PLACE NAME
The former Selby Abbey in North Yorkshire was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069. It takes its name from the town in which it is situated, first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of AD779 as Seletun; in 1030 it appears in a Yorkshire charter as Seleby, and as Selby in about 1050. It is thought to be from the Old Norse selja meaning willow and býr meaning farm or settlement, literally a place where willows grow. In 1256, the abbey was bestowed with enhanced “Mitred” status by Pope Alexander IV and as such its abbot and his successors could wear episcopal insignia and were exempt from any episcopal visitation or control. It was closed on December 6, 1539 by Henry VIII during his cull of the monasteries. 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.
