The Bures Riddle

The de Vere tombs at St Stephen's Chapel, Bures

The Dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 onwards saw many ecclesiastical buildings being destroyed and some converted into Prodigy Houses. An example of this is Colne Priory. The removal of the chapel in the monastery resulted in the relocation of the tombs of the founders of the Priory, the de Veres.

The history and the heritage of the de Veres is the subject of much speculation, as least by me the author of this website. Why the de Veres were so prominant in the history of the region and how that came about relates to what William the Conqueror "awarded" to whom as a "reward" for aliegence in the conquest in 1066, is pertinant to that discussion.

There is little doubt that the de Veres had a tremendous influence in the region.

de vere and the Dissolution of Colne Priory

The irony here is that the Priory was founded by Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl???, and then made into a prodigy house by John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford at the time of the Dissolution.

Normally it is another "noble" family that takes "possession" of the site of a monastery NOT a member of the same family of the founder. For example, the Abbey at Warden, founded by de Mandelville, was appropriated by Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden - hence Audley End.

The prodigy house and its chapel were built after the Dissolution and were owned by John de Vere. The fact that the tombs of the de Vere family were placed in this original chapel is a reasonable assumption.

When the chapel at Earls Colne was demolished there was a need for a new home for these tombs.