Bisham, Berkshire, England

Bisham Abbey was a priory most of its life and stood beside the manor house of today. It was built by the Knights of Templar who owned it in the 13th century.

The order was suppressed in 1307 and King Edward II took control of the abbey for which he used to improsion dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth of the Scots.

Tudor mansions succeeded the redundant enclaves of the original abbey. The abbey was bought in 1335 by William Montacute who was the 2nd Earl of Salisbury. In 1337 he founded Bisham Priory and the foundation stone was laid by Edward II himself. William built a council chamber, a fine cellar and an arcade which formed one side of the quadrangle. It has now been demolished. The Earl of Salisbury and Warwick, Richard Neville owned the abbey during the time of King Richard III who was Richard's son-in-law. William Montacute and Richard Neville are buried at the priory.

Henry VIII granted the house to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce settlement from him.

In the 1500's the abbey was bought by Sir Philip Hoby and became the residence of the Hoby family. He built the great dining hall and suites north-west of the old hall. He demolished part of the quadrangle and put in a bay window on the north end. In 1560, his brother added the brick tower. In 1562 a gallery was made with noble men's arms.

During the reign of Bloody Mary, Queen Elizabeth was imprisoned at the abbey for several years.

Bisham Abbey is now a National Sports Center run by Leisure Connection.

Information From: Wikipedia.com

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