The history of the Abbey of St James

The Abbey was founded in 1104-1105 by William Peverel, a Norman Knight and alleged son of William the Conqueror, as a house of Augustinian black canons.

In 1173 the first Abbot of this church, Ralph, occupied the new church of St James and began to inhabit the monastery. In former archelogist, Andy Chapman's, video on the history of the abbey he said, "the monastery was serious injured in 1223 by a disastrous fire."

In the following century, Henry III supplied two oaks for the building of the church tower. In 1291 the abbey took control of landholdings outside their walls, which belonged to the exiled jewish community, and a new building project began.

The abbey was rebuilt during the reign of King Edward I and completed around 1310, by the time of the dissolution it was said that the monastery was well kept and had done a lot of good for the poor in the area.

Then in May 1536, under the rule of King Henry VIII, the commissioners of his chief advisor, Thomas Cromwell, arrived to find the monastery in good repair, which was not something Cromwell was happy with as he wanted the monastic system destroyed so that the king could acquire all its wealth, whilst removing its Papist influence.

In 1538, the abbey was dissolved when the Abbot, Prior and four canon surrendered their house and all its possessions to the king, Andy Chapman said that "At this point the value of the lands was £207", it was then granted to Nicholas Giffard, who built a mansion on the lands.

You can find out more on the history of the Abbey by watching Andy Chapman's video here: https://youtu.be/CiXc_er6hTQ