Name: CROXDEN Location: nr Uttoxeter
County: Staffordshire Foundation: 1176 Mother house: Aulnay-sur-Odon Relocation: c. 1178 Founder: Bertram de Verdun Dissolution: 1538 Prominent members: Access: English Heritage open to the public
Croxden was a late Cistercian abbey founded
by Bertram de Verdun, lord of Alton, a baron of the exchequer
and a
royal justice. The purpose of the foundation was for the salvation
of the souls of his mother, of himself, of his second wife Rose,
and of Richard de Humez.(1) In
1176 he granted land at Cotton (formerly spelt Chotene or Chotes)
to the monks of Aulnay-sur-Odon in Normandy as the site for a new
abbey. The
first
monks from Aulnay arrived in 1176 but within three years had moved
to a new site at Croxden, a few miles to the south. The house
was
styled the abbey of the Vale of St. Mary at Croxden
and although the abbey was dedicated in 1181, the construction
of permanent buildings was slow.(2) Whilst
the community was French,
the first abbot, Thomas, was an Englishman. He ruled the abbey
for over fifty years, during which time most of the buildings
were completed.(3) The
site was fairly compact and there appears to have been no more
than twelve monks living at the monastery throughout its history.
The thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries were a time of prosperity
for the abbey, with much of the monastery's profits drawn
from sheep farming,
a typical occupation of the Cistercian communities. Problems arose
during the fourteenth century when the last of the Verdun family
died and patronage passed to Joan, the eldest daughter and her
husband, Thomas de Furnivalle. Thomas was particularly heavy-handed
in his
approach towards the monks, impounding animals and confiscating
property. In response, the monks erected a thorn fence and
barricade
to prevent Thomas from entering their site. The dispute was finally
settled with the aid of some local magnates and peace was restored.
The mid/late fourteenth century brought with
it more serious economic problems: royal exactions were increased,
and plague, floods and bad harvests all contributed to the impoverishment
of the abbey. The decline was reflected in a decrease in numbers
and in 1377 and 1381 only an abbot and six monks inhabited the
abbey.(4) The abbey
never recovered its former prosperity and in 1535 the gross annual
income of the abbey was assessed as £103, and
thus should have been dissolved in 1536 with the lesser monasteries.
However, in 1537 the abbey received a licence to continue for
a
fine of £100 but was surrendered only a year later by the
abbot and twelve monks.(5) The
site contained a large mill pond and
dam, although this area is now crossed by a road.
The plan of the
abbey was copied from the mother-house of
Aulney-sur-Odon and so
was more elaborate in design than most Cistercian churches in England.(6) There
are substantial remains of the church and claustral ranges
and a detached abbots house. A Georgian farmhouse now occupies
the site of the abbey kitchen and its driveway slices through
the
old west range. The precinct is clearly defined by earthworks,
and retains a late-medieval barn which is still in agricultural
use.(7) Croxden is
in the care of English Heritage, and contains more remains than
any other monastic site in Staffordshire. The area is open
to the public at all reasonable times.