COMBERMERE ABBEY AND THE CISTERCIANS

Christianity was spread in England by the activities of various Orders of monks, holy men who preached, conducted services and performed acts of charity.

One of these Orders was the Cistercian Order, founded by St Robert de Champagne, in 1098. When re-organised by St Bernard of Clairvaux, it became one of the richest and most powerful orders. By the time of the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII it had 115 foundations in England and Scotland.

The monks survived by their agricultural work and the tithes received from various sources. Their work led to the advancement of agricultural methods in the Middle Ages.

The first of their abbeys in England was founded in 1128 by Hugh Malbank, 2nd baron Wich Malbank, at Combermere, six miles south of Nantwich. It was dedicated to St Mary and St Michael. Hugh gave it the church in Acton(c.49 people), a chapel in Nantwich(had very few people), one quarter of the land in Nantwich, ploughland and common land in Acton, Ravensmoor and Alvaston areas.

In Hospital Street on No.140, may be seen a plaque which records that on this site, in 1083, there was St Nicholas hospice run by some Knights Hospitallers. In those days Nantwich was on the road between London and Chester. The hospice was a place where travellers, as well as the infirm and destitute, could be cared for. They found shelter, food and a place to sleep; prayers would be said for their safety,etc. This hospice continued until the Dissolution. The monks may also have been involved or perhaps used a room for their administration of lands, tithes,etc.

At first Acton church was the major religious place; for many years Nantwich was recorded as having only a `chapel` under Acton`s control.

It seems that the management of Combermere Abbey was poor or very poor. The abbot had financial troubles or difficulties among the monks. More than once control was removed from the abbot of the time and then given back later. There were instances of theft, foul play and more than one murder.

At the beginning of the 14th century a more substantial building had been erected. Very little of it survives inside a 1539 house. For in 1538 Abbot Massy was called upon to surrender the abbey and all its possessions(it had 22,000 acres) to the crown. All records were destroyed but some bits from other writings allow a picture to be built up. The best account is in H.A.Clarke`s booklet History of Wrenbury.c,1933, but see also the volume Wrenbury and Marbury, edited by Frank Latham,1999. There is a short account in Johnson`s Almanack and directory for 1960.

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