© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Black Abbey, St Andrew's in the Ards is a Benedictine foundation of medieval date situated in County Down, Northern Ireland. The abbey occupied a landscape underlain by Gala Group wacke, sedimentary bedrock deposited during the Telychian period of the Silurian era. This geological foundation supported the construction of monastic buildings typical of the Benedictine order, which established numerous houses across the British Isles during the medieval period to serve both spiritual and economic functions within their localities.
The site retains physical evidence of its ecclesiastical past in the form of a thirteenth-century coffin lid, which testifies to burial practices within the monastic community. Such carved stone lids were characteristic grave furnishings for the medieval clergy and prominent figures interred at abbey sites. The coffin lid represents both the spiritual status of those buried at Black Abbey and the craftwork capabilities available to the Benedictine community.
Today, Black Abbey remains an important record of medieval religious life in the Ards peninsula. The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, registered under monument reference 6595. This designation ensures the preservation of the abbey's archaeological and historical significance, allowing future study of monastic settlement patterns and medieval ecclesiastical practice in Ulster.
Black abbey, st. andrew's in the ards. benedictine abbey & c13th coffin lid is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6595. View the official record →
Black Abbey, St Andrew's in the Ards is a Benedictine foundation of medieval date situated in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6595.
Black abbey, st. andrew's in the ards. benedictine abbey & c13th coffin lid dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Black abbey, st. andrew's in the ards. benedictine abbey & c13th coffin lid is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 6595.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Windmill stump (c.f. ihr 2815 for details) (2.4 km), Kelp grid (3.1 km), Greyabbey bay. submerged woodland (3.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Black abbey, st. andrew's in the ards. benedictine abbey & c13th coffin lid's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Black abbey, st. andrew's in the ards. benedictine abbey & c13th coffin lid stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.