Biddlesden was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1147 by Arnold de Bosco (de Bois), steward to the Earl of Leicester. An abbot was deposed for now unknown reasons in 1192 and in the 14th to 15th centuries there was a long running dispute with the parish of Wappenham concerning the collection of tithes. It was never a wealthy house for most of its history and would have been dissolved in 1536 if the monks had not petitioned, and paid, for its continuation.