1070 - in order to mark his victory of the Battle of Hastings, King William 'the Conqueror', establishes the Benedictine abbey. 1094 - abbey consecrated. 1538 - religious life at the abbey finished during the Dissolution of the Monastries by Henry VIII when he gave it to Sir Anthony Browne. 1721 - the estate passed to the Webster family. 1857-1901 - property restored by the Duke and Duchess of Cleveland. 1976 - the battlefield and all the remaining monastic structures were bought by the government on behalf of the nation.