St. Dogmaels Abby and St Thomas' Church.

Founded in 1120 on the site of an earlier pre-Norman church, St. Dogmael’s status as a religious centre can be seen in extensive ruins which span four centuries of monastic life. Elements of the church and cloister are 12th century in origin, while the tall west and north walls of the nave are 13th century.

Visit Date September 2023

St Dogmaels Abbey - Infirmary

St Dogmaels story starts long before the abbey was built.

The Abbey was constructed and inhabited by The Monks of Tiron.

St Dogmaels Abbey - Infirmary

The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a medieval monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey (Tiron Abbey, French: Abbaye de la Sainte-Trinité de Tiron, established in 1109)

St Dogmaels Abbey - Infirmary

The foundation of Tiron Abbey by Bernard of Abbeville was part of wider movements of monastic reform in Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Bernard intended to restore the asceticism and strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict in monastic life, insisting on manual labour.

St Dogmaels Abbey - The Nave & West Wing

Tiron was the first of the new religious orders to spread internationally. Within less than five years of its creation, the Order of Tiron owned 117 priories and abbeys in France, Britain and Ireland.

St Dogmaels Abbey - The Nave & West Wing

Tiron's influence in Britain was limited. St Dogmaels was the only Tironian abbey to be established in Wales or England, although the house also had daughter priories in Wales and Ireland. A few Tironian abbeys were established in Scotland, but they soon formed their own independent order.

St Dogmaels Abbey - The infirmary

And so in in 1120 on the site of an earlier pre-Norman church, St Dogmael’s status as a religious centre was created.

The Chancel with a Crypt

The monastic vows laid great stress on poverty, chastity and obedience, and these ideals were characteristic of the monastic life, especially in the early years. The abbey would have taken in any pilgrims and travelers requiring hospitality.

The Refectory with the Cloister and Nave in the background

Not all aspects of the monastic life at St Dogmaels continued to flourish, and in later centuries the abbey suffered from a decline in standards as well as in its financial position. In 1402, for instance, at the time of the visitation by the bishop of St David’s, it appears that only 4 monks were left in the abbey and they were of disrepute, it having been noted, "They were gluttonous and one of them named as Howel Lange had been found drunk and because of this and his "evil deeds" he was banned from drinking any alcohol for a year".

The Refectory

After this visit for some time, the abbey saw an improvement in its monastic life but despite this, St. Dogmaels was never raised to the levels seen years before and its life as a monastery was declining again and was ended during the reign of King Henry VIII when in 1536 it took its place with many other places with an income of less than £200 a year.

The North Transept

The assessed annual value of the monastery at the dissolution was £87 8s.6d

St Dogmaels Abbey - The North Transept

Much of the abbey's possessions, including Caldey and Fishguard were leased to John Bradshaw of Presteigne, in Radnorshire. A few years later, in 1543, Bradshaw was able to purchase the properties which he already had on lease. He built a mansion for himself, almost certainly within the abbey grounds, and possibly took stone from the abbey buildings for its construction. It is thought that none of the remains of these buildings can be seen today.

St Dogmaels Abbey - The North Transept

It was reported that by the start of the 17th century, the site was in a ruinous state.

In 1646 the site was bought by David Parry of Neuadd-Trefawr, near Cardigan but he never lived there.

The North Transept, Nave and Guest House

Early in the eighteenth century, a new parish church was erected alongside the old abbey church. A century later, in 1847, this was replaced by St Thomas' Church which now stands on the site.

St. Thomas' Church

The original plans were made in 1847 for a church to cost £600, but the final cost was £1,500. A tower was proposed but funds were insufficient. Daniel Evans of Cardigan superintended the building, and John Davies and John Thomas of Llechryd were the contractors.

St. Thomas' Church

St. Thomas' Church

St. Thomas' Church

1866, a vicarage and its coach house were added with materials from the old abbey buildings.

St. Thomas' Church

In 1934 the remains of the abbey were placed in State guardianship by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales. The site was cleared and the masonry consolidated between 1947 and 1968 and the ruins are now maintained by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments.

St Dogmael

Finally, Saint Dogmael was a 6th-century Welsh monk and preacher who is considered a saint. His feast day is 14 June.

Saint Dogmael seems to have concentrated his preaching in Pembrokeshire, where there are several churches dedicated to him.

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Google Reference: -
52.080568145326666, -4.680455205913844

Google search term:
St Dogmaels Abbey

What Three Words reference: -
///rescuer.conspire.same

OS Details: -
SN 16401 45858 Altitude:62 ft

Additional information.

Visiting is very easy.

A487 and then B4546 to the Abbey
There is limited parking at the site. (52.08084819413824, -4.679396371342211) and this is not always available especially on Tuesdays when it is the venue for the local market. but a better bet is at the town parking (52.08178485298606, -4.677090769613847) and it is just a short  200 m walk to the Abbey.

There is a great cafe and also museum an the site.

A full list of blogs can be found at my website

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St Bridget’s Church

St Bridget's Church, Skenfrith was consecrated in 1207 and is

one of the oldest churches in continuous use in Wales.

Visit Date August 2023

The exterior of the church is a delight, with a massively buttressed, squat square tower built of red sandstone.

The tower is topped by a dovecote belfry and a pyramidal roof.

It has been restored on at least two occasions the first in 1896 and then again in 1910

The church is medieval in origin, with the earliest parts believed to date from the reign of King John (1166–1216). It has been extended firstly in the fourteenth and once again in the sixteenth century.

The interior contains the chest tomb of John Morgan, who died in 1557, who was a Member of Parliament for the Monmouth Boroughs, Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster and last Governor of the Three Castles, of Skenfrith, Grosmont and White Castle.

The font is inscribed on its east side with the date 1661 but this date is of the re-erection but is much older than this.

The font can be locked this was to prevent the common practice in days gone by of stealing the water and used in casting spells.

The lectern was commissioned in 1909 and is by the Arts and Crafts designer, George Jack, and incorporates a figure of St Bridget.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.87906878835942, -2.7913557263133586

Google Search term:

St Bridget's Church, Skenfrith
What Three Words reference: -
///parked.sporting.help

OS Details: -
SO 45606 20341 : Altitude:141 ft

Additional information.

There is parking here (51.87809680428079, -2.790591909573205) for a a dozen cars or so and the place is easy to visit.

Off the B4347 from Monmouth and on to the B4521 takes you to Skenfrith.

There are no facilities at the site.

The site is popular in the summer months with locals sunbathing and swimming in the river.




A full list of blogs can be found at my website

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Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle (Welsh: Castell Ynysgynwraidd) is an 

ancient medieval fortress with a substantial central tower.

Visit Date August 2023

Commissioned by William Fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, in the early 12th century the castle comprised earthworks with timber defences.

What is left of the remains is the later constructed fortress by Hubert de Burge in the 13th century.

Built on an earthen mound this structure was one of the ‘Three Castles of Gwent’ (along with Grosmont and White Castle)

Controlling a large area of Gwent the three castles guarded the border country between The river Wye and the Black Mountains with Skenfrith Castle overlooking one of the main routes between England and Wales on the banks of the river Monnow.

 

In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place and in response, King Stephen brought together Skenfrith Castle and its sister fortifications of Grosmont and White Castle to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries.

Skenfrith was rebuilt in stone. In 1201, King John gave the castle to a powerful royal official, Hubert de Burgh (Earl of Kent) who destroyed the old castle and rebuilt the rectangular outer walls with the round keep and towers we can see today.

Hubert fell from power in 1232 and was stripped of the castles, which were placed under the command of Walerund Teutonicus

Walerund built a new chapel at the castle in 1244 and repaired the keep's roof

In 1267 the Castle along with the other two castles were granted to Edmund, the Earl of Lancaster

King Edward I' (20 November 1272 – 7 July 1307). In his conquest of Wales in 1282 removed much of the castle's military utility and saw the demise of the importance of the castle and by 1538, it had fallen into disuse and ruin.

In 1825, the Three Castles were sold off to Henry Somerset, the Duke of Beaufort. Skenfrith was eventually acquired by the lawyer Harold Sands, who carried out some conservation of the site; he went on to give the castle to the National Trust. Skenfrith was placed into the care of the state in 1936,

Skenfirth Castle is managed by Cadw

(Cadw is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. Cadw works to protect historic buildings and structures, landscapes and heritage sites) 

A visit to the castle would be enhanced by seeking out a disused mill on the south-eastern side of the castle. Much later than the castle of course dated 1867 at the 1st-floor level of the SW side; the mill continued to function until 1990 although by that time the mill had been converted to electric power.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.878293893054106, -2.790379413287163

Google Search term:
Skenfrith Castle

What Three Words reference: -
///parked.sporting.help

OS Details: -
SO 45697 20264 : Altitude:141 ft

Additional information.

There is parking here (51.87809680428079, -2.790591909573205) for a a dozen cars or so and the place is easy to visit.

Off the B4347 from Monmouth and on to the B4521 takes you to Skenfrith.

There are no facilities at the site.

The site is popular in the summer months with locals sunbathing and swimming in the river.




A full list of blogs can be found at my website

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Talley Abbey.

________________________________________________________________________________

T A L L EY   A B B E Y

Talley was founded in the 1180s by Rhys ap Gruffydd (‘The Lord Rhys’, native ruler of the

south Wales kingdom of Deheubarth) for the monks of the Premonstratensian order.

Visit Date August 2022

________________________________________________________________________________

Originally Colonised by a small group of canons from the house of St John at Amiens in north-east France. Talley Abbey was the first and only abbey in Wales for the Premonstratensians, monks who were also known as the ‘White Canons’ from the colour of their habit. 

The Order was founded in 1120. In 1126, it received papal approbation by Pope Honorius II.

The Abbeys history is not a tranquil one but was something of an unholy struggle.

Abbot Peter of Whitland abbey, envious of the Talley estates launched a hostile takeover of the land and there was a legal battle between the White Canons and the rival Cistercians he supported.

 

The plans to construct a grand church at the heart of their new abbey were interrupted for nine years.

The White Canons did eventually win but the financial cost was great and with little help then coming from Lord Rhys' they were almost bankrupt, and it is unlikely the full church was ever completed.

There were 4 individual chapels within the structure. The remains of two can be seen in the image above.

The first war of independence in 1277 won by Edward I ensured that the Premonstratensian lost their Welsh sponsorship and the remote Talley only just survived being sustained by income from the churches it served.

The abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII and the structure was mined by the villagers for stone to build much of the present village and the church next to the abbey. The Abbey as can be seen is now in a quite ruinous state, but the majesty of the tower can still be seen.

The beautiful white church on the site now is Eglwys y Plwyf Talyllychau (Talley Parish Church).

The Abbey was once claimed to be the site of the grave of the medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym.

The two lakes near the abbey ruins, which were used for fish farming to support the community of monks run alongside the church and abbey and add to the natural beauty of the site.

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Google Reference: -
51.97664362266242, -3.9918785275528212

What Three Words reference: -
///stance.decimal.cabinet

OS Details: -
SN 63273 32774 Altitude: 369 ft

Additional information.


This is a fine ruin in a beautiful small little village and is a must if in the area.
There is a small car park for 2 or 3 cars outside the abbey walls. It is a great area to explore and stroll and the terrain is very flat and easy. A visit to the church is also a must. There is a small community cafe and toilets alongside the site.

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East Orchard Castle.

 Visit Date 05-2022.

St. Athen in South Wales in recent times has been known for the RAF base here where the RAF’s non-aircraft, ground engineering technicians were and still are trained.

The Station officially opened as RAF St. Athan on 1 September 1938.

More recently, St. Athen has become base for the manufacture of the high-class Aston Martin SUV. Conversion of the three super hangars have been redeveloped into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

My interest here, however, goes back many hundreds of years before this.

We go back to the 11th Century for this story.

Two Orchards were laid here. Both the orchards were built by the Berkerolles who received the land from Robert Fitzhammon after the conquest of Glamorgan in 1091.

In one of the orchards, we find East Orchard Castle now a ruined building whose remains date mainly from the 14th century.

While it is named a castle, I suppose it would be classed as a fortified manor house however despite this it was not fortified in the style of one and is officially classed as post-medieval and broadly defined as a domestic manor house dwelling.

It has been in ruins since the late 18th century, the house having been dismantled from 1756.

While East Orchard is one of the mysterious ruins in the Vale. It must have been a substantial building. It had a chapel, a barn and a dovecote.

In the main manor house you can still see some of the features like the fireplaces and windows.

The layout and style would seen to confirm the mansion was entirely residential rather than defensive.

The manor looks like it may have been a two-story or even three story house.

An earlier structure on this site was destroyed in 1316 during a revolt led by Welsh leader Llywelyn Bren, but the residence was soon rebuilt.

The mansion was constructed for the Berkerolles family who had been resident in this part of Glamorgan since shortly after the Norman conquest, though much of their history is unclear.

The Berkerolles were subsidiary to the Lords of St Athan, and they occupied the mansion until the early 1400s when the house passed by marriage to the Stradling family from St Donats.

The Barn/Outbuilding and Dovecote

The Stradling family endured for several centuries and carried out various improvements to the buildings. The castle was sold in 1756 but then soon abandoned and partially dismantled, and has been ruinous for over 300 years.

The chapel in ruins (left) 

The three main structures outside the manor house, the Chapel, Barn and outbuilding can still be seen

The Chapel seen here on the left is in the most ruinous state and none of the features remain but just the remnants of the walls.

However, the barn looks like it has been used as a farm building more recently although now it is also in a poor state.

Although you can see some of the features you would find on a structure of this age.

The dovecote is still standing and looks externally to have stood the test of time better than the other buildings.

You can see internally the box holes are built into the walls where the nesting birds would have been. Not shown here is the massive tree that is now growing through the building.

The manor is mostly surrounded by a belt of woodland, on the west side of the shallow but relatively steep-sided valley of the River Thaw, 1.5 miles from the coast, near St Athan, with further natural protection provided by a tributary valley a short distance north.

Currently, it is a peaceful and tranquil place that is quite easy to get to and is in a very quiet part of St. Athen.

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Visit Information:-
Google Reference
51.403302827696336, -3.3973049137655678

What Three Words reference:-
///roaming.canal.offshore

OS Grid Ref
ST 02899 68068

Additional information.
Visiting is easy but parking near by may not be.

There is a small pull in lay-by (51.39926230839226, -3.397730966275135) but this is part of an maintenance access road. It should be ok at the weekends but please take care.

Alternatively St. Athen Village (1 mile away) or at Four Cross Station (Petrol Garage) about 500 yards away.




Once at the lay-by there is a walkway just past the eastern end of the Lay-by walk up the steps and over the style (this is an official "marked" pathway).

Enter the field on the left of the stile and keep forward along the hedge, past the old pillbox and to the top right hand side of the field. Here there is a style although the step part was broken. After this stick to the path for 5 minutes and the Castle will come into view.

BTW Google maps directions do not take you this way but this is by far the best way (the OS app is better here)

Thank you for visiting this blog.


If you would like more information on this location please feel free to contact me.

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