Historian and CovSoc member, Peter James, tells us the interesting story of Coombe Abbey. Peter writes …..
For almost nine hundred years Coombe Abbey has stood in the Warwickshire countryside.
At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 this area was known as Upper and Lower Smite. The land was held by Harding son of Alnoth under Aubrey de Coucy the tenant-in-chief.
Covering 720 acres it later became the location for Coombe Abbey dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
In 1150 Simon de Senlis the Earl of Northampton granted land to the abbot and monks of Waverley Abbey in Surrey to establish a daughter house in Warwickshire. The charter of King Stephen confirmed the grant:-
Charter of Stephen, King of England, confirming the soul of King Henry his uncle and for the safety of his own soul and that of Queen Matilda his wife and of his son Eustace and of his other sons, the gift which Simon Earl of Northampton has made to the abbot and monks of Waverlega of the manor of Cumba with appurtenances, to build an abbey in the name of God: to hold the same as freely and quietly as other monks of their order in England hold their possessions. Witnesses: William de Ipra, William Martel, Richard de Luci.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust DR10/189
Establishment of an Abbey
The Abbey of Cumbe was built by Cistercian monks from Waverley Abbey. While permanent buildings were being constructed the monks lived in temporary wooden structures. The new abbey was located in a wooded valley in Lower Smite and founded by Richard de Camville for the Cistercian monks on 10th July 1150.
The first abbot of Coombe was Martin who governed the abbey from 1150 to 1177.
During the 13th century the size of the abbey estate increased as a number of local properties were gifted to the abbot and convent. This saw the abbey develop into the wealthiest house in Warwickshire.
Wool production was important in the 13th and 14th centuries with sheep farming being the main occupation of the monks. They provided a regular supply of wool to weavers in nearby Coventry where the wool trade was growing creating wealth and opportunities.
Abbots in the 12th Century
Martin 1150 – 1177 Erminfrid 1180-1183 William 1183-1191 Michael 1191-1234
Abbots in the 13th Century
Robert 1234 William 1234-1237 Roger 1237-1238 Roger II 1238-1241 William de Chester 1241-1262 Warin 1261-1279 Jordan de Twangham 1279 William 1283
Abbots in 14th Century
Richard 1328-1332 Geoffrey 1332 John 1333-1335 Geoffrey II 1335-1345
Abbey Murder
Early in 1345 Geoffrey II was brutally murdered and the culprit was never caught, This has remained a mystery and became one of the most famous unsolved cases in Warwickshire.
The murder of an abbot was seen as a crime against the church and the crown.
King Edward III became involved when he ordered six Justices of the Peace to initiate an enquiry. To prevent any bias or cover-ups the king insisted that two of the jurors be from a neighbouring county.
After Geoffrey II the abbots who followed were Alexander, William Whittington, John Tolton, Oliver Adams and finally Robert Kymer who surrendered Coombe Abbey at the dissolution to the Commissioners of Henry VIII on 21st January 1539.
Family Home
The abbey was eventually purchased by Sir John Harrington in 1581 to use as a family home.
In 1603 Princess Elizabeth the daughter of King James I arrived to live and be educated by Sir John and his wife. Elizabeth spent five years there learning history, geography, music and foreign languages at which she excelled. In 1605 she was the target of conspirators involved in the Gunpowder Plot. The plotters had aimed to kill King James I, kidnap his daughter, place her on the throne and find her a catholic husband. The plot failed and later in November 1619 Elizabeth became a Queen Consort when she married King Frederick V of Bohemia.
Craven Family
Sir William Craven was a wholesale cloth merchant and moneylender who became Lord Mayor of London in 1610. His story reflected that of Dick Whittington as he also left Yorkshire as a poor lad, walked to London, made a fortune and became Lord Mayor. When he died in 1618 he left a huge fortune of around £125,000. In 1622 his widow Elizabeth spent £36,000 purchasing the Coombe Estate.
Development of Coombe
King Charles I granted a licence in 1634 for William Craven the son of Elizabeth to enclose the land at Coombe which now covered 650 acres.
A west wing was added to the house in 1682 designed by the famous architect Captain William Winde who had designed Buckingham House for the royal family.
Lancelot Capabilty Brown was commissioned to redesign the landscape in 1771. He removed the formal gardens, dammed Smite Brook to help create Coombe Pool, added an L-shaped Serpentine lake and planted belts of woodland.
In 1860 the east wing of the house was demolished and William Eden Nesfield was employed to redesign and rebuild it to include servants quarters. During this time the ornamental moat to the south and east of the house was excavated with the soil used to help build a terrace on the west side.
Tragedy
After 300 years of ownership by the Craven family it came to a sudden end in 1921 when William Craven the Fourth Earl of Craven died in a yachting accident. He drowned aged 52 in the Solent off the Isle of Wight while sailing at the Cowes Week Regatta. He fell overboard and two days later on 12th July 1921 his body washed up on the local coastline.
His widow Cornelia decided to sell the estate which was auctioned in 1923 and bought by John Gray a builder for £38,000.
John Gray
John Gray a local builder acquired the house to use as a family home and made major alterations. He removed the top three storeys of the East Wing and a part of the Palladian range to reduce the roofline. Parts of the interior such as fireplaces, staircases and other architectural features were sold off. In the grounds trees were felled and sold as timber with the land used to breed Red Poll cattle which became known as the Abbeycoombe Herd.
General Electric Company
Following the Second World War in 1952 the abbey was leased by John Gray to GEC (Telecomms) Ltd. who used it as a residence and training centre for post-graduate apprentices. The training officer responsible for the wellbeing of these young people was Len Grice who lived at the abbey with his wife and children. Len went on to become the company’s Personnel Director. In 1962 the GEC Apprentice Association held their Annual Dance there, hosted in the dining room/ballroom. There was a great atmosphere in this ancient historic building with music provided by a traditional jazz band – I was fortunate enough to be there.
It was the year that John Gray died and discussions began about the future of the abbey. The lease was terminated in March 1964 with the apprentices moving to Copsewood Grange – a 19th Century building formerly the home of the Hart family who were silk weavers.
Coventry Council
Soon after GEC relocated, Coventry City Council bought Coombe Abbey and its 150 acres of land for £35,000. The grounds were opened to the public as a country park in 1966 following the addition of a basic play area for children.
The main abbey building remained closed being in a poor state needing structural work, which the council undertook. The house was leased for 21 years to Historic Productions in 1971. Len and Rena Clarke moved into the abbey living there as caretakers and introduced Medieval Banquets with both theatrical entertainment and feasting. The building ceased to operate as a hotel but these events brought life back into the venue and have continued to evolve and are still running today.
Hotel Conversion
The main building reopened as Coombe Abbey Hotel in 1995 following comprehensive restoration which met modern safety standards but preserved the historic architectural features. It developed into a wedding venue, restaurant and hotel.
Coventry City Council bought the freehold in 2017 and later the leasehold. The day to day running is now under the control of the No Ordinary Hospital Management.
