Combermere Abbey



Combermere Abbey is a large country estate located in Dodcott cum Wilkesley, English County of Cheshire. A former Christian monastery founded in 1130 AD and at one time the third largest church in Cheshire. In August 1539, the abbey and its estates, were granted to Sir George Cotton, an esquire of the body to Henry VIII of England (1491-1547). The Cotton Family kept it as a country home which they held up till 1919.

Cumber Mere
The name means "lake of the Cumbri", or Welsh, and refers to an enclave of Britons surviving the Anglo-Saxon conquest of the area. The site given for the monastery buildings was a wooded area by the large lake of Comber Mere, a peaceful and isolated location near the Shropshire border, suitable for the austere Savigniac order.

Christian Monastery
Combermere Abbey was the earlier of the two great Cistercian abbeys in Cheshire, the other being Vale Royal. The abbey was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Michael, and originally belonged to the Savigniac order. It was confirmed in 1130 by Ranulf de Gernons (also Ranulf II), the fourth Earl of Chester, who was one of the witnesses of its foundation charter. Building of the abbey commenced slightly later, possibly in 1133, often stated as the date of foundation.

The abbots and monks were involved in many violent disputes with outsiders from the 13th century onwards. These problems escalated and led to the decline of the abbey and its eventual dissolution in 1538.

1539 Cotton Family
In August 1539, the abbey and its estates, were granted to Sir George Cotton, an esquire of the body to Henry VIII of England (1491-1547). Many of the original church buildings were torn down and others were significantly remodeled. A major wave of remodeling occurred after the visit of Willem III van Oranje (1650-1702)} King William III who spent the night on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The Cotton Family kept it as a country home which they held up till 1919.