 croxden abbey, also known as ""abbey of the vale of st. mary at croxden", was a cistercian abbey at croxden, staffordshire, england. a daughter house of the abbey in aunay-sur-odon, normandy, the abbey was founded by the de verdun family in the 12th century. the abbey was dissolved in 1538. ==history== ===foundation and early history=== left|thumb|250px|the ruins of the abbey chapterhouse. in 1176, bertram 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 ofhis [sic] predecessors and successors". the monks remained at the alton site until 1179, before moving to land near croxden, a few miles south. grants of land were made to the abbey across staffordshire, cheshire, derbyshire and leicestershire, along with the churches of alton and tugby, and two chapels at keythorpe and east norton. the abbey continued to expand into the 13th century, with king john awarding the monks an annuity of Â£5 from the exchequer of ireland in 1200, before exchanging it for land in adeney, shropshire in 1206. croxden was relatively prosperous at this time, drawing the majority of its wealth from sheep farming. by 1315, the monks were supplying more wool to the continent than any other religious house in the county, with transactions
1170s_establishments_in_England 1179_establishments 1538_disestablishments_in_England Christian_monasteries_established_in_the_12th_century Cistercian_monasteries_in_England Grade_I_listed_buildings_in_Staffordshire Monasteries_in_Staffordshire Religious_organizations_established_in_the_1170s Ruins_in_Staffordshire Visitor_attractions_in_Staffordshire