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| The view across the Courtyard towards the Monk's Garden. |
Lesnes Abbey.
In 1178, Richard de Luci founded Lesnes Abbey, probably as penance for his involvement in the death of the Archbishop Thomas Beckett, who had been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, in 1170.
Richard de Luci was Lord of the Manor of Erith and Chief Justiciar of England, a post he shared with Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester. Upon Robert's death, in 1168, Richard held the post alone until he stepped down in 1178. The Chief Justiciar was second only to the King of England, making it a powerful role.
Lesnes Abbey was dedicated to St Mary and St Thomas, the martyr, and belonged to the order of Augustinian canons whose duty it was to baptise, preach, give penance and bury the dead. Belonging to the Augustinian order the Abbey was never wealthy, largely due to the expense of repairing and maintaining the adjacent river walls.
The Abbey was an impressive building, with huge columns supporting the high ceilings, while highly decorated tiles covered the floors of some of the rooms.
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| Looking east along the Nave. |
The most important areas of the Abbey were the church, the buildings around the cloister, the infirmary and the great court. It was in these areas that the monks (canons) lived and worked, looked after the sick, showed hospitality to guests, made contact with the outside world and carried out day-to-day administration of the monastery and its estates. These estates included the marshland that stretched north to the River Thames.
A spring-filled pond, situated close to the Monk's Garden, provided fresh water for the monastery.
