West Front of Croxden Abbey

Photo of Croxden Abbey

Croxden Abbey was a Cistercian abbey at Croxden, Staffordshire, England. An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or Croxden is a Village in the County of Staffordshire, England, south of Alton and north of Uttoxeter. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

In 1179, Bertram de Verdun, the lord of the manor of Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey, and 12 monks arrived from the Savigniac Cistercian mother house of Aunay-sur-Odon in Normandy to build the new abbey over the next 50 years. Bertram I de Verdun was a knight of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings (1066 The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. The Catholic Congregation of Savigny ( Savigniac Order) started in the Abbey of Savigny, situated in northern France, on the confines of Normandy Aunay-sur-Odon is a commune in the department of Calvados in the Basse-Normandie region in northern France. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It was known as the "Abbey of the Vale of St. Mary at Croxden". The monks made a living from breeding sheep. The Abbey was consecrated in 1253.

The abbey lasted for 350 years until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded In September 1538, the abbot and the twelve remaining monks surrendered the abbey.

Today, the ruins are in the care of English Heritage and can be found among modern farm buildings. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of Unfortunately, a road has been built right through the ruins of the church.

Charles Lynam (1829-1921) was an architect and amateur archaeologist from Leek. He worked out the ground plan of the abbey and published his findings in 1911 as The Abbey of St. Mary, Croxden, Staffordshire.