History
Kingswood Abbey was founded in 1139 by William of Berkeley, provost of Berkeley, in accordance with the wishes of his uncle, Roger II of Berkeley, and colonised from the Cistercian house at Tintern, Monmouthshire. The founding family were the feudal barons of Dursley, who intermarried later with the progeny of Robert Fitzharding (d.1170), 1st feudal baron of Berkeley Castle. All that survives today is the 16th century abbey gatehouse, which is under the care of English Heritage.
Calcot Manor to the northeast was built by the monks of the abbey. The original charters of the Kingswood Abbey last went on sale at Sothebys in 1945. (Austin, 1944)
There is a catholic priest who holds the title Abbot of Kingswood Abbey. He is known as a "Titular Abbot" — one who holds the title of a suppressed or destroyed abbey.
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