PLACE NAME
Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, is a former Augustinian priory founded in about 1170 by King Henry II, believed to be in penance for his involvement in the murder of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury. Its name is literal and means New Site, coming from the Old English words for new and place, nīwe and stede respectively. The abbey gave its name to the nearby village of Newstead. It was closed in 1539 under the orders of King Henry VIII during his cull of the monasteries. After that it converted to a private residence and was acquired by the Bryon family, amongst whose members include the 18th and 19th century Romantic poet, Lord Bryon. The scale of the estate is said to have contributed to Byron’s extravagant taste and sense of his own importance. 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.
