Lye Church

On 5 September 1148, Bishop Robert Bethune of Hereford died. Soon afterwards his successor, Gilbert Foliot, helped Hugh Mortimer to move the Shobdon monks to Lye near Aymestrey where Hugh began to build them a new church. However, at this point the civil war against King Stephen was turning against Hugh in the Marches. He therefore had a conference with his ally, Hugh Lacy, and they decided that the churches of Aymestrey and Lye could be fortified against him by his enemies if they were captured. Hugh therefore destroyed the churches and moved the monks to Wigmore. This would seem to have been the end of Lye church, but the earthworks of its probable site still remain at SO.396654.


Copyright©2013 Paul Martin Remfry

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