Bindon Abbey

About

Bindon Abbey (Bindonium) was a Cistercian monastery, of which only ruins remain, on the River Frome about half a mile east of Wool in Dorset, England.

History: The monastery was founded in 1149 by William de Glastonia on the site since known as Little Bindon near Bindon Hill on the coast near Lulworth Cove as a daughter house of Forde Abbey, but the terrain proved too demanding to sustain the community. In 1172 the monastery moved to a site near Wool, the gift of Roger de Newburgh and his wife, Matilda de Glastonia (the granddaughter of the original founder), who also endowed it with further estates in the county. The monastery retained the name of its original location. The abbey had the support of the Plantagenet kings, and Henry III granted several letters of protection. In 1280 the abbey was granted the right to a weekly market and annual fair at Wool. In 1296 the abbot was accused of causing the deaths of two monks. From the 14th century the abbey suffered from a number of internal and economic difficulties which seriously reduced its income and wealth. By 1329 it was said to be 'grievously burdened with debt for want of good rule'. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 its...