Kingswood Abbey

Kingswood Abbey was a significant Cistercian monastery located in the village of Kingswood, near Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England. Founded in 1139 by William of Berkeley, in accordance with the wishes of his uncle Roger II of Berkeley, the abbey was initially colonised from the Cistercian house at Tintern. The founding family, the Berkeleys, were prominent feudal barons with connections to Berkeley Castle.

History and Significance

The abbey experienced a period of relocation in the mid-12th century, with the abbot and monks moving first to Hazleton Abbey and then to Tetbury due to insufficient water. Kingswood itself became a grange during this time until the community eventually returned to a site near the original location, known as "Mireford" within Kingswood. Financial records from the medieval period, including cellarer's and bursar's accounts from 1240-41 and 1241-2, are among the earliest of their kind and offer valuable insights into the abbey's administration. At the time of the taxation of Pope Nicholas IV in 1291, its annual income from spiritualities and temporalities was recorded as £54 1s 6d.

Dissolution and Surviving Structures

Kingswood Abbey met its end during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The abbey and its church were so thoroughly demolished that their exact location is now unknown. The most prominent surviving structure is the early 16th-century abbey gatehouse, a Grade I listed building now under the care of English Heritage. This gatehouse is noted for its decorative embellishments, including gable ridge decorations, niches that once held statues, pinnacles, and finely carved windows. The lodging to the left of the gatehouse remains inhabited, while the lodging to the right is a facade.

Later History and Legacy

Following the Dissolution, the monastery estate was leased by Henry VIII to Sir Nicholas Poyntz. In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I granted the estate to Sir John Thynne, who was responsible for the construction of Longleat House. A tithe barn built by the monks of Kingswood Abbey, known as Calcot Manor, is located a few miles to the northeast. Forty-eight original charters of Kingswood Abbey, spanning the years 1225 to 1444, have been preserved and are held in antiquarian collections. Elizabeth Berkeley, Countess of Warwick, is among the notable figures buried at the abbey.