Shropshire Routes to Roots

Lilleshall Abbey was surrendered or dissolved on 16th October 1538. The Abbot who agreed to have the abbey dissolved was Robert Watson. Following the dissolution he was granted a pension of £50 by Henry VIII. James Leveson from Wolverhampton was granted the lands of the abbey after the Dissolution and in 1542 he made the abbey his family home.

Buildwas Abbey was surrendered in 1536 by Stephen Green, the Abbot, who was later given a pension of £16. The size of the pension given to surrendering Abbots depended on the size of the Abbey's income before Dissolution and also the co-operation they showed during the surrender. The annual income for Buildwas before the surrender has been estimated by historians to have been between one hundred and one hundred and twenty pounds.
Shortly after the surrender, the abbey was sold to Edward Grey, Lord Powis.

Haughmond Abbey was surrendered on 9th September 1539 by Thomas Corveser, its Abbot. Corveser was granted a pension of £40 by the commissioners who carried out the surrender. Despite their religious views, all subsequent monarchs continued to pay and honour the pensions what were granted during this period.
The lands surrounding and including Haughmond Abbey were sold to Sir Edward Littleton after the surrender and later the Hill family from Attingham.

Much Wenlock Priory was one of the later monastic buildings in Shropshire to be surrendered on 26th January 1540 by its Prior, John Bayley. Following the surrender of the Priory, the infirmary and Prior's house were turned into a private house. The Priory was stripped of its silver and gold, which was sent to the Tower of London, whilst the lead from the roof was turned into fire arms for use in the war with France and Scotland.