Croxden Abbey

In 1176, Bertram III de Verdun, the lord of the manor of Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey near Alton, Staffordshire, to a group of 12 Cistercian monks from Aunay-sur-Odon, Normandy. Bertram founded the abbey, like many noblemen of his time, for the souls of his family and on the condition that the monks would celebrate mass for the souls of Norman de Verdun, my father, and of Lescelina, my mother, and of Richard de Humez, who brought me up, and of my predecessors; and for the well-being of myself and Rohais my wife, and my successors; The abbey continued to expand into the 13th century, with King John awarding the monks an annuity of £5 from the Exchequer of Ireland in 1200, before…

The design of the church was based on the abbey's mother church in Aunay-sur-Odon and is considered more elaborate than most Cistercian architecture. The west wall, including two doorways and lancet windows above them, is still almost complete. The conventual and service buildings were situated to the south of the church, and include a sacristy, chapterhouse, kitchen and dormitory. The upper floors which included the dormitory and a treasury are no longer extant.

The Uttoxeter Casket or Dr Nelson's Casket is a wooden Anglo-Saxon reliquary which probably came from Croxden Abbey. It is likely that it held a religious relic and was displayed on an altar. The casket currently resides in the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio.