Wardon Abbey The Lost Plot – Margaret Roberts

This is an intriguing and interesting story of a once mighty Bedfordshire abbey. The buildings were razed to the ground in the 16th century and few artefacts survived the ravages of the dissolution. However, all is not as it seems. The Lost Plotcharts the rise and fall of the monastery, from its foundation in 1135 to its closure by Henry VIII in 1537. The author discusses the Cistercian monks’ self-sufficient way of life, including the acquisition and exploitation of their vast estates, and examines how external factors, including famine, disease, economic pressures, societal and religious changes, political shifts, and royal whims, affected the monastery’s fortunes. There are tales of abbots, both powerful and weak, and their interactions with all levels of society, from popes, kings, and barons to local parishioners. The author has trawled all the available extant materials for the abbey, turning to documents relating to other English religious houses for comparison where the records for Wardon are lacking. Almost 500 years have passed since the dissolution, and the book introduces the generations of custodians, who have shaped the features we see today. Evidence from archaeological digs in the 19th and 20th centuries is combined with the results of non-invasive investigations to unravel the site’s secrets, proving that the monastic plot is not lost, but merely hidden. Our modern vineyard occupies part of the monks’ Little Vineyard. What’s not to like? UK Postage will be added in the basket. Contact us for overseas orders.