Whalley Abbey Vestments

The vestments were worked in the Middle Ages in a style of ecclesiastical embroidery known as 'Opus Anglicanum'.These medieval vestments were worked in the Middle Ages in a very important style of English ecclesiastical embroidery known as Opus Anglicanum.

The vestments originally belonged to Whalley Abbey, a Cistercian abbey in Whalley, Lancashire, at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. These vestments then came to reside in the possession of the Towneleys, an important Catholic family persecuted for their faith during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Lancashire was one of the places where Catholicism among the landed gentry retained a strong hold, despite the penalties for failing to observe the official state religion as embodied in the Church of England. The hall contains the vestments and a private chapel.

The vestments were worked in the Middle Ages in a style of ecclesiastical embroidery known as 'Opus Anglicanum'.