PLACE NAME
Meaux Abbey, also referred to as Melsa Abbey, in Yorkshire, was a wealthy Cistercian abbey founded in about 1151 by William le Gros, Count of Aumale. Its name, which literally means ‘lake with a sandy shore’ is in reference to it being situated on a slight rise in the valley of the River Hull. With significant endowments, it prospered during the 13thCentury, draining the surrounding marshes and founding the port of Wyke, later the town of Kingston upon Hull. By 1249 there were 60 monks and 90 lay brothers, however the Black Death in the mid-14thCentury appears to have reduced their numbers to all but ten. There were 25 by the time of its dissolution, during Henry VIII’s cull of the monasteries. The buildings were almost entirely demolished in 1542 in order to provide materials for the king’s blockhouses and western wall of Hull. Like many of the roads on the St Helier’s estate this is named after British monasteries and abbeys in remembrance of the area’s historic ownership by Westminster Abbey. The road names are in alphabetical order, of which Aberconway Road in the north west of the estate is first.
