Scheduled MonumentsEnglandDurford Abbey

Durford Abbey

England
List entry 1015917
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1015917
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
9.73 hectares
Grid reference
SU 77798 23416
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Durford Abbey is a Premonstratensian priory founded in the mid-twelfth century in the parish of Petersfield, Hampshire, in the valley of the River Meon. The abbey was established circa 1160 and followed the austere Rule of the Premonstratensians, an order dedicated to pastoral care and preaching. The surviving remains include fragmentary stone walls and foundations, which attest to the priory's modest scale, whilst documentary evidence indicates the community never grew particularly large. The site was dissolved during the Reformation in the sixteenth century, and the abbey buildings subsequently fell into ruin, with much of the stone being quarried for reuse in local buildings.

Durford Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015917. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Durford Abbey?

Durford Abbey is a Premonstratensian priory founded in the mid-twelfth century in the parish of Petersfield, Hampshire, in the valley of the River Meon. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1015917.

Who is responsible for protecting Durford Abbey?

Durford Abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1015917.

What other scheduled monuments are near Durford Abbey?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 480m south of Irongates Lodge (7.4 km), Bowl barrow in Edgar Plantation (7.5 km), Bevis's Thumb long barrow, 370m west of Fernbeds Farm (8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Durford Abbey

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Durford Abbey's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Durford Abbey

Durford Abbey stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.