Vaudey Abbey

Vaudey Abbey was an English Cistercian abbey founded in 1147 by William, Count of Aumale. The monks first settled near William’s castle at Bytham but soon moved to Grimsthorpe, where the site was called Vallis Dei or ‘Valley of God’. Today only earthworks remain, yet the abbey’s history is recorded in the Victoria County History. The abbey’s story begins with monks from Fountains Abbey who arrived in May 1147. After finding the land unsuitable, they relocated to Grimsthorpe by 1149. The new site became known as Vaudey, a shortened form of the Latin name. The abbey prospered in the 13th century, earning around £200 annually from wool. In 1229 the abbot carried messages for King Henry III to Llewelyn, Prince of Wales. By 1280 the abbot had authority to arrest wandering Cistercian monks with the help of local officials. Financial difficulties appeared by the late 13th century, and the number of monks likely declined. Stephen of Sawley, abbot of Fountains, died during a visit to Vaudey in 1252 and was buried in the chapter house. After the Dissolution in 1536 the abbey’s buildings fell into ruin. Henry VIII granted the lands to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who used the stone for his new house. By 1736 only the precinct wall remained intact. Some stones from the abbey were later used in a barn across Grimsthorpe Park. A doorway was moved to Edenham church in 1967, possibly from the abbey or an unrelated chapel. The abbey’s legacy survives in these scattered fragments and historical records.