Scheduled MonumentsEnglandFurness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.

Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.

England
List entry 1010014
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1010014
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
29.42 hectares
Grid reference
SD 21894 71708
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Furness Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1123 by Stephen, Count of Mortain, initially following the Savignac order before joining the Cistercian fold in 1147. The abbey occupied a substantial precinct in the Furness peninsula of Lancashire, of which considerable physical remains survive including the precinct wall, great gatehouse, south west gateway, and earthworks that define the monastic landscape. The standing structures and buried archaeology demonstrate the architectural ambition and territorial extent of one of northern England's wealthiest religious houses, which flourished through the later medieval period until its suppression in 1536. The chapel outside the gates represents the distinctive provision for pilgrims and travellers beyond the monastic enclosure, a feature characteristic of major pilgrimage sites of the period.

Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks. is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010014. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.?

Furness Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1123 by Stephen, Count of Mortain, initially following the Savignac order before joining the Cistercian fold in 1147. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010014.

Who is responsible for protecting Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.?

Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks. 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 1010014.

What other scheduled monuments are near Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bow Bridge medieval multi-span bridge (0.7 km), Dalton Castle (2.2 km), Enclosure castle known as Gleaston Castle (4.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.'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 Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.

Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks. stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.