The ruins of this religious house are more entire and superb than any
other in the kingdom. The nave of the church is wholly gone; but the
choir, one of its aisles, great part of the tower, and both the
transepts, still remain. The church, instead of being east and west,
approaches more to the direction of north and south; so that the choir
is at the south end, and the aisle which should have been north, is on
the east. Some have supposed this anomaly to be produced at the
rebuilding of the church; but Drake in his "Evenings in Autumn," thinks
it was in consequence of the disposition of the ground, which forms a
lofty mount on the east. Adjoining the ruins of the nave on the west,
are the remains of the cloisters, measuring one hundred feet each way.
On the opposite side stands a splendid building, extending in length
towards the west one hundred feet, and in breadth thirty; this structure
appears to have been the refectory, accompanied by a music gallery.
Parallel to this, and in a line with the transept, is another extensive
ruin, several feet longer than the refectory, and about the same
breadth, which was the dormitory; at the west end of which the walls are
ancient, and seem to be coeval with the original abbey.[6] The form and
ground plan of this building are the same with the abbey of Whitby;
though the latter is not so copious in its dimensions. Several members
of the noble families of Ross, Scroop, Maltbys, and Oryby, were interred
in the chapter-house and choir here. Aelred, the third abbot of
Rievaulx, was a man of great literary qualifications, and this abbey
possessed an extensive library, which was destroyed by the Scots, in one
of their lawless incursions--when the studious produce of the holy
brotherhood, assembled by years of incessant study was committed to the
reckless flames--and doubtless amongst the collection were many works of
the learned abbot Aelred; a character from whom we might suppose the
"northern magician" had sketched the striking portraiture of the