Detail of niche statue of a mitred abbot at Crowland or Croyland Abbey church in 1974.

Detail of niche statue of a mitred abbot at Crowland or Croyland Abbey church in 1974. Nose knocked off. In the early 11th century Croyland was among a select list of abbeys with mitred abbots. This statue may represent a Crowland ( or Croyland ) Abbey abbot. The Abbey was destroyed by the order of Thomas Cromwell in Henry VIII's reign during the Dissolution of the Monasteries leaving a small part for a parish church. This was attacked In the English Civil War by Oliver Cromwell when Royalists used it as a fortification. Whether the damage to the nose was deliberate is not known. Removing a nose has several thousand of years of history and appears to have been done to remove the potency of the statue. This statue may no longer be in the same location. Historical photograph, taken in 1974 for a Readers Digest publication.