On 9 February 1538, Abbot Thomas Rowland signed a Deed of Surrender, formally handing over his monastery to Henry VIII, and the 1,000-year history of Abingdon Abbey came to an end. As a reward for giving up their property voluntarily, the 24 monks and the abbey servants all received pensions, while the abbot was allowed to retire to Cumnor Place for life, also with a generous pension.
Within just a few weeks, the valuable lead and stone had been removed from the abbey church and transported by river to London to be used for other buildings. What could not be erased, however, was impact of the ancient monastic institution on the development of the town. There is much still visible in Abingdon today that reminds us of the influence of monastic lordship, including parts of the precinct wall and the abbey gateway, the leat that once brought water to power the abbey mill, the names of streets (The Vineyard was indeed the abbey vineyard), and a large public park where the plan of the abbey church is marked out in the grass.
Several monastic buildings survive along the north bank of the millstream; these were condemned as slums in 1944 but were rescued by the Friends of Abingdon Abbey, who have just embarked on a three-year enhancement programme costing £5.4m, supported by a £4.2m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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