Sawtry Abbey

Sawtry Abbey was a Cistercian monastery between Sawtry and Woodwalton in Cambridgeshire. Founded in 1147 by Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, it became the county’s only Cistercian house. A group of monks from Wardon Abbey in Bedfordshire joined the new foundation. Disputes over land and tithes with Ramsey and Thorney often filled the 13th century. By the 14th century the abbot was frequently in debt, though records are scarce. The abbey was valued at less than £200 a year when it was closed in 1536. Only the abbot, William Angell, received a pension of £10. After the Dissolution the buildings were demolished and stone removed as late as the 19th century. Excavations between 1907 and 1913 revealed the cruciform church with short transepts and choir. The cloisters lay to the south, with an infirmary or abbot’s lodging to the east and a guest house to the south-west. Earthworks survive and have been scheduled since 1954. The site preserves the layout of the church, cloister and outbuildings. Several Huntingdon family members were buried here, including David, Earl of Huntingdon, and Margaret of Huntingdon, Duchess of Brittany. The remains lie within well-preserved earthworks that outline the abbey’s former precincts.