West Langdon Abbey
Encyclopedia
West Langdon Abbey was a Premonstratensian
abbey
situated near West Langdon
, Kent
. The visible remains of the abbey are now confined to the extensive cellaring below the 16th century house that occupies its site and small remains of a 12th century Ice House .
, in about 1192 and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Thomas the Martyr
. Sir William annexed the church of St. Mary
in Walmer
to the abbey, in perpetual alms, and the church remained with the abbey until its dissolution.
In 1325 Edward II
recuperated at the abbey, having been taken ill on the road to Dover
.
The Abbot and Convent of Langedon were granted a licence to crenellate in 1348.
In 1491 it was reported that Langdon had 300 acres (121 hectares) of grain and a very good supply of animals.
by Henry VIII
and had, at that time, an annual revenue estimated at £56. Dr. Leyton, the commissioner who carried out the visitation of the abbey, sent the following report to Cromwell
on his arrest of the abbot and his mistress:
The fee of the manor was acquired by John Master, who died in 1588. His son, James Master (who died in 1631, aged 84) was described as "Primo de Sandwich, postea de East Langden, ubi edificavit mansionem". James Master's second and eldest surviving son, Sir Edward Master, was High Sheriff of Kent
in 1639.
The site of the abbey itself was occupied by a farm house, parts of which date back to the 16th century. The monks’ cellar (retaining its original arches) remains in place underneath the house. In 1828, it was reported that the farm house “has been occupied many years by a respectable family of the name of Coleman", and the returns from the 1881 census show that one Richard Coleman remained a substantial farmer at Langdon as at that date.
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
situated near West Langdon
West Langdon
West Langdon is a village in the Dover district of Kent, England. It is located five miles north of Dover town.The name Langdon derives from an Old English word meaning long hill...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The visible remains of the abbey are now confined to the extensive cellaring below the 16th century house that occupies its site and small remains of a 12th century Ice House .
Foundation
The abbey was founded by Sir William de Auberville, an English jurist in the reign of Henry IIHenry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, in about 1192 and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Thomas the Martyr
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
. Sir William annexed the church of St. Mary
Old St Mary's, Walmer
Old St Mary's, Walmer, St Mary's Old Church, Blessed Mary of Walmer is a church in Upper Walmer, Kent, United Kingdom.It was built in 1120 as the chapel to the adjoining Walmer Manor . The original Norman entrance door and chancel arch survive, along with two windows on the south side...
in Walmer
Walmer
Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent in England: located on the coast, the parish of Walmer is six miles north-east of Dover. Largely residential, its coastline and castle attract many visitors...
to the abbey, in perpetual alms, and the church remained with the abbey until its dissolution.
Royal favour
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
recuperated at the abbey, having been taken ill on the road to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
.
The Abbot and Convent of Langedon were granted a licence to crenellate in 1348.
In 1491 it was reported that Langdon had 300 acres (121 hectares) of grain and a very good supply of animals.
Dissolution
In 1535 the abbey was reputedly the first religious house to be dissolvedDissolution 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...
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...
and had, at that time, an annual revenue estimated at £56. Dr. Leyton, the commissioner who carried out the visitation of the abbey, sent the following report to Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
on his arrest of the abbot and his mistress:
- "Please it your goodness to understand that on Friday, the 22nd of October, I rode back with speed to take an inventory of Folkstone, and from thence I went to Langden. Whereat immediately descending from my horse, I sent Bartlett, your servant, with all my servants, to circumspect the abbey, and surely to keep all back-doors and starting-holes. I myself went alone to the abbot's lodging, joining upon the fields and wood, even like a cony clapper, full of starting-holes. [I was] a good space knocking at the abbot's door; nec vox nec sensus apparuit, saving the abbot's little dog that within his door fast locked bayed and barked. I found a short poleaxe standing behind the door, and with it I dashed the abbot's door in pieces, ictu oculi, and set one of my men to keep that door ; and about the house I go, with that poleaxe in my hand, ne forte, for the abbot is a dangerous desperate knave, and a hardy. But for a conclusion, his gentlewoman bestirred her stumps towards her starting-holes; and then Bartlett, watching the pursuit, took the tender damoisel; and, after I had examined her, [brought her] to Dover to the mayor, to set her in some cage or prison for eight days; and I brought holy father abbot to Canterbury, and here in Christchurch I will leave him in prison."
Later history
High Sheriff of Kent
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1639.
The site of the abbey itself was occupied by a farm house, parts of which date back to the 16th century. The monks’ cellar (retaining its original arches) remains in place underneath the house. In 1828, it was reported that the farm house “has been occupied many years by a respectable family of the name of Coleman", and the returns from the 1881 census show that one Richard Coleman remained a substantial farmer at Langdon as at that date.