Radmore Abbey facts for kids

Radmore Abbey was a special kind of monastery called a Cistercian abbey. It was located in Staffordshire, England, near a place called Cannock Wood. This abbey didn't exist for very long. After about ten years, the monks moved to a new location. They traded their land at Radmore for new land in Warwickshire.

The Story of Radmore Abbey

How it Started

Radmore Abbey began as a hermitage in the early 1130s. A hermitage is a quiet place where religious people, called hermits, live alone or in a small group to pray. This hermitage was set up by King Stephen near Cannock Wood.

A religious leader named Roger de Clinton, who was the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, agreed to this. He gave the hermits permission to live by their own chosen rules.

Joining the Cistercian Order

Around 1143, the hermits got a similar agreement from Empress Matilda. She was a powerful ruler at the time. They probably did this to make sure their future was safe, no matter who won the civil war happening in England.

Sometime in the 1140s, the hermits decided to join the Cistercian order. This was a specific group of monks who followed strict rules. They named their new abbey after Saint Mary.

Gifts and a New Supporter

The abbey received several gifts of land, including areas in Staffordshire and Warwickshire. In 1153, Henry, who was Empress Matilda's son, became a supporter of the abbey. He was known as the Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine at the time.

Moving to a New Home

Radmore Abbey only lasted until the winter of 1154. The monks asked Henry, who was now King Henry II, for land in a different place. They found Radmore to be a difficult place to live because of arguments with local foresters. Foresters were people who managed the royal forests.

So, King Henry II traded the royal land at Radmore for a new place called Stoneleigh in Warwickshire. The monks then built Stoneleigh Abbey there in June 1155. Radmore Abbey became a royal hunting lodge, a place for the king to stay when he went hunting.