A part of the ruins of Waverley Abbey.

Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester. It is situated about one mile south of Farnham, Surrey, in a bend of the River Wey. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 623 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A part of the ruins of Waverley Abbey OS reference SU867452 Photographed on 19-Mar-06. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 623 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A part of the ruins of Waverley Abbey OS reference SU867452 Photographed on 19-Mar-06. ... The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ... Bold textTHIS IS THE PAGE THAT A.S. REALLY NEEDS!! THIS IS NOW MARKED!!! ] ps i like A.O. This article is about an abbey as a Christian monastic community. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Pope Honorius II recognizes and confirms the Order of the Knights Templar. ... William Giffard was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II, from 1093 to 1101. ... Arms of the Bishop of Winchester The diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most important in England. ... Castle Street Farnham is a small town in Surrey, England. ... Not to be confused with Surry. ... The River Wey in Surrey is one of the Waterways in the United Kingdom and a tributary of the River Thames. ...

During the first century of its existence, it founded six monasteries, and despite the members thus sent away, it had 70 monks and 120 lay brothers in 1187. It kept about thirty ploughs. // Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ...

The site was subject to regular flooding, however, and in 1203 the foundations for a new church and monastery were laid on higher ground. The new church was dedicated in 1231. A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... Events April 16 - Philip II of France enters Rouen, leading to the eventual unification of Normandy and France. ... // Events Ardengus becomes bishop of Florence. ...

King John visited Waverley in 1208, and Henry III in 1225. The abbey also produced the famous annals of Waverley, an important source for the period. John deer hunting, from a manuscript in the British Library. ... January 31 - Inferior Swedish forces defeats the invading danes in Battle of Lena. ... Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) was crowned King of England in 1216, despite being less than ten years of age. ... // The Teutonic Order is expelled from Transylvania. ...

By the end of the thirteenth century the abbey was becoming less important. By the time it was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1536 as part of the dissolution of the monasteries there were only thirteen monks in the community and the abbey had an annual net income of £174. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland, from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Year 1536 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... dissolution see Dissolution. ...

Stones from the abbey when it lay in ruins were taken to build nearby houses, including the house at Loseley Park at Compton. Loseley Park is a historic manor house situated outside Guildford in Surrey, England near Compton. ... The village of Compton, Surrey, United Kingdom, is situated between Godalming and Guildford, and close to an important trunk road linking London with Portsmouth (now the A3). ...

The ruins of Waverley Abbey are managed today by English Heritage. Rocky landscape with ruins, by Nicolaes Berchem, ca. ... English Heritage is a United Kingdom government body with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ...

World War Two

At least two BBC TV programmes have claimed that the site of Waverley Abbey formed part of the defences of London set up in World War Two. The defence was called the "GHQ Line". These claims are at least partly supported by the brick gun emplacement forming one side of the car park, and the multitude of tank traps along the bank of the River Wey at the back of the abbey. It was said that the large open space, formed by the curve of the river on one side and the lake on the other, was intended to be a "tank killing ground" for any German army intending to outflank London's defences. This article is becoming very long. ... A pillbox on the GHQ Line The GHQ Line was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion. ... The River Wey in Surrey is one of the Waterways in the United Kingdom and a tributary of the River Thames. ...

External links

• English Heritage / Waverley Abbey
• The River Wey and Wey Navigations Community Site — a non-commercial site of over 200,000 words all about the River Wey including information and images about Waverley Abbey
• 19th century account of the abbey
• Map showing Waverley Abbey
• Adrian Fletcher’s Paradoxplace – Waverley Abbey and British Cistercian Abbeys – Photos
• Waverley Abbey Manor

Coordinates: 51°11′59″N, 0°45′33″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...