Croxden Abbey, Croxden, Staffordshire
Croxden Abbey was a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1176 with lands and money given by Bertram de Verdun, lord of Alton Castle. The monks came from Aunay in Normandy. The monastery was one of four in Staffordshire. It dominated the area, not only in religious life, but also in the way they farmed the land from a network of granges (monastic farms). During the 13th and 14th centuries the abbey may have had as many as 70 monks. Croxden also had a mill and fishponds. Following the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1538 most of the buildings were destroyed. The site was leased to Francis Bassett, a servant of Archbishop Cranmer in 1539. At this time part of the abbey was used as a house with gardens and parkland. By the 18th century there were three farmsteads but in 1913 the estate was broken up and sold in lots. The site is now (2011) in the care of English Heritage.
