he earliest date in the history of Pershore Abbey is around 689 when a monastery was founded by Oswald who was given the land by his uncle Ethelred of Mercia. In 972 a charter given by King Edgar confirmed the abbey's lands and shortly after St. Oswald, the Bishop of Worcester founded a Benedictine Abbey. The principal saint remembered by the abbey was St. Edburga (Eadburgas) who was the daughter of Edward the Elder, the son of Alfred the Great. When Edburga died some of her remains were brought to the abbey to provide a focus for pilgrims visiting the abbey. In 1065 Edward the Confessor took lands from Pershore and allocated them to the new abbey at Westminster. The town of Pershore came under the influence of the two abbeys and the new church of St. Andrews was built for the Westminster tenants who lived there.

Two major fires caused great damage to the abbey buildings and resulted in large-scale rebuilding work. The first fire in 1223 destroyed the choir and resulted in the reconstruction of the choir and presbytery. The fire of 1288 started in the abbey bakehouse and spread not only to the abbet itself but to many surrounding houses as well.