The
manor house of the Liberty of Rufford was called
Rufford Abbey. The Manor of Rufford was granted on 12 July 1147 by
Gilbert de Gant, to the Abbots of Rufford and his
Cistercian monks in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The
Cistercian monks who lived at
Rufford Abbey received many
grants and
charters and
letters patent of
prerogative and
extraterritoriality and of confirmation of
manors and
land and franchises from
kings,
queens,
dukes,
earls,
barons,
lords and
knights. The grants and charters which created the Liberty of Rufford are known as the
Rufford Charters. At the dissolution it possessed a revenue of £254.6.8. The remains of
Rufford Abbey have been incorporated into a spacious mansion, situated in a richly-wooded park of 1400 acres; the large hall was altered to its present state in the reign of Elizabeth. An apartment in which
George IV of the United Kingdom slept on one of his visits to the north is still called the
Prince of Wales bed-room. == References ==