I came into an isle that had to name Ynyswitrin, so it was called of old time in the British tongue, in the which I found a place delectable. There found I several brethren well indoctrinate and well instructed in the Catholic faith. They came there after those saints whom saints Phagan and Deruvian had left there. And, because I found them humble and peaceable, I made choice rather to be with them, though I should be feeble, than to dwell in a royal court in vigorous life. Because we all had one heart, we chose to dwell together and to eat and drink in one house and in one place sleep under a rule. So, though I liked it not, they chose me chief, and by fraternal force made me their guardian. - St Patrick of Ireland, abbot of Glastonbury 433-472.

Avalonian Mystery Traditions

History and Tradition

by Palden Jenkins

There is a strange mystery surrounding Glastonbury's past which obscures a clear distinction between history and tradition (or what Sig Lonegren, a local dowser, calls 'mythtory'). This mystery arises from several factors:

• ongoing building and rebuilding of the town, which has covered, destroyed and recycled much material from former times. The author's own house on Chilkwell Street (the old pilgrimage road into Glastonbury) is over three centuries old, and it is partially built with old Abbey stones and located on a dwelling site going back over 1,000 years - this is not uncommon in Glastonbury.
• the reluctance of the Church and, later, of archaeologists and historians, to think openly and without prejudice about key aspects of Glastonbury's history – this is an ideological issue. The tradition that Glastonbury Abbey could be the burial site for Arthur and Guinevere was, for example, passed off as a fund-raising stunt brought about by he monks of Glastonbury after the great abbey fire of 1184 - but then, this assertion could equally have been made by Canterbury monks who were jealous of Glastonbury's primacy and position in the medieval Christian world, and thereafter repeated and reinforced by the Church and adopted by archaeologists, since it suits the modern frame of mind. There can thus be remains in Glastonbury as yet unsought and unfound, and other remains which are dismissed, misinterpreted, underrated or considered insignificant.
• an adamant tendency amongst some conservative townsfolk and local farmers to deny the identity, heritage and sacredness of this place. This has greatly affected local politics, town planning, land-management and identity. It is a well-ingrained form of historic denial, which refuses to countenance possibilities even when there is evidence. This was exemplified in the firing of Frederick Bligh Bond, mentioned below. This is a form of suppression, and it dates back to social divisions in the town during medieval times, between highbrow clerics of the Abbey and ordinary townsfolk.
• a shroud of inherent mystery which prevents clarification of many key points of the island's past. It seems that Glastonbury wishes to hide its history – until, perhaps, such time as we're truly in a position to make good use of it. Why, for example, is the long axis of Glastonbury Abbey exactly aligned to Stonehenge - a monument dating back some two thousand years earlier than the Abbey?

Gone are the ancient stones of Stone Down (the plateau behind Chalice Hill and under the Tor), the original Market Cross, the Chain Gate on Magdalen Street (removed to allow trucks through), and the medieval Fairfield (now buried under a supermarket). Chalice Hill is closed to the public, for weak reasons. Access to Bride's Mound is restricted, solely to fulfill the priorities of propery owners. Filled-in, caved-in and unmentioned go the tunnels leading from the Abbey to the Tor, and also down Benedict Street to Beckery and under Wearyall Hill as far as Clarks' Mansion in Street. Little is known of the Druidic culture preceding Christian times, which left few artefacts and no written records.

Frederick Bligh Bond [The Gate of Remembrance, Frederick Bligh Bond, Aquarian, 1978], an antiquarian who uncovered some key remains of Glastonbury Abbey, drew much of his source-information from psychic communications with deceased monks, through an associate of his. These monks gave detailed information leading to Bond's rediscovery of many buried parts of the Abbey, just before WW1. When it was discovered how Bligh Bond had obtained his information, he lost his archaeological job at Glastonbury and no further progress was made in his work. Not only this, but some of his discoveries were covered over and the records were destroyed.