Woburn Abbey

Daughter monasteries

Medmenham Abbey ( 1201)

Woburn Abbey ( Woburna ), a former Cistercian monastery, is a noble residence approximately 1.5 km southeast of Woburn in Bedfordshire in England.

History

The monastery was founded in 1145 by Hugh de Bolebec as a daughter house of Fountains Abbey and thus belonged to the filiation of Clairvaux. 1204 From Woburn Abbey was the daughter of founding Medmenham Abbey. However, the monastery fell into the following period in financial difficulties, but won in 1280 his prosperity. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 the annual income was estimated at 391 pounds. The resolution at which the last abbot Robert Hobbes and two monks were executed, was 1538. Then received Lord Russell of Chenies, later the Earl of Bedford, the monastery. The castle is still the seat of the Duke of Bedford and hosts a safari park. It is a member of the consortium Treasure Houses of England.

Buildings and plant

Of the monastic buildings nothing remains. On the grounds of the convent is built by the fourth Earl of Bedford castle, whose northern wing was built around 1630 on the north wing of the monastery. The west wing was John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, built in 1747-1761 by Henry Flint Croft and the southern wing under Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, 1787-1790 by Henry Holland. The east wing was also built by Holland canceled due to its structural condition in 1950. The enclosure of the monastery is estimated to have around the castle today.