Lilleshall Abbey
Lilleshall Abbey was an
Foundation
Disputed origins
Lilleshall was one of a small number of monasteries in England belonging to the rigorist Arrouaisian branch of the Augustinians. A persistent tale, possibly stemming from
The Arrouaisian pre-history
Arrouaise lay between
Although regarded as a house of Augustinian
The Belmeis initiative
The Belmeis brothers had acquired land and influence in Shropshire and the surrounding counties mainly as heirs to their uncle, the bishop of London, who had overseen the affairs of Wales and the
The initiative of the Belmeis brothers was far from inevitable. Earlier, Philip had been deeply interested in
The small colony of canons from Dorchester struggled to establish themselves. Lizard proved unsuitable, so they moved first into
The country was in the grip of
To ensure the abbey's future, it was vital to secure the approval of Empress Matilda, who was contesting the throne. Richard de Belmeis had previous contact with the opposition and was with Matilda at Oxford in 1141, when he witnessed her charter to Haughmond Abbey.[24] She issued a confirmation, now definitely to Lilleshall Abbey, in 1148, apparently at Falaise.[25] Her son and heir gave his consent as Duke of Normandy[26] and again when he became King Henry II.
The abbey was seen as a royal foundation, notwithstanding the role of the Belmeis brothers, because it replaced St Alkmund's, a chapel royal. This gave it both advantages and responsibilities. Philip of Belmeis' property passed via his daughter to the la Zouche family, who occasionally pretended to have advowson. In practice, however, all abbots elect were presented for approval to the king.
Dedication
The dedication of the abbey was to
The monastic life
The abbey's community were Augustinian
There was a large number of benefactions from
Although the fraternity was important in diffusing the influence of the abbey, there is no evidence of lay brothers and sisters being admitted to the abbey community itself. This is unexpected as the Abbey of Arrouaise had admitted lay members at least since the time of Abbot Gervais.
The canons were much employed in managing the abbey's substantial estates, which seem to have been worked mainly by
The abbey was not noted for its intellectual life. However, there was some kind of library and a copy of a chronicle ascribed to Peter of Ickham has survived from it, with additions made locally.[4] There is also evidence of a canon being licensed to study at university for 10 years from 1400.
John Mirk, a Lilleshall canon of the late 14th and early 15th centuries[31] did make a literary mark. He wrote in the local West Midland dialect of Middle English[32] and at least two of his works were widely copied and used. Festial is a collection of homilies for the festivals of the Liturgical year as it was celebrated in his time in Shropshire. Instructions for Parish Priests is in lively vernacular verse, using octosyllabic lines and rhyming couplets throughout.[32] Mirk intended to ensure that priests had the resources to give good counsel to their flock. The existence of such works suggests that the canons were actively engaged with the liturgical and pastoral work of their region,[31] if not at the highest scholarly level.
Wealth and endowments
The monastic life at Lilleshall Abbey was funded by a portfolio of lands and other properties built up mainly over the first century of its existence. Initially very concentrated in the area around the abbey, it grew to include much more widely scattered estates. The following list is drawn from the Victoria County History,[4] with references to further online sources where available.
Location | Donor or original owner | Nature of property | Approximate coordinates |
---|---|---|---|
Lilleshall manor | Originally a prebend of St Alkmund's held by Richard de Belmeis, transferred to the abbey on his instigation by the Crown[22] |
Landed estate, held in demesne by the abbey throughout its history.[33] It contained four granges: Cheswell, Watling Street, Wealdmoor, and the home grange | 52°43′47″N 2°23′57″W / 52.7297°N 2.3992°W |
Atcham | Prebend of St Alkmund's, held by Richard de Beaumis from the outset. | Landed estate and site of a grange. It had a ferry across the St Augustine of Canterbury (26 May)[35] |
52°40′42″N 2°40′46″W / 52.6784°N 2.6795°W |
Albrightlee | Prebend of St Alkmund's, recovered in 1273, after protracted legal conflict, from the Burnell family,[36] who occupied the abbey itself in revenge at one point. A grange was built here. | Landed estate | 52°44′52″N 2°42′21″W / 52.7478°N 2.7057°W |
Charlton, near Shawbury | Prebend of St Alkmund's | Landed estate, where Lilleshall Abbey established a | 52°48′02″N 2°38′07″W / 52.8006°N 2.6353°W [38] |
Dinthill, near Ford, Shropshire | Prebend of St Alkmund's[4] | Landed estate. Defended in 1203 against a legal action by John of Dinthill, who lost the case because he confused an assize of mort d'ancestor with an assize of novel disseisin.[39] | 52°42′32″N 2°50′53″W / 52.7089°N 2.8481°W |
Hencott | Prebend of St Alkmund's | Small landed estate, close to Shrewsbury Castle[40] | 52°43′56″N 2°45′38″W / 52.7321°N 2.7605°W |
Longdon-on-Tern | Prebend of St Alkmund's.[41] | Landed estate. A grange was sited here. The Sugdon family continued to give lands her to the abbey, consolidating its estate. marks to Thomas Withington, husband of Isabel Burnell, settled the most important dispute over lordship of the manor.[43] |
52°44′04″N 2°33′36″W / 52.7345°N 2.5600°W |
Preston Gubbals | Prebend of St Alkmund's, held by Godebold at Domesday[44] | Landed estate and site of a grange. Included a subsidiary estate called Charlton.[45] | 52°46′21″N 2°45′18″W / 52.7725°N 2.755°W |
Preston Montford | Prebend of St Alkmund's | Landed estate, recovered from Robert de Boulers, lord of Montgomery, who quitclaimed it in late 12th century and acknowledged that his family had held it unjustly.[46] | 52°43′25″N 2°50′27″W / 52.7237°N 2.8409°W |
Uckington, Shropshire | Prebend of St Alkmund's. | Landed estate and site of grange and a mill. The abbey progressively acquired property here, including the fishery. John.[48] |
52°41′06″N 2°37′33″W / 52.6849°N 2.6259°W |
Wistanstow | Prebend of St Alkmund's | Although an ancient possession of St Alkmund's, Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury persuaded the canons to postpone taking control and it fell into lay hands.[49] The abbey was able to re-establish nominal overlordship, although the estate remained under control of its terre tenants, the Stapletons, who ensured the abbey received 40 shillings a year from the church. | 52°27′55″N 2°50′14″W / 52.4653°N 2.8372°W |
Lizard Grange | Granted by Philip de Belmeis.[17] | Landed estate. Originally intended for the abbey site, it became an agricultural holding with a grange. | 52°41′18″N 2°18′57″W / 52.6884°N 2.3157°W |
Ashby-de-la-Zouch | Philip de Belmeis[18] | Advowson of the St Helen's Church, land and tithes. | 52°44′50″N 1°28′01″W / 52.74735°N 1.46687°W |
Blackfordby | Philip de Belmeis[18] | Advowson of the Church of St Margaret of Antioch, land and tithes. A grange was established here. | 52°45′35″N 1°30′42″W / 52.75977°N 1.51172°W |
Poulton, Wiltshire | Robert de Boulers | Advowson of the Church of St Mary | 51°42′18″N 1°51′29″W / 51.70497°N 1.8581°W |
Arkendale in Yorkshire | Hilary Trusbut, widow of Robert de Boulers, to establish a chantry for herself and her husband. | Land | 54°02′37″N 1°24′33″W / 54.0436°N 1.40915°W |
Braunston in Northamptonshire | Part of Hilary Trusbut's grant.[50] | Land | 52°17′31″N 1°12′32″W / 52.292°N 1.209°W |
Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk | John Lestrange, in settlement of a dispute with Ramsey Abbey.[27] | Advowson and tithes of the church. | 52°57′40″N 0°32′25″E / 52.9611°N 0.5402°E |
Shangton in Leicestershire | John Lestrange, so that his wife, Amicia, could be buries at Lilleshall.[27] | Advowson and tithes of the Church of St Nicholas. | 52°33′26″N 0°56′46″W / 52.55717°N 0.94624°W |
Freasley, Warwickshire | Robert de Kayley, in return for burial at Lilleshall.[28] | Land | 52°35′50″N 1°38′46″W / 52.5973°N 1.6462°W |
Grindlow in Derbyshire | Matthew of Stoke, confirmed in a charter of King John.[51] | Landed estate which became site of a grange. | 53°17′43″N 1°43′44″W / 53.2952°N 1.7290°W |
Moreton Say | Nicholas of Bletchley[52] | Bletchley mill | 52°54′21″N 2°33′06″W / 52.9059°N 2.5518°W |
Bridgnorth | Sybil of Linley[53] | Property | 52°32′02″N 2°25′04″W / 52.534°N 2.4179°W |
Shackerley in Donington, Shropshire | Robert de Wodecote | Land | 52°39′18″N 2°16′31″W / 52.65498°N 2.2754°W |
Orslow, Staffordshire | Millicent, widow of Robert de Wodecote | Land | 52°44′10″N 2°17′16″W / 52.7360°N 2.2877°W |
Berwick Juxta Attingham | Hugh Malvoisin | Tithes | 52°41′36″N 2°40′36″W / 52.6932°N 2.6768°W |
Wroxeter | William FitzAlan |
Land, adjacent to the Uckington estate, later the subject of a property dispute.[48] | 52°40′09″N 2°38′47″W / 52.6692°N 2.6465°W |
Nantwich | Robert Bardolf | Salt pans | 53°04′11″N 2°31′30″W / 53.0697°N 2.5249°W |
Crabwall, near Chester | Roger de Meingaryn (also Mesnilwarin or Mainwaring) | Land | 53°13′06″N 2°55′24″W / 53.21846°N 2.9234°W |
Burlington in Sheriffhales | Helewise, daughter of Reyner of Burlington | Land, a short distance from Lilleshall, but a grange was built here. | 52°41′53″N 2°20′02″W / 52.6980°N 2.3339°W |
Cold Hatton | William Wishart[54] | Landed estate. The entire vill, held by Wishart in capite, was donated around 1260 and the grant confirmed by Henry II | 52°47′11″N 2°33′33″W / 52.7865°N 2.5592°W |
Boningale | Hugh of Boningale,[55] who wanted sanctuary at Lilleshall for his family in time of war | Land | 52°37′16″N 2°16′55″W / 52.621°N 2.282°W |
Tern in Atcham | Small property | 52°41′07″N 2°39′57″W / 52.6852°N 2.6657°W | |
Loppington | Small property | 52°51′31″N 2°47′11″W / 52.8587°N 2.7865°W | |
Eaton Constantine | Small property | 52°39′10″N 2°35′38″W / 52.65266°N 2.5939°W | |
Tibberton | Small property | 52°46′42″N 2°28′18″W / 52.7782°N 2.4716°W | |
Howle | Small property | 52°48′30″N 2°27′32″W / 52.8084°N 2.459°W | |
Tong, Shropshire | Small property | 52°39′49″N 2°18′08″W / 52.6637°N 2.3022°W | |
Shrewsbury | Houses and burgages | 52°42′28″N 2°45′15″W / 52.7077°N 2.7541°W | |
Newport, Shropshire | Houses and burgages | 52°46′09″N 2°22′43″W / 52.7691°N 2.3787°W | |
Welshpool | Houses and burgages | 52°39′35″N 3°08′50″W / 52.6597°N 3.1473°W | |
Stafford | Houses and burgages | 52°48′22″N 2°07′02″W / 52.8062°N 2.1173°W | |
London | Geoffrey of Shangton, rector of Badminton, Gloucestershire | House near the Tower of London | 51°30′36″N 0°04′33″W / 51.5099°N 0.0758°W |
In addition to the properties, the abbey had many important rights and concessions. Pope Alexander III exempted the abbey's demesne lands from payment of tithes. In 1269 the abbot was given the right to hold an annual fair at Atcham: lasting three days, it took place at the feast of St Giles, which is 1 September. Seven years later came the right to hold another fair at Atcham on the feast of St Augustine of Canterbury, 26 May.
The original core of St Alkmund's prebends and Belmeis family donations formed a concentration within Shropshire and Staffordshire. This was only slightly expanded by later grants. Significant parts of the abbey's holdings lay in Leicestershire and Derbyshire, where it was forced to maintain granges and to send canons. The major territorial magnates in the area, like the Fitzalans and Lestranges, made grants but these were quite small. They made much larger benefactions to Haughmond Abbey, which was only a short distance from Lilleshall, had a similar regime, and, not being a royal foundation, was much more responsive to their needs. A comparison with the distribution map of Haughmond's estates reveals that Lilleshall's was a more widely distributed estate, resulting in higher running costs and less local support.
Difficulties and decline
The abbey was large and important among Augustinian houses and seems to have reached a zenith under
In 1292 Edward I called Abbot William of Bridgnorth to account for exceeding his privileges in numerous instances. It was alleged he held courts that dealt with Pleas of the Crown, serious matters reserved to royal courts. Moreover, he was holding fairs, markets and claiming free warren across his estates, although he had only limited rights to do so.[57] Some of this the abbot sought to justify by reference to extant charters, some he denied, and some he sought to evade by claiming that the villages stipulated in the charges did not exist – apparently an attempt to exploit the loose spelling of the period. The outcome of the case is unknown.
Although it was well-endowed, the abbey had fallen into serious financial difficulties by the early 14th century.
The tenor of the bishop's complaints is surprising, as Chetwynd was often guilty of much worse than financial ineptitude. It seems that he maintained an armed retinue and he was not afraid to use it. In 1316 Vivian de Staundon robbed a royal official who was carrying a large sum of money to Ireland on behalf of Edward II[59] Chetwynd, together with John Ipstones, a local baron, raised a large force of armed men to prevent Staundon's arrest and then sheltered him from justice, absorbing him into their own retinues. Warrants were issued for the arrest of both of them but, although Ipstones was apprehended, Chetwynd escaped and went to ground, evading several attempts to bring him to court, and the matter seems to have lapsed. In 1321 he again evaded justice by the simple expedient of not answering the summons, when the king prosecuted him for falsely claiming immunity from tolls and harbour dues in London.[60] Despite his criminal history, when he retired in 1330, Chetwynd was allowed the revenues of two manors, Blackfordby and Freasley, and of two churches, as well as his food, fuel, candles, two horses, a capacious lodging at the abbey and hospitality for his guests.[4] Even this was not enough for him: the disgruntled ex-abbot seized the abbey by force and pillaged it. The matter was only resolved when Edward III sent in keepers to restore order. This marked a low point in the reputation of the abbey.
The abbey's estates were large but very widely distributed. This made them expensive to work and manage, with stewards to pay at each grange. There were also underlying problems implicit in the abbey's status as a royal foundation. The problem of corrodies was intractable. These gifts of food and clothing were not alms but essentially pensions that could be purchased and they were regarded as
John's successor, whom he apparently despised, was Henry of Stoke. He took steps to improve the abbey's finances. In particular, he retained the services of William of Shareshill, a talented lawyer, to maximise the abbey's income from its endowments. Shareshill was very successful and received the lease of Boningale as a reward. However, cattle disease in the 1330s and the first outbreak of the Black Death in 1348 struck hard. The labour shortage brought the community to its knees. Abbot Henry resigned in 1350 and in 1351 Edward III appointed Shareshill and William Banaster as custodians to restore solvency.
Finances probably recovered in the later 14th century and in the following century the abbey was fairly solvent. Revenues from particular estates were earmarked for specific purposes, generating a straightforward budget. The treasurer then had only limited discretion in spending the remainder. This system kept the abbey out of serious trouble for some decades. However, problems had set in again by 1518, when a canonical visitation by Bishop Geoffrey Blythe found debts of 1000 marks, with only 600 marks expected revenue. Blythe also criticised the attitude of the prior, the abbot's deputy, found that some canons were consorting with women of ill-repute and that there was no schoolmaster. He advised Abbot Robert Watson to weed out unnecessary staff. This he did and the abbey began to recover financially in its final years.
Dissolution and after
Lilleshall was audited under the
Lilleshall was not immediately dissolved but, like most of the marginal houses, surrendered itself to the king, before being compulsorily suppressed, on 16 October 1538.
On 28 November the king granted the abbey site to Cavendish in
In the time of Richard's son,
The Levesons had never lived full-time at Lilleshall, as they had numerous properties elsewhere. It was considered a hunting lodge or country retreat. Sir Richard was the only family head to be buried in Lilleshall village. In the 1750s a new Hall was built elsewhere on the estate. In 1820 this was replaced with a much more impressive Hall at the extreme east of the estate, near Sheriffhales, moving the centre of attention well away from the abbey site. Subsidence caused by large-scale mining damaged the walls of the building and much of the domestic ranges disappeared during the 19th century, although there were attempts to record the site early in the century and some
The abbey site is now in the hands of English Heritage. It is open all days, except some major public holidays, although the times of opening vary and should be checked on the English Heritage website. There is no admission charge.
The abbey remains
The church was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Its size and magnificence indicates it had wealthy benefactors; Henry III visited twice circa 1240. The surviving abbey buildings almost all date from the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Other buildings have been lost, but their foundations were partially recovered by excavations in the late 19th century. The central buildings stood in a much larger monastic precinct, enclosed by a stone wall and gates.[70] Ancient yew trees are now an important feature of the site, particularly on the cloister side to the south. Care of the abbey remains was taken over by the Ministry of Public Building and Works in 1950. It is now in the guardianship of English Heritage.
The remains of the abbey church are still imposing, as the main walls still stand. Today they benefit from earlier maintenance and restoration: during the 1960s they had to be held up with timber because of mining subsidence.[4] The church was cruciform and over 60 metres in length, with a stone vaulted roof. The north transept has almost disappeared.
Visitors are confronted by the still-impressive west front, with a wide central doorway, surmounted by a round arch. This western end was finished comparatively late, in the 13th century, and the round arch of the doorway is meant to complement the earlier work visible through the portal. The massive stonework on either side originally carried the weight of a great western tower, probably destroyed in the siege, along with the west window. The northern base has suffered least and still has arcading at the level of the vanished window sill, decorated in a trefoil pattern. The pointed gothic arches of its windows contrast sharply with the late romanesque gateway. Moving through the gateway, it is possible to climb a narrow staircase on the north wall of the nave to the level of the arcade, thus obtaining a good view of the remains of the church and of the landscape beyond. There is a small, well-preserved lavabo on the southern wall of the nave.
Two screens divided the length of the church: a
On the south wall, next to the transept, is a still-impressive processional entrance. The door pillars are surmounted by a segmental arch, and above that a round arch of three orders, the area between forming a tympanum. The entire exterior of the doorway is carved in a detailed zig-zag pattern, which was probably used widely around the building. Beyond this lay the cloister, from which the canons would enter the church in procession.
The cloister was a garden courtyard, surrounded by the domestic buildings of the abbey, mostly constructed in the late 12th century. The eastern buildings, adjoining the transept, are well-preserved, and it is possible to walk through the slype that gave access to the parlour, chapter house and possibly the infirmary. The south range is ruinous but the walls mainly survive. It contained the refectory, which was divided in the 14th century to provide a warming room. The range was much more complete in the early 19th century, when it still had most of its upper floor. This probably contained the abbot's lodging. There were many buildings further west and south, and the abbey's guest facilities must have been very large to accommodate visitors of very high status, with their enormous retinues.
-
Western end of remains of the church, showing the main west portal and the still-massive northern support for the tower.
-
The main west portal of the abbey church.
-
Arch and tympanum over the processional entrance on south side of the church.
-
View of the remains of the abbey church interior from gallery level.
-
North east of the abbey church, showing interior of the chancel.
-
Domestic buildings, called west range on site, but actually the western end of the south range. It probably included the abbot's lodging on its first floor.
See also
Further reading
Footnotes
- ^ Dugdale, p.146
- ^ Owen and Blakeway, p.262
- ^ a b c d Eyton (1856), p.229
- ^ Marjorie M Chibnall, D C Cox, Revd D T W Price, Margaret Tomlinson, B S Trinder (1973). "Houses of Augustinian canons: Abbey of Lilleshall". A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 2 December 2014.)
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Gosse, p.8-10
- ^ a b Heldemar at augustiniancanons.org
- ^ Gosse, p.11
- ^ Gosse, p.12
- ^ Gosse, p.18
- ^ Gosse, p.25
- ^ Gosse, p.31
- ^ Gosse, p.49
- ^ Gosse, p.5-6
- ^ Page, William, ed. (1907). "Houses of Augustinian canons: The abbey of Dorchester". A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ a b Eyton (1856), p.231
- Marjorie M Chibnall, D C Cox, Revd D T W Price, Margaret Tomlinson, B S Trinder (1973). "House of Cistercian monks: Abbey of Buildwas". A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 2 December 2014.)
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b Eyton (1856), p.230
- ^ a b c Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 2, p.204
- ^ Owen and Blakeway, p.263
- ^ Owen and Blakeway, p.265
- ^ a b Cronne and Davis, p.173, no. 460
- ^ a b Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.214
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.215
- ^ Eyton (1856), p.232
- ^ Cronne and Davis, p.173, no. 461
- ^ Cronne and Davis, p.173, no. 462
- ^ a b c Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 10, p.266-7
- ^ a b L. F. Salzman, ed. (1947). "Parishes: Polesworth". A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 4: Hemlingford Hundred. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ Gosse, p.49-55
- ^ Gosse, p.63-4
- ^ a b Coulton, p.5
- ^ a b Coulton, p.6
- ^ a b c Victoria County History: Shropshire, Volume 11, Chapter 55: Lilleshall - Manor and other estates.
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.242
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.243
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.247-9
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.251-2
- ^ Field name map at secret Shropshire
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 7, p.197
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 6, p.268
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.234
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.235
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.236
- ^ a b Eyton, Antiquites, Volume 10, p.171
- ^ Eyton, Antiquites, Volume 10, p.173
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 7, p.195
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.237-8
- ^ a b Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.239
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 11, p.358-60
- ^ "Braunston". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire, Volume 3: Archaeological sites in North-West Northamptonshire. Institute of Historical Research. 1981. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ Daniel and Samuel Lysons (1817). "Parishes: Kirk-Hallam - Hault-Hucknall". Magna Britannia: volume 5: Derbyshire. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 9, p.263
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 1, p.360
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 9, p.220
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 3, p.19-20
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.221
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.222
- ^ Victoria County History: Shropshire, Volume 2, Chapter 13: the Priory of St Leonard, Brewood.
- ^ Major-General Hon. G. Wrottesley, ed. (1889). "Plea Rolls for Staffordshire: 9 Edward II". Staffordshire Historical Collections, vol. 10, part 1. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ a b Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.223
- ^ a b c Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 8, p.224
- ^ Eyton, Antiquities, Volume 7, p.270
- ^ a b c Walcott, p.210
- ^ a b Walcott, p.209
- ^ Walcott, p.207-8
- ^ Victoria County History: Staffordshire, Vol.3, Chapter 44: The College of St. Peter, Wolverhampton.
- ^ J.J.C. LEVESON, Walter (1551-1602), of Lilleshall Abbey, Salop and Trentham, Staffs. in Hasler.
- ^ J.J.C. LEVESON, Richard (1570-1605), of Lilleshall, Salop and Trentham, Staffs. in Hasler.
- ^ N. M. Fuidge LEVESON, John (c.1556-1615), of Halling, Kent; Lilleshall, Salop and Farringdon, London. in Hasler.
- ^ English Heritage
References
- G C Baugh, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, D C Cox, Jessie McFall, P A Stamper, A J L Winchester (1985). A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11: Telford, Institute of Historical Research, accessed 1 December 2014.
- Barbara Coulton (2010). Regime and Religion: Shrewsbury 1400-1700, Logaston Press, ISBN 9781906663476.
- H.A. Cronne and R.H.C. Davis (1968). Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum 1066-1154, Volume 3, Clarendon Press, Oxford, accessed 1 December 2014 at Internet Archive.
- William Dugdale (1693). Monasticon Anglicanum, or, The history of the ancient abbies, monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches, with their dependencies in England and Wales, accessed 1 December 2014 at Internet Archive.
- Robert William Eyton (1854–60). The Antiquities of Shropshire, John Russell Smith, London, accessed 1 December 2014 at Internet Archive.
- Volume 1 (1854)
- Volume 2 (1855)
- Volume 3 (1856)
- Volume 7 (1858)
- Volume 8 (1859)
- Volume 9 (1859)
- Volume 10 (1860)
- Volume 11 (1860)
- Robert William Eyton (1855). “The monasteries of Shropshire: their origin and founders – Lilleshall Abbey” in The Archaeological Journal, Volume 11, Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, London, accessed 1 December 2014 at Internet Archive.
- A T Gaydon, R B Pugh (Editors), M J Angold, G C Baugh, Marjorie M Chibnall, D C Cox, Revd D T W Price, Margaret Tomlinson, B S Trinder (1973). A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 2, Institute of Historical Research, accessed 1 December 2014.
- Gosse, M. (1786). Histoire de l'Abbaye et de l'Ancienne Congrégation des Chanoines Réguliers d'Arrouaise, Danel, Lille, accessed 1 December 2014 at Internet Archive.
- M W Greenslade, R B Pugh (Editors), G C Baugh, Revd L W Cowie, Revd J C Dickinson, A P Duggan, A K B Evans, R H Evans, Una C Hannam, P Heath, D A Johnston, Professor Hilda Johnstone, Ann J Kettle, J L Kirby, Revd R Mansfield, Professor A Saltman (1970). A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3, Institute of Historical Research, accessed 1 December 2014.
- P.W. Hasler (editor) (1981). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603, History of Parliament Trust, accessed 8 December 2014.
- Hugh Owen and John Brickdale Blakeway(1825). A History of Shrewsbury, Volume 2, Harding and Lepard, London, accessed 16 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
- William Page (editor) (1907). A History of the County of Oxford, Volume 2, Institute of Historical Research, accessed 2 December 2014.
- L. F. Salzman (editor) (1947). A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 4 - Hemlingford Hundred, Institute of Historical Research, accessed 4 December 2014.
- Mackenzie E. C. Walcott (1871). “Inventories and valuations of religious houses at the time of the Dissolution” in Archaeologia, Volume 43, Society of Antiquaries of London, accessed 1 December 2014 at Internet Archive.