Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Chertsey Abbey
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
666-1537
History
Chertsey Abbey was founded in 666 by Erkenwald, a prince from Stallingborough, Lincolnshire, who was said to be related to Offa, King of East Anglia. The Abbey was founded as a Benedictine House, dedicated to St. Peter, and grew to become the fifth largest monastery in the country, with land covering 50,000 acres. Little is recorded of the Abbey before the mid 11th century, however it is known to have been the subject of a Viking raid in 871, after which it was rebuilt and had its land confirmed in a Charter of 889. The Abbey also suffered at least two fires in 1235 and 1381 as part of the Peasants' Revolt.
Throughout its history, Chertsey Abbey was regularly visited by the King, including King John, Henry III who held court there in 1217, Edward III and Henry VIII. The Abbey was dissolved in 1537 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, with its monks sent to Bisham to create a new order specifically to pray for the soul of Jane Seymour. However, this new House was dissolved in less than a year and within a century, the empty buildings of Chertsey Abbey had been destroyed.