Editing Croxden Abbey (section)

===Foundation and early history===
[[image:x-chapterhouse.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The ruins of the abbey chapterhouse]]
In 1176, Bertram III de Verdun, the [[lord of the manor]] of Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey near [[Alton, Staffordshire|Alton]], Staffordshire, to a group of 12 Cistercian monks from [[Aunay-sur-Odon]], [[Normandy]]. Bertram founded the abbey, like many [[nobility|noblemen]] of his time, for the souls of his family and on the condition that the monks would celebrate [[mass (liturgy)|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'';<ref>Charles Lynam F.S.A.: ''The Abbey of St. Mary, Croxden, Staffordshire - A Monograph''. Published 1911 - Sprague & Co., Limited, 4 & 5 East Harding Street, London E.C.</ref><ref name="Houses of Cistercian monks"/>

The monks remained at the Alton site until 1179, before moving to land near Croxden, a few miles south. Grants of land were made by Bertram de Verdun to the abbey across Staffordshire, [[Cheshire]], [[Derbyshire]] and [[Leicestershire]], along with the churches of Alton and [[Tugby and Keythorpe|Tugby]], and two chapels at [[Keythorpe]] and [[East Norton]].<ref name="Houses of Cistercian monks">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=37847 |title=Houses of Cistercian monks: The abbey of Croxden |author=M W Greenslade, R B Pugh (Editors), G C Baugh, L W Cowie, J C Dickinson, A P Duggan, A K B Evans, R H Evans, Una C Hannam, P Heath, D A Johnston, Professor Hilda Johnstone, Ann J Kettle, J L Kirby, R Mansfield, Professor A Saltman |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |date=1970 |work=A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3 |access-date=9 September 2014 }}</ref>

The abbey continued to expand into the 13th century, with [[King John of England|King John]] awarding the monks an annuity of £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 being recorded with Florentine merchants well into the 1420s. The abbey's wealth is reflected in the purchase of a house in [[London]] by abbot William of Over for £20.<ref name="Houses of Cistercian monks"/>