Wyke Monastic Grange near Faringdon

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Areas Act of 1979, and is considered to be of national importance.

A monastic grange was a farm owned and run by a monastic community that was seperate from the manorial system.

The curia of Wyke monastic grange near Faringdon is documented as having been one of the largest and best examples of its class in England.

Although no buildings survive above ground, aerial photos, artefacts recorded from fieldwalking and limited excavation have shown that archaeological evidence survives.

Wyke Grange was the largest of five which belonged to the Cisterican abbey at Beaulieu in the New Forest. This abbey was originally on an ancient royal estate at Faringdon in 1202, owned by King John.

The location of Wyke Grange remained unknown until August 1990 when aerial photographs showed the extent of the site.

From the archive of the late Graham Wright, Historian of Great Coxwell, we have several copies of Unton Inventories. In 1540 Alexander Unton became the purchaser of the Manor of Wyke in Faringdon, then in the hands of the Crown as a parcel of the possessions of the late Monastery of Beaulieu, for which he paid £729.

Also in this file are pieces of information from the archive of the historian, the late Graham Wright of Great Coxwell.