Polesworth Abbey
Encyclopedia
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
nunnery in Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
, North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire is a local government district and borough in Warwickshire, England. The main town in the district is Atherstone where the council is based...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was founded in the 9th century by St. Modwena and King Egbert
Egbert of Wessex
Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...
. The first abbess was Edgytha (daughter of King Egbert, now St. Editha).
The site of the Abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
although apart from the church and the gatehouse and the restored ruins of the cloister very little remains visible. The 12th century Abbey church, now the parish church of St Editha is a Grade I* listed building. The 14th century gatehouse is both a Grade I* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has recently been restored and renovated to provide apartments available for rent.
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536, the Abbey was granted by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
to Francis Goodere of St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
in 1544. Goodere dismantled many of the Abbey buildings to provide stone for a new manor house ( Polesworth Hall) which he built on the site. Later Sir Henry Goodere
Henry Goodere
Sir Henry Goodere was an English nobleman, the son of Francis Goodere of Polesworth Hall.The earliest records that use the Goodere name are in Poynton, Cheshire, England. The Gooderes intermarried with the noble Warren family and could claim the title 'Lord of Poynton'. The Goodere name is spelled...
, was a patron of the arts and leader of the Polesworth Group of poets which included his protegee Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...
.
Polesworth Hall was demolished before 1868 and the Vicarage
Polesworth Vicarage
Polesworth Vicarage stands adjacent to St Editha's Church in High Street, Polesworth, Warwickshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building....
was built on the site.