Head Wound
Sculpture conservator Lynne Humphries positions the head of a knight, part of a 16th-century effigy.
Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries
Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries
During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Torre Abbey was formally surrendered on 23 February 1539 to William Petre,
one of the Vicar-General, Thomas Cromwell’s commissioners. The work of ‘despoliation’ was carried out by a gang of
labourers in the following weeks. Sir William Petre became one of the
Secretaries of State (junior to Sir William Paget) in 1544 and was
knighted in that year. Torre Abbey's grounds were excavated by the Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit (EMAFU) using MSC labour in 3 seasons between September 1986 and January 1989. They discovered pieces of exquisitely carved, creamy Beer stone lying buried beneath a wall tomb.
All the fragments found were kept in storage for nearly 30 years.
The pieces were returned to Torre Abbey in June 2014.
with thanks to Hal Bishop,Senior Historic Environment Officer, Torbay Council
