Abbey House Timeline

• c642 Religious order established in Malmesbury by Maelduf
• 675 Aldhelm appointed as first abbot of Malmesbury
• 935 Death of King Athelstan and his burial at Malmesbury
• 1180 Completion of current Abbey building
• c1500 Collapse of Abbey spire
• 1539 Dissolution of Malmesbury Abbey
• 1542 Probable start date of construction of The Abbey House (aka The Abbots House)
• 1642-6 English Civil War during which The Abbey House is used as a governor’s residence
• c1700s Thomas Hill, butcher, in occupation
• 1803 Divided up for at least 4 tenancies during ownership of Thomas John Smith
• 1820-1830  Owned by auctioneer John Deverall
• 1841  Occupied by Milllicent Deverall and banker Mark Pleydell Hanks
• 1850  Owned by surgeon Thomas Jones
• 1853  Sold to Joseph Cave Spicer Jennings
• 1859  Charles Egerton Jennings born at Abbey House
• 1896 Dr Jennings buys the adjacent Cloister Gardens for use as a vegetable garden
• 1902 Purchase of house for Captain Eliott Scott McKirdy and his wife who became Lady Eva Pierrepont Scott-McKirdy, who added the two storey wing to the east of the main structure
• 1994 Acquisition of house by the Pollard family, and start of development of the Gardens