The ruins of Titchfield Abbey are situated in the valley of the River Meon in south Hampshire.
Brief History
The abbey of St Mary and St John the Evangelist was founded in 1232 by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, for Premonstratensian canons, an order founded at Prémontré in France and known also as the ‘White Canons’.
The abbey owned many thousands of acres of land and had its own farm buildings and a series of fishponds. Titchfield was a good stopping-off place for journeys to the Continent, and Henry V stayed there before going on campaign in France.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the estate passed in 1537 to Thomas Wriothesley, first Earl of Southampton. By 1542 he had converted the monastic buildings into the residence known as Place House. Royal guests to the house included Edward VI, Elizabeth I and Charles I with his queen, Henrietta Maria.
The third Earl of Southampton was a patron of William Shakespeare and it is believed that some of Shakespeare’s plays were performed here for the first time.
Place House survived until 1781, when most of the building was demolished for building stone. In the early 20th century archaeological excavations helped to clarify the layout of the monastic buildings, and the abbey plan is marked out on the ground.
Sources
Graham, R and Rigold, S E 1954. 'Titchfield Abbey, Hampshire', HMSO: London
Minns, G W 1898. ‘Titchfield Abbey and Place House’, Hampshire Field Club 3(iii): 317- 338
St John Hope, W H 1906. ‘The making of Place House at Titchfield near Southampton, in 1538’, Archaeological Journal 63: 231-243.
Watts, G (ed) 1982. 'Titchfield: a history', Titchfield History Society: Titchfield.
Watts, G. and Wade, R. 1989 Titchfield: a place in history. Titchfield History Society. Southampton: Ensign
Disclaimer
The text and pictures on this page are derived from the 'Heritage Unlocked' series of guidebooks published in 2004. We intend to review, update and enhance the content in the near future as part of the Portico project, whose objective is to provide information on the history, significance, research background and sources for all English Heritage properties.
