Ancient to Medieval (And Slightly Later) History

Waverley Abbey, Surrey

Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England. It was founded in 1128 by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester about one mile south of Farnham on a site surrounded on three sides by a bend of the River Wey. Situated on a floodplain, the abbey was damaged on more than one occasion by severe flooding, and was rebuilt in the 13th century. Despite being the first Cistercian abbey in England, and being motherhouse to several other abbeys, Waverley was “slenderly endowed” and its monks are recorded as having endured poverty and famine. The abbey was closed in 1536 as part of King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.

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