article by: webmaster Winchcombe is a very old town, and it was
at one time the capital of Mercia. The Saxon king Kenulf had his
palace there and he sent his seven-year-old son Kenelm to
Sudeley Castle to be educated by his sister Quendrida. However,
Quendrida realised that if Kenelm was not there she would be
next in line to the throne - so she instructed her servant to
kill the boy. His empty coffin lies in the Parish Church. Kenulf
founded a Benedictine nunnery in 788 in Winchcombe, in memory of
his son. Benedictines always built in towns in England, while
Cistercians always built away from towns. Many pilgrims visited
Kenelm's tomb in Winchcombe abbey, which became very rich as a
result. The nunnery was converted to an abbey in 880, but it was
burned down by the Danes and was replaced by a Norman abbey. The
abbey was closed by Henry VIII in 1539. Very little remains of
the abbey, as the local people used it as a cheap quarry! Many
of its stones can be found in Winchcombe; for example the lintel
over the a