PLACE NAME
Furness Abbey is a former Catholic monastery in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, founded by King Stephen in 1123. It takes its name from the region in which it is situated. First recorded in 1150 as Fuththernessa, it has been interpreted to mean headland by the rump-shaped island, and comes from the Old Norse words futh, meaning rump, and nes, headland. Before its closure in 1537 under the orders of King Henry VIII during his cull of the monasteries, the abbey was the second-wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in England, making it far too rich a prize to pass up. Like many of the roads on the St Helier’s estate this is named after British monasteries and abbeys in remembrance of the area’s historic ownership by Westminster Abbey. The road names are in alphabetical order, of which Aberconway Road in the north west of the estate is first.
