Page 8 - HB- Bordesley Abbey

Redditch Heritage Bordesley Abbey

Village

A village soon grew up between the mill dam and the wooden chapel. The monks moved
into the new Minster in the course of time and the chapel of St. Stephen became the gate
house chapel serving the new village community.

In time the village and township took its name from a small stream which runs through
the village site. The leached waters of the stream are coloured red clay higher up the
valley. The first reference to Redditch was as Rubeo Fasettoin C1192. Thereafter
references appear with increasing frequency and in a variety of spellings. These occur in
Pipe Rolls, Star Chamber records and a multitude of other documents.

Gradually, as time went on, the secular buildings took shape around the Abbey Minster.
First of all the cloisters around the cloister girth on the south side, to be followed by the
buildings along the east side of the cloisters, including the sacresty, scriptorium chapter
house and the armoury with the monks dormitory over.

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