Canonsleigh Abbey in Burlescombe parish, Devon, was founded in about 1161 by William de Claville, lord of the manor of Burlescombe for the Augustinian Canons Regular as the Priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist. The original Anglo-Saxon name of the site, perhaps a sub-manor of Burlescombe was "Leigh" (or variant spellings), which after the foundation of the Abbey became known as "Canons' Leigh", Latinised by mediaeval scribes to Leigh Canonicorum (i.e. "Leigh of the canons"), now "Canonsleigh".
Read more about Canonsleigh Abbey: History, Culme Family, Present Remains
Famous quotes containing the word abbey:
“The Abbey always reminds me of that old toast, “Above lofty timbers, the walls around are bare, echoing to our laughter, as though the dead were there.””
—Garrett Fort (1900–1945)