church, O Lord, the spirit that animated our Father Saint Benedict, that filled with this spirit we may learn to love what he loved and practice what he taught.” 

 

Benedictine Prayer

 

Robert Rogers

          The Last Abbot of Selby

Traditionally, recruitment to Yorkshire monasteries at this time was local, with young men sometimes substituting their place of birth for their family name on entering the profession. As Robert’s name was recorded as Robert Selby at the time of his election as Abbot of Selby in 1526, it seems probable that he was following this tradition.

Robert was Abbot at the time of the Reformation and thus holds the distinction of being the last Abbot of Selby. He surrendered the Abbey to King Henry VIII on 6th December 1539 (and with it Snaith Priory).

At the time of the surrender, there were 23 monks at the Abbey, in addition to the Abbot. This number included James Laye, the last Prior of this church.

Afterwards, Robert traveled to France, taking with him as many treasures from the Abbey as he could carry.

In 1540, he was back in England and on 20th March was ordained as a secular priest. Eventually, he moved to Rawcliffe and, in his will dated 20th November 1558 asked to be buried in Selby ‘high church’. Unfortunately, this request could not be fulfilled as the church was not in use at the time of his death.

He could not be buried in Rawcliffe, which he had become his hometown because the chapel was unable to accept burials.

A decision was then taken that Robert Rogers should be buried in the Priory Church at Snaith (Rawcliffe was part of the Parish of Snaith at that time).

Robert Rogers, Clerk of the Church and the Last Abbot of Selby, was buried in Snaith Priory on the 26th January 1558/9. The size of the memorial in the Sanctuary at Snaith Priory is indicative of the stature of the man buried there.

The entry in the parish burial records (Bishop’s Transcripts) states:
“Jan. itm xxvjth day, Robert Rogers Clark, Rocliff, who was Lait abbot of Selby.”