The Abbey of St. Benet's Hulme or St. Bene't-at-Holme was first founded in the 9th Century by the hermit Suneman and was built on a sand and gravel island known as Cow Holm. It was destroyed by the Danes in 870, who at the same time martyred hermit Suneman. In the 10th Century Wolfric built a cell on the sight of Suneman's chapel the cell grew into the Monastery of St Benet-at-Holm, which was then built like a castle.
In 1020 the estates of Horning, Ludham and Neatishead were confirmed by King Canute, 80 years before Norwich Cathedral. It was once one of the richest Benedictine houses in England and was at the height of it's prosperity in the middle ages.
The abbey stood about 200 yards from the gatehouse, where the ground rises above flood level. A wooden cross can be seen from the ruins in the distance on the site of the High Altar. The site was known as the Island of Cowholm, and here once towered a building over half the size of Norwich Cathedral, dominating the marshland.
The abbey controlled all the peat diggings that eventually made the Norfolk Broads. The monks also oversaw and profited from farming and other industry within the large area around the abbey. By 1046 the abbey had 28 dependent churches and property in 76 parishes by 1291.
There is a depression, which can be seen from the air, which was the old swan pit where cygnets were raised for the table.
St Benet’s Abbey is the only English monastery never dissolved. King Henry VIII united the Abbacy with the Bishopric of Norwich, appointing Bishop Reppes as Abbot of St Benets and further granted him the abbey and all its properties in return for land owned by the Diocese of Norwich. However, the new bishop soon plundered the site and the last monk left soon after, in 1545. All the buildings were demolished, except the gatehouse and probably taken to Norwich by river for reuse. To this day the Bishop of Norwich is still the Lord Abbot of St Benets. Since 1939 he has arrived once a year, standing in the bow of a wherry and preached at the annual service, held on the first day of August.
At the time of the Norman Conquest, Aelfwold was the abbot of St Benet’s in charge of defending the coast against invasion. After the Conquest Aelfwold fled to Denmark. It is said that the ruins of the old gatehouse remain because legend tells that it was haunted so the superstitious villagers left that area alone. The legend states that the ghost of the monk who treacherously granted access to William the Conqueror can be seen hanging from the former bell tower on each night of the 25th May and some say his screams from time to time can still be heard!. In the days immediately following the Norman Conquest, the monk betrayed his brethren to soldiers of William the Conqueror on the promise that he would be made Abbot. True to their word, the Normans appointed him Abbot. He was then nailed to the Abbey doors then skinned alive.
The monks of St. Benet's surveyed the building of Ranworth church across the river, which was not finished before the Dissolution. Another legend states that on quiet nights one can still see the ghost of a monk rowing across the river in a little boat, accompanied by a dog.
In May 2002 the Norfolk Archaeological Trust bought the majority of the site comprising of 36 acres from the Crown Estate Commissioners and in January 2004 the gatehouse and mill were acquired from the Norwich Diocese.