Missenden Abbey (also referred to as Great Missenden Abbey) is a former Arrouasian (

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

) monastery, founded in 1133 in

Great Missenden Great Missenden is an affluent village with approximately 2,000 residents in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover, with direct rail connections to London Mar ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The abbey was dissolved in 1538, and the abbey church demolished. In 1574 a house, also known as Missenden Abbey, was constructed on the site of the monastic cloisters, incorporating some of the monastic remains. The house was altered several times, gaining its current "Regency Gothic" style at the beginning of the 19th century. The house was "gutted" by fire in 1985 and subsequently rebuilt.

Abbey

Foundation

The abbey of Missenden was founded c.1133, by William de Missenden, the lord of Missenden manor. Two of the abbey's foundation charters (those issued by King Henry I, and by

Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln Alexander of Lincoln (died February 1148) was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln, a member of an important administrative and ecclesiastical family. He was the nephew of Roger of Salisbury, a Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England und ...

) state there were originally seven canons, who came to Missenden from "the church of St. Mary 'de Bosco (or de Nemore) de pago Terresino". This church - thought to have been in Ruisseauville, France - was a daughter house of

Arrouaise Abbey The Abbey of Arrouaise in northern France was the centre of a form of the canons regular, canonical life known as the Arrouaisian Order, which was popular among the founders of canonry, canonries during the decade of the 1130s. The community began ...

, also in France.Kaye, p. 5. Missenden thus became the home of the first abbey in Buckinghamshire and the second Arrouasian community in England, after Warter Abbey in East Yorkshire. "The Arrouasian canons differed very little from other

Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

, and sometimes abandoned at an early date the slight distinctions they originally had". The Arrouasian Order "never seem to have been really an independent order with special privileges", and thus often were not distinguished from canons of the Augustinian Order.

15th and 16th Centuries

During a visit conducted between 1431 and 1436, William Grey, Bishop of Lincoln, found that the abbey did not have enough canons to perform its religious duties, and that some of the abbey's buildings were in need of repair. A visit in 1518 by William Atwater, Bishop of Lincoln, found the discipline at the abbey was "lax", and that the refectory needed to be repaired. In 1521, a canon at the abbey was forced to do penance for heresy. In 1530 and 1531 the abbey was visited by John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln, who found the abbey in debt, while all of the buildings were in need of repair. The bishop found the abbot, John Fox, to be " wholly under the influence of a secular, John Compton, who cut down trees and did as he pleased with the goods of the monastery." Bishop Longland suspended Abbot Fox, placing the abbey under the control of John Otwell, who would later become abbot himself.

Dissolution

The abbey was surrendered for

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

in 1538, and the abbey church was demolished the same year. The last abbot, John Otwell, subsequently married before dying in 1552.

Architectural history and remains

There is no extant plan of the medieval monastery, but a partial reconstruction is possible based on documentary evidence, excavation work and comparisons with other religious houses of the period. The Abbey Church, which was dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, was located on the North side of the cloister, running from west to east, as was typical of the period. Excavated stonework suggests that the church was highly decorated, in a

romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

.Kaye, p. 10. The church housed the largest bell in Buckinghamshire, which weighed more than 2.5 tons. The abbey church, of which nothing remains, was located 300 yards east of the present building. This building incorporates stonework from the east range of the cloister buildings, but none of it is visible. Excavations conducted in 1983 showed that the abbey church was built in two or three phases; the earliest of which dated from the mid-12th century.

Abbots of Missenden

A list of the known abbots of Missenden: * Daniel. First abbot; name occurs 1133 and 1145 * Peter, name occurs c.1163 * Adam, name occurs 1198 and 1206 * William, name occurs 1217 * Martin, deposed 1236 * Robert, elected 1236, resigned 1240 * Roger of Gilsburgh, elected 1240 * Simon of London, elected 1258, resigned 1262 * Geoffrey de Welpesle, elected 1262, resigned 1268 * William of London, elected 1268 * Matthew of Tring, died 1306 * Richard Marshall, elected 1306, died 1323 * Robert of Kimble, elected 1323, resigned 1339 * William Delamere, elected 1339, died 1340 * Henry of Buckingham, elected 1340 * John of Abingdon, elected 1347, died 1348 * William of Bradley, elected 1348, resigned 1356 * Ralf Marshall, elected 1356, died 1374 * William of Thenford, elected 1374, died 1384 * John Marsh, elected 1384, died 1398 * Richard Meer, elected 1398 * Robert Risborough, deposed 1462 * Henry Honor of Missenden, elected 1462 * William Smith, (fn. 94) died 1521 * William Honor, elected 1521, died 1528 * John Fox, elected 1528, occurs 1535 * John Otwell, last abbot; abbey dissolved 1538

Burials at the Abbey

John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel, 2nd Baron Maltravers ''jure matris'', also called John de Arundel (30 November 1364 – 14 August 1390), of Buckland, Surrey, was the son and heir of John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel by his wife Eleanor Maltr ...

* William Bois * Elizabeth Cellier, Catholic midwife * Joan Howard de Braose *

John du Plessis, 7th Earl of Warwick John du Plessis or Plessetis, Earl of Warwick (d. 26 Feb. 1263) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman in the service of King Henry III of England. Life He was of Norman origin, and was probably a son of the Hugh de Plessis who occurs as one of the royal k ...

* Lady Isabella Brocas Golafre * Katherine Missenden Iwardby * Sir Edmund Missenden * Sir Thomas Missenden * Elizabeth Hampden Salendine * Lady Juliana Grey Shelley

Country House

Construction

Like many other former monasteries, a country house was constructed on the site of the former abbey. Also known as "Missenden Abbey", the house was constructed in 1574, on the site of the former cloisters, and incorporating some of the monastic remains. The house was altered and remodeled in both the 17th and 18th centuries. Between 1806 and 1814, the house was remodeled in a "Regency Gothic" style, for John Ayton. The two storied house was built around a courtyard and featured "castellated parapets, corner turrets with arrow slits and conical caps."

Fire and later history

The building was designated Grade II listed on 10 March 1983. However, in 1985 the building was destroyed by fire. The house was "gutted". Among that destroyed was the "15th or 16th century roof of the East range", which was "a rare survival of a monastic roof". The building was reconstructed following the fire, with some of the interiors remodeled. The abbey has been owned by

Buckinghamshire New University , mottoeng = By Art and Industry , established = 2007 – gained university status 1891 – Science and Art School , type = Public , staff = , chancellor = Jay Blades , vice_chancellor = Nick Braisby , st ...

since the mid-1990s. It is now used as a conference centre and also used for weddings. In April 2016, the abbey's first same-sex marriage was performed.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

*
The Cartulary of Missenden Abbey online
{{Authority control 1133 establishments in England 1538 disestablishments in England Arrouaisians Buckinghamshire New University Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Country houses in Buckinghamshire Gothic architecture in England Grade II listed bridges Grade II listed houses Grade II listed parks and gardens in Buckinghamshire Great Missenden Monasteries in Buckinghamshire Religious organizations established in the 1100s