These fragments of glass are said to be from Chertsey Abbey in Surrey. They were never installed but were probably acquired for their antiquarian appeal. It is unclear when they entered Soane’s collection but they were in a drawer in the Library at the time of his death and are still stored there. They are stored in an envelope used to despatch a copy of the RIBA journal to George Birch, Curator 1894-1904, which is inscribed in red ink (in Birch’s handwriting) Fragments of old glass all ruby (Q[uer]y?) from Chertsey Abbey 14 pieces.

Soane’s collection also contains two groups of mediaeval floor tiles recorded as being from Chertsey Abbey (A56 and A57): one is of a type found during the earliest excavations, carried out in 1780-81. Soane had close family connections with Chertsey. His brother William moved there as a young man and on the death of Soane’s father, John Soan, in April 1768, the rest of the family moved there to join him. Soane’s mother continued to live at Chertsey until her death in 1800 and his brother William until his death in 1825. John and Eliza Soane were frequent visitors, Mrs Soane in particular spending long periods there each summer. Soane regularly fished in the Abbey fishpond. On Sunday 26 June 1814 Soane recorded in his Notebook that Mrs. S went to Chertsey to see Ruins dug up at the Abbey.

Catalogue of the Stained Glass in Sir John Soane's Museum, Special Issue of the Journal of Stained Glass 2004, pp 284-284