| BUCKINGHAMSHIRE |
| missenden abbey |
| Missenden Abbey, founded by Benedictine monks in the 12th century, was visited several times by Henry III, who is said to have given gifts of timber to rebuild the Abbey Church as a form of payment for the hospitality he received. After the Dissolution the property was inherited by the future Queen Elizabeth I but shortly after she came to the Throne she gave it to one of her favourites, the Earl of Leicester, who in turn sold it to Sir William Fleetwood, the Recorder of the City of London. It remained in the hands of the Fleetwoods until the 18th century when John Oldham bought the Abbey and demolished most of the original 12th century building. The outline of the present building is mainly the result of extensive work carried out in 1806. In 1946 the property was bought by the |
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| Buckinghamshire County Council and converted for use as a college. The history of Missenden Abbey before the Dissolution is a history of scandal. In 1286 the Abbot of Missenden tried to trick one Nicholas the Taverner into signing away his inn whilst he was sick in the Abbey Infirmary. The monks tried to evict the taverner’s wife but after being bodily thrown out she managed to re-enter by climbing through a window and was able to remain there until the return of her husband to claim his possession. In 1297 one of the monks committed suicide by cutting his throat. This was done to avoid punishment for being involved with a nun in more than spiritual matters. The nun came from nearby Little Abbey, half a mile down the road.In 1361 the then Abbot, Ralph Marshall, was sentenced to death for “clipping” coins. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and finally, after eight years, he was once again back at his old post. In 1530 a monk named Roger Palmer was seen sneaking away from the house of a married woman in the early hours of the morning, dressed in doublet and hose and carrying a sword. It is little wonder that his Bishop issued orders saying that the brethren were to only wear ecclesiastical clothing after that. |