There are several myths that are attached to Newstead Abbey and often repeated even now.
The first is that the building was originally an abbey. This is not true. It was commissioned sometime
between 1163 and 1170 by Henry II as an Augustinian Priory. Its proper title is ‘The Priory of Saint
Mary at Newstead’. The building’s name was changed by Sir John Byron who bought it from Henry
VIII in 1540. He presumably thought the change of title made the building sound more prestigious.
This leads to the second myth which is that there were monks at Newstead. Since it was never an
abbey, there were no monks. The Priory consisted of a smallish order (between 12 and 14) of canons
led by a prior. Canons are ordained priests and would have spent their time teaching and preaching
rather than undertaking the slightly more mundane activities of monks.
Finally, the reason for the construction of Newstead Abbey. If you read early guidebooks, they will
suggest that it was commissioned by Henry II after his knights had killed the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Thomas Becket and indeed there is a room in Newstead called the Becket Room.
However, the dates of Newstead’s construction show that this is incorrect. Although there is some
discussion about the actual date of its commissioning and construction, no one has ever suggested
that the completion of the building was later than 1170. This date is significant, since it is the year in
which the murder took place. However, the actual day of the murder was December 29 th 1170 and
buildings constructed in recompense for the event were not started until about five years after this
date. Henry II himself claimed that the building was dedicated to the memory of his grandfather
whose name was Fulk V, a Count of Anjou and King of Jerusalem.
