doorway of great richness has been unearthed, and also a memorial stone of an abbot. This bears a richly sculptured cross, by the side of which there is cut a pastoral staff, as significatory of the rank of the old Premonstratensian prelate.’

Tiles found in the excavation are preserved in the little museum. Fragments of painted glass used to be kept in a box before the Second World War but seem to have disappeared, as have many of the good tiles. The museum was extensively repaired in 2009, and the remaining tiles and pieces of dressed stone put safely under lock and key. For access to the museum, see Access.

A further excavation was undertaken in July 1937 by Professor Colvin, with the permission of Stanton Estates and the tenant Mr Falder; it was continued in the summer of 1938, and the intention was to make further investigations the following year. War intervened, however. This excavation explored the abbey’s original infirmary, in the abbey field to the east of the slype, 125 feet from the doorway level with the east wall of the warming house. Its north wall had been doubled in width at some date.

A rescue dig was undertaken by Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust in the spring of 1985; the area explored is now covered by Abbey House’s garage. Most recently, an archaeological report was made by Harrison of Ryedale Archaeology Services ltd, Pickering, in 2008.

Quite a lot of the abbey’s structure and bits and pieces have survived, usually because they have been incorporated into the structure of other churches. Probably the most striking is the set of windows in the north aisle of Morley church, which seems to have been rebuilt for their addition; there is also a St Mary’s window at the east end of the church. They have been described as the best stained glass in the county, and were installed at Morley by Sir Henry Sacheverell, who had probably bought them from Francis Pole.

In detail, there are five four-lighted windows, square-headed, and Perpendicular in style; they contain 15th century glass and date from the 15th century, having probably been erected probably under Abbot John Stanley (1478-82). There has been argument over where in the abbey they came from, but the cloister is the most likely site; if this is correct, they are not complete, because there were six windows to each side of the cloister.