Turvey Abbey

The Turvey Abbey Scrapbook

Various speculations

Attempted educations

By graphic illustrations

And several observations

On historic delineations

With private communications

And other examinations

Of minor considerations

Hope for remunerations

(For their supererogations)

From friendly approbations

Turvey Abbey was the home of Charles Longuet Higgins.

It is dated 1605 on the side facing the road and 1608 on the garden side. It underwent considerable additions in 1855 and 1860.

The picture on the left show how it looked in the 1700’s.

In the 1830's Charles Higgins compiled what he called 'The Turvey Abbey Scrapbook' - a large collections of his opinions, observations and illustrations. The rather clever poem on the right is his description of the contents!

This remarkable collection can be seen in facsimile in the Bedford Record Office.

Particularly of interest are the beautiful sketches that Charles did of his servants and villagers - plus detailed biographies or their lives and families.

There are also maps, field rental information and all sorts of trivia on the village and its surrounds. I have included many quotes throughout these web pages.

Entrance to Turvey Abbey

In the garden of the Abbey there is a very small, Gothick gazebo.

It has the date 1829 inscribed above the door and it was built by the Longuet Higgens family.

The Abbey became a Benedictine Abbey in 1980 when three monks and fourteen nuns came from Cockfosters (North London) and took up residence.

The nuns call it a hermitage.

O Lord of hosts; that man is blest

And happy sure is he

That is persuaded in his breast

To trust all times in thee

Here you can find about the servants who worked for Charles Higgins, in the Abbey.

And here you can find more information on the current occupants of Turvey Abbey.

This is the inscription that runs around the four beams inside Turvey Abbey.