Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

at Bisham in the English county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. The name is taken from the now lost

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

which once stood alongside. This original Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the traditional resting place of many Earls of Salisbury. The complex surrounding the extant manorial buildings is now one of three

National Sports Centres There are three National Sports Centres as part of Sport England's strategy to create elite English world class sporting talent: * Bisham Abbey * Lilleshall * Plas y Brenin Each centre provides elite athletes with a range of specialist f ...

run on behalf of

Sport England Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded partners, ...

and is used as a residential training camp base for athletes and teams and community groups alike. It is a wedding venue with a licence for civil ceremony and is used for

conferences A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

team building Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combination of busin ...

events, corporate parties and private functions.

Manor house

The manor house was built around 1260 as a community house for two

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. There was substantial rebuilding and alteration in later centuries. When the Templars were suppressed in 1307, King

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

took over the manorial rights, granting them to various relatives. In 1310 the building was used as a place of confinement for Queen Elizabeth of the Scots, wife of King

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

, along with her stepdaughter Princess Marjorie and sister–in–law, Lady Christine of Carrick. They had been captured on the Isle of Rathlin during the Scottish Wars of Succession, and were placed in the charge of the King's

Yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...

, John Bentley, for two years, until removed to Windsor. In 1335 the manor was bought by

William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury William Montagu, alias de Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 3rd Baron Montagu, King of Man (1301 – 30 January 1344) was an English nobleman and loyal servant of King Edward III. He was the first king of an independent Manx Kingdom. The so ...

and in 1337 he founded Bisham Priory alongside, within the year of his death 1344, and he was buried there.

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

granted the manor house to

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the Wives of Henry VIII, fourth wife of Henry VIII. Little is known about Anne before 1527, ...

as part of her divorce settlement from him, and it was later bought by the Hoby family, who lived there until 1768.

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

was a regular visitor in the time of the Hoby family.

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

stayed in August 1610. Her arms with the motto ''La Mia Grandezza dal Eccelso'' and the arms of her husband

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...

featured in the stained glass of the parish church, and were later installed in the house. There is a long-standing legend that the house is haunted by the ghost of Dame Elizabeth Hoby, as she purportedly beat her son to death for blotting his copy-book.

Monastery

Bisham Priory was built for the Augustinian Canons. The foundation stone laid in 1337, and the brass plaque once affixed to it, can still be seen at Denchworth. When the founder, the 1st Earl of Salisbury, died, he was buried at the priory, as were many later Earls of Salisbury, including Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who was buried in April 1471. Despite holding some relics of

Saints Cosmas and Damian Cosmas and Damian ( – or AD) were two Arabs, Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs. They practised their profession in the seaport of Yumurtalık, Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Cilicia (Roman province), Cilicia. Cosmas and ...

, the priory never really became a centre of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

: many other churches also held relics of the same saints, including two different locations which both claimed to have their skulls. Bisham Priory was dissolved on 5 July 1537, but six months later, on 18 December, it was refounded as a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

. This was not to last though as it was finally dissolved on 19 June 1538. The

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of Bisham, John Cordery, is said to have cursed the building thus: "As God is my witness, this property shall ne’er be inherited by two direct successors, for its sons will be hounded by misfortune", as he was dragged from it. Nothing remains of the abbey church or its associated buildings.

Burials in the Priory/Abbey

Simon de Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu Simon de Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu (died 1316) (''alias'' de Montagu, de Montacute, Latinized to ''de Monte Acuto'' ("from the sharp mountain"), from the French ''mont aigu'', with identical meaning,) was summoned to Parliament by writ and there ...

, 1316 * William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu, 1319 * William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1344 *

Catherine Grandison, Countess of Salisbury Catherine Grandison, Countess of Salisbury ( 1304 – 23 November 1349) was an English noblewoman, remembered for being raped by King Edward III of England and possibly the woman in whose honour the Order of the Garter was originated. She was th ...

, 1349 * William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, 1397 * John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, 1400 *

Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury (1386 – after 1413), was an English noblewoman, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, a half-brother of King Richard II of England. She was the first wife of Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Sali ...

, 1413 * Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 1428 * Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury, 1462 *

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury KG PC (1400 – 31 December 1460) was an English nobleman and magnate based in northern England who became a key supporter of the House of York during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. He ...

, 1463 * Thomas Neville (died 1460), 1463 * John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, 1471, and his wife Isabel Ingoldisthorpe, 1476 *

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th Earl of Salisbury (22 November 1428 – 14 April 1471), known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, landowner of the House of Neville fortune and military c ...

, 1471 * Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, 1485

Sports centre

The manor house is now run by Serco Leisure Operating Ltd on behalf of

, and is one of three

. Gym membership is open to the public. The facilities include:- *A £1.2 million international water based

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

pitch *An indoor tennis centre featuring four tennis courts *Four outdoor "French Court" clay tennis courts and four floodlit outdoor acrylic tennis courts *A fully equipped elite strength and conditioning facility * Sauna and steam room *A large community gym with cardio and free weights and full fitness class timetable *Two squash courts *A remodelled nine-hole par three golf course *A sports therapy performance centre which enables elite level sports science and medicine services to be provided on site The England

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

men's senior team trained at Bisham Abbey for 40 years, up until early 2001. England Rugby had their training base at Bisham Abbey until 2005, when they moved to the

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

. Several football teams have trained at Bisham Abbey, most recently

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

before their 2008 FA Cup victory. For the last few years Non-League

Marlow United F.C. Marlow United Football Club is a football club based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. They were established in 1977 and were among the founding members of the Reading Football League in 1989. History The club was formed in 1977 and starte ...

use the pitches as their home ground. The facilities are frequently used by elite athletes and community groups for residential training camps such as the Rugby Sevens and England Hockey. There is an International High performance Tennis centre based on site managed by WIN Tennis. Some professional rugby players use the gym facilities. In February 2006 the England futsal team played two international friendlies against

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

at Bisham Abbey. Due to their regular training ground (Beversbrook) being out of use due to the weather Swindon Town F.C. have been using the centre (as of February 2020) while they attempt to find a more permanent facility.

Media

Bisham Abbey is described in Jerome K. Jerome's 1889 humorous novel ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...

''. During the

Nationwide Building Society Nationwide Building Society is a British mutual financial institution and the largest building society in the world. As of 2024, it serves over 16 million members and operates entirely for their benefit, without shareholders. The society was e ...

's summer advertising campaign of 2010, when they were official sponsors of the England football team at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

, one of their television advertisements featured the England team playing on one of the pitches at Bisham Abbey. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

was clearly visible in the background.

References

* Time-Life Books, ''Mysteries of the Unknown: Hauntings'', 1989,
Royal Berkshire History: Bisham Abbey

External links

* {{Coord, 51.556635, -0.779657, source:geograph.co.uk_region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1260 Christian monasteries established in the 1260s Christian monasteries established in the 1330s 1337 establishments in England 1537 disestablishments in England 1537 establishments in England 1537 in England 1538 disestablishments in England Augustinian monasteries in England Benedictine monasteries in England Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Grade I listed buildings in Berkshire Grade I listed houses Grade I listed monasteries Country houses in Berkshire Preceptories of the Knights Templar Monasteries in Berkshire Sports venues in Berkshire Sports academies Burial sites of the House of Neville Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Bisham Anne of Cleves