Dunkeswell Abbey

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Dunkeswell Abbey, Devon, was founded in 1201 by William de Briwere as a Cistercian monastery and offshoot of Forde Abbey.

The founder granted much property within Devon to the abbey. Around two years before his death in 1226, he entered the community and was eventually buried in front of the high altar of the abbey church.

The abbey was closed in 1539 and granted to Lord Russell, and was mostly demolished quickly, though a section remained in domestic use until the 19th century. In 1842, a parish church was built over part of the site. Some surviving fragments of monastery include the partial end wall of the cellerars range and parts of a gatehouse. Some carved fragments survive within the Victorian era church.