Lesnes Abbey
Place From 1178 To 1525
Pronounced Lez-ness. Founded by Richard de Lucy, as a penance for his role in the murder of Thomas Becket. It never grew to any great size, and was closed by Cardinal Wolsey under a licence to suppress monasteries of fewer than seven inmates. It was one of the first to be demolished in the subsequent Dissolution of the Monasteries. The area of Abbey Wood derives its name from it. Our photograph is from an information board at the site, and shows what the abbey might have looked like before its destruction.
See other memorials in this area