Site details: Llantarnam - Monastic Wales - A Comprehensive Database of Sites and Sources


Home Project team Future plans Contact us Search the database Browse list of sites Browse list of orders Browse bibliography & archives Browse people Browse articles Glossary of terms Monastic Wales is not responsible for the content of external internet sites	Display site: Llantarnam (Abbey) also known as: Llanterna; Caerleon; Dewma; Vallium Order: Cistercian Llantarnam, or Caerleon as it was originally known, was founded by Hywel ab Iorwerth, lord of Caerleon (d. c. 1215). The site is now occupied by the Sisters of St Joseph. Surviving literary works from Llantarnam Abbey include St. Gregory’s Homilies and a late copy of a set of Chester annals. show more... Standing remains An early nineteenth-century house now occupies the site and incorporates medieval remains, either form the abbey of the sixteenth-century cecular residence that replaced it. A barn to the north of the house is thought to date from the early thirteenth century. Dedicated to: Virgin Mary Medieval Diocese: Llandaff Affiliated to: Strata Florida (mother-house) Lordship at foundation: Glamorgan Access: Private Owned by: Private Main events in the history of this site 1179: Foundation - The house was founded 22 July 1179. [5 sources] c.1179: Holdings in E. Glamorgan - From 1179 Llantarnam had possession of Margam's former dependency of Pendar Grange, Glamorgan. From this time Llanarnam had acquired the grange of Penrhys, Glamorgan, which seemingly had a hostelry and chapel. [1 source] c.1273: Renamed - To avoid confusion and regularize the nomenclature the Cistercian General Chapter stipulated that in official documentation the name 'Lanterna' should be used. [2 sources] c.1291: Wealth - The abbey's total net income at this time was £44 15s 0d. [3 sources] c.1300: Patronage - Hugh Dispenser the Younger, was patron. [1 source] 1317: Poverty - The abbot wrote to the king explaining that his house was impoverished as a consequence of the Welsh uprising the previous year. [3 sources] pre 1398: Destruction - Books, buildings and church ornaments were extensively damaged by fire. [3 sources] 1398: Papal indulgence - Papal indulgence was granted to everyone who helped repair the monastery buildings that had been damaged by fire. [1 source] c.1400: Glyn Dŵr rebellion - The Llantarnam community supported Owain Glyn Dŵr's rebellion. [2 sources] 1405: Abbot killed - John ap Hywel, abbot of Llantarnam, was killed during an attack on Usk Castle. [2 sources] 1504: Bequest - David Matthew bequeathed £10 to the community to glaze the west window of the church. [2 sources] 1532: Bequest - Morgan Jones left the community ten marks (sterling) to purchase a vestment for the Lady Chapel and £10 to help finance the construction of various arches in the church. [2 sources] c.1535: Wealth - According to the Valor Ecclesiasticus the abbey's net annual income was £71 3s 2d. [3 sources][1 archive] 27 August 1536: Dissolution - Llantarnam was closed in the first wave of suppressions. [5 sources] + 12 minor events. Show minor events People associated with this site Abbots of Llantarnam Hywel ab Iorwerth , lord of Caerleon (founder) Bibliographical sources 34 Printed sources show sources 'The Heads of Religious Houses in England and Wales I, 940-1216' ed.David Knowles, Christopher Brooke and Vera London(London 1972; 2001) pp. 136, 272 'The Cistercian abbeys of Britain: far from the concourse of men' ed.David M. Robinson(London 1998) pp. 135-136 'The Heads of Religious Houses in England and Wales III, 1377-1540' ed.David M. Smith(Cambridge 2008) pp. 306-7 'The Heads of Religious Houses in England and Wales II, 1216-1377' ed.David M. Smith and Vera London(Cambridge 2001) p. 290 'Medieval Libraries of Great Britain: A List of Surviving Books (second edn)' ed.N. R. Ker(London 1964) p. 23 'Medieval Religious Houses, England and Wales' ed.R. Neville Hadcock and David Knowles(Harlow 1971) pp. 113, 121 'Monasticon Anglicanum: a History of the Abbies and other Monasteries, Hospitals, Frieries, and Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, with their Dependencies, in England and Wales' 6 in 8 vols ed.Sir William Dugdale, rev. J. Caley, H. Ellis, B. Bandinel(London 1817-1830) vol. 5, p. 728 Allgood, H. G. C., 'Llantarnam Abbey' British Library Pamphlets (Cardiff 1907) Bradney, J. A., 'A History of Monmouthshire: From the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present Time' 4 vols (London 1904-1932) vol. 3 pt 2, pp. 228-240 Burton, Janet, 'The foundation of the British Cistercian houses' Cistercian art and architecture in the British Isles ed.Christopher Norton and David Park(Cambridge 1986) pp.24-39 Cooper, R., 'Abbeys and Priories of Wales' (Swansea 1992) p. 62 Coppack, Glynn, 'The White Monks: the Cistercians in Britain 1128-1540' (Stroud 1998) p. 143 Cowley, F. G., 'The Monastic Order in South Wales 1066-1349' (Cardiff 1977) Davis, Jeremy P. and Williams, David H., 'Gwent seals : IX' The Monmouthshire Antiquary 15 (1999) pp.19-21 Gray, Madeleine, 'The politics of Cistercian grange foundation and endowment in south-east Wales' Medieval Settlement Research Group Annual Report 13 (1998) pp.20-24 Gray, Madeleine, 'Penrhys: the archaeological history of a pilgrimage' Morgannwg 40 (1996) pp.10-32 Gray, Madeleine, 'Henry, earl of Pembroke's survey of the manor of Mynyddislwyn in 1570' National Library of Wales Journal 30 (1997) pp.171-196 Leland, John, 'The Itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543' ed.Lucy T. Smith(London 1907-10) Lewis, J. M., 'The Medieval Tiles of Wales' (Cardiff 1999) p. 238 Mahoney, T. A, 'Llantarnam Abbey: 800 years of History' (Cwmbran 1981) Mahoney, T. A., 'Llantarnam Abbey: 800 Years of History' (Llantarnam 1979) Mein, A. G. and Lewis, J. M., 'Floor tiles from Llantarnam Abbey, Gwent' Medieval and Later Pottery in Wales 12 (1990-1991) pp.101-104 Newman, J., 'The Buildings of Wales: Gwent / Monmouthshire' (London 2000) pp. 336-338 O'Sullivan, J. F., 'Cistercian settlements in Wales and Monmouthshire, 1140-1540' Fordham Univ. Studies, History ser. 2 (New York 1947) pp. 35-38 Robinson, David M., 'The Cistercians in Wales: Architecture and Archaeology 1130-1540' Society of Antiquaries of London, Research Committee Report (London 2006) pp. 248-250 Robinson, David M. and Harrison, Stuart, 'Cistercian Cloisters in England and Wales: Part I' Journal of the British Archaeological Association 159 (2006) pp.131-207 Williams, David, 'The Cistercians in the Early Middle Ages' (Leominster 1998) Williams, David H., 'Atlas of Cistercian Lands in Wales' (Cardiff 1990) Williams, David H., 'White Monks in Gwent and the Borders' (Pontypool 1976) pp. 77-93 Williams, David H., 'Catalogue of Welsh ecclesiastical seals as known down to AD 1600, 4: Seals of Cistercian monasteries' Archaeologia Cambrensis 136 (1988) pp.138-155 Williams, David H., 'Cistercian Abbots in Medieval Gwent' Monmouthshire Antiquary 1: 4 (1964) pp.107-111 Williams, David H., 'Gwent seals : VI' The Monmouthshire Antiquary 10 (1994) pp.21-24 Williams, David H. , 'Llantarnam Abbey' Monmouthshire Antiquary 2, pt 3 vols (1965) pp.131-148 Williams, Glanmor, 'Pen-rhys: poets and pilgrims' The Monmouthshire Antiquary 20 (2004) pp.9-15 3 On-line sources show online sources (all open in new window) Dugdale, Monasticon online - Llantarnam (View website) The Cistercians in Yorkshire Project - Llantarnam (View website) Llantarnam Abbey - Coflein database (View website) Archival sources British Library, 'THE FORTY HOMILIES of St Gregory the Great on the Gospels', (Document), (View website) Related articles on Monastic Wales The Cistercians in Wales, Prof. J.E.Burton, Department of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, University of Wales Lampeter Who were the Cistercians?, Professor Janet Burton	Torfaen, OS Grid:ST31159291 View site details on COFLEIN (RCAHMW database)[new window]

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