LibGuides: Special Collections: Syon Abbey Collection: Introduction

Welcome to the Syon Abbey Collection guide

Syon Abbey was a monastic house of the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, also known as the Bridgettine Order. It was founded in 1415, and the enclosed community - governed by an abbess and comprising both sisters and brothers - followed the Rule of St Bridget of Sweden. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the community left England and eventually settled in Lisbon, Portugal in 1594. The sisters returned to England in 1861. Syon Abbey closed in 2011.

The Syon Abbey Collection is formed of the Syon Abbey Archive, the Syon Abbey Medieval and Modern Manuscript Collection, and the Syon Abbey Library Collection, as well as several smaller collections relating to Syon Abbey. This collection provides a unique and invaluable resource for research into six centuries of Syon Abbey.

Purpose of this guide

We hope this LibGuide will help you to navigate the Syon Abbey Collection, answer some of your questions, and provide you with tips on where to look for more information. In this guide you will find:

Information about the archive, manuscript and book collections relating to Syon Abbey and its history and links to the online catalogues, where you can explore the collections further
Information about accessing and using the Syon Abbey Collection, including guidance on access and copyright
Information about additional online resources relating to the Syon Abbey Collection

Get in touch!

If you have any questions not answered in this LibGuide or require more information about the collection, you are very welcome to email the Special Collections team at libspc@exeter.ac.uk.