Annals, dated 1136 and witnessed by Waleran himself. After the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, Waleran switched allegiance from Stephen to Maud and it is possible that he renounced his own right to the abbey at that time, in deference to Maud. The abbey was set up by Waleran as a monastery for a group of Cistercian monks, previously based at Garendon Abbey in Leicestershire. The designated area, located in the valley of the River Arrow, was predominantly marshland at the time and the monks had to drain the land and divert the river to make it suitable for building. The earliest buildings on the site were wooden, with stone constructions being built a few years later. The first part of the abbey to be completed was the church, completed in around 1150, with subsequent building taking place predominantly during five distinct periods up to the early 14th century. The abbey acquired considerable land-holdings in the area, on which it farmed produce such as cereal and wool for sale. This was managed through a system of around twenty granges, established by the early 13th century and located in Worcestershire and Warwickshire, up to from the abbey itself. In the 13th century a gatehouse and chapel were built at the west end of the precinct. This chapel, the chapel of St Stephen, survived the Dissolution and continued to be used by the parish; it was demolished in 1805 when a new church was built in the centre of Redditch town. The abbey closed on 17 July 1538 during the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII, when its final abbot, John Day, surrendered the land and possessions to the king. The land was sold by Henry on 23 September 1538. Burials Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick See also Bordesley, Worcestershire References Bibliography Walsh, D. (Redditch: Forge Mill Museum Trust Ltd., 1984) p. 1 External links Bordesley Abbey Official Web Site, including visitor details The Bordesley Abbey Project at the University of Reading Visitor guide to Bordesley Abbey Monasteries in Worcestershire Cistercian monasteries in England 12th-century establishments in England 1538 disestablishments in England Redditch Demolished buildings and structures in England Buildings and structures demolished in the 16th century es:Abadía de Bordesley#top