1069, Founded and endowed by William the Conqueror “in honour of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary and St Germain, the Bishop”--Guido de Raincourt gives the town of Stamford, Northants, to the new monastery at Selby--Other benefactors include Thomas, Archbishop of York; Gilbert Tison, chief standard-bearer of England; and Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln--1189, Richard I. confirms all previous grants--1328, Edward III. ratifies the various liberties and exemptions--1540, Dissolved. Annual revenue, £729, 12s. 10d.--1618, The church made parochial--1690, The tower falls and destroys the south transept and the roof of the south-west aisle--1702, The tower rebuilt--1889-91, The choir restored--1902, The tower rebuilt under the superintendence of the Rev. A. G. Tweedie, Vicar of Selby--1906, Partially destroyed by fire.
The destruction of Selby Abbey by fire in October 1906 is a loss to the nation as well as to the county of York. The late Sir Gilbert Scott, speaking of the abbey, said the building was “of a kind which is more the property of the nation than of a single parish, and one which is of the highest value to the study of ecclesiastical architecture and to the history of art in this country.” It was the most perfectly preserved specimen of a monastic church in England, and attracted archæologists from all parts of the world. The church possessed numerous tombs and monuments of exceptional historic interest and in it could be seen every variety of Gothic church architecture. The collapse of the central tower in 1690, destroying the south transept in its fall, was the first of a series of accidents that culminated in the recent terrible fire. This conflagration, which caused such deplorable injury, broke out in the Latham chapel, in which the new organ had been erected. Though most damage was done in the vicinity of the instrument--not a vestige of which remained--the fire left its mark on every part of the building, having spread from the Latham chapel to the north transept and choir, and from thence to the nave and tower. The choir, built in the 14th century, and one of the noblest examples of Decorated work, suffered much injury, but fortunately the east window--one of the finest specimens in England of a Jesse and Doom window--escaped destruction. The firemen were told to concentrate their efforts on this lovely feature of the building, with the result that the tracery and mullions survived in a more or less perfect condition. The window, happily, had been fully insured after the restoration carried out during the vicariate of the Rev. A. G. Tweedie, who collected £8000 for the purpose, and who also rebuilt other portions of the building. The aisles of the choir were left practically intact, but the north transept lost its roof, seats, and the greater portion of its handsome window. The nave, the last part to be attacked by the relentless flames, retained its pillars and beautiful arches and in many ways has suffered less severely than the rest of the building, though the roof fell and by its fall destroyed the oak benches. The central tower (which ever since its first foundation has been a cause of anxiety on account of its insecurity) lost its roof and floors. It is a matter for congratulation that the west front only suffered comparatively little damage, for its towers were but partially burnt and the glass in the window cracked. The renovation of this ancient Benedictine church, founded by William the Conqueror, was put into the hands of Messrs J. Oldrid Scott & Son, architects, of London, who estimated that £50,000 was necessary for complete restoration. It is indeed to be hoped that this national monument, which until last year was the only monastic building in use as a parish church from Trent to Tweed, may be completely restored, and that the inhabitants of Selby may once more worship in their glorious old abbey church. The nave has already been re-roofed, and was opened on the 19th of October 1907. Of the history of the abbey very little is known, but no account of it would be complete without some reference to its connection with St Germanus. The following interesting extract is taken from Baring Gould’s _Lives of the Saints_:--