Halesowen Abbey
The ruins of Halesowen Abbey. | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Abbey of Hales |
| Order | Premonstratensian |
| Established | 1218 |
| Disestablished | 9 June 1538 |
| Mother house | Welbeck Abbey |
| Dedicated to | The Blessed Virgin Mary for the Feast of the Assumption and St John the Evangelist. |
| Diocese | Diocese of Worcester |
| Controlled churches | Halesowen Walsall Wednesbury Harborne Clent Rowley Regis Cradley Warley Wigorn Lutley |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester |
| Site | |
| Location | Halesowen, West Midlands, B62 8RJ |
| Coordinates | 52°26′37″N 2°02′12″W / 52.4436°N 2.0368°W |
| Grid reference | grid reference SO 97724 82701 |
| Visible remains | Parts of north wall of the presbytery, south transept and south aisle, south range of cloister. Vestiges of water control features, including mills. |
| Official name | Halesowen Abbey and associated water control features |
| Designated | 8 February 1915 |
| Reference no. | 1009770 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | St Mary's Abbey Ruins, Manor Farm |
| Designated | 10 January 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1063731 |
| Public access | Visible from nearby footpath. No direct access. |
Halesowen Abbey was a Premonstratensian abbey in Halesowen, England of which only ruins remain. Founded by Peter des Roches with a grant of land from King John, the abbey's official year of inauguration was 1218. It acquired two daughter abbeys and a dependent priory. It also acquired a considerable range of estates, mostly concentrated within the region, and a number of churches, which it appropriated after being granted the advowsons. The abbey's manorial court records have survived in large part, portraying a discontented community, driven to many acts of resistance and at one point to challenge the abbey's very existence. The abbey played no great part in the affairs of its order, although it was represented at all levels. At least one abbot attracted serious criticism from within the order, which attempted to remove him. Its canons observed the Rule of St Augustine to a varying degree, with some serious lapses, at least in the late 15th century, when the order's visitor uncovered widespread sexual exploitation of local women. The abbey was moderately prosperous and survived the suppression of the lesser monasteries. It was dissolved in 1538.