Scheduled Monuments›England›Plympton Priory

Plympton Priory

England
List entry 1017594
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1017594
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.47 hectares
Grid reference
SX 53762 56208
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Plympton Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the eleventh century in the parish of Plympton in Devon. The priory was established as a cell of the monastery of Montacute in Somerset and became an important religious house within the county. The surviving remains, situated within the historic town of Plympton, include substantial fragments of the priory church and associated claustral buildings, which demonstrate the scale and architectural quality of this medieval establishment. The priory remained in occupation until its dissolution during the Reformation in the sixteenth century.

Plympton Priory is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017594. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Plympton Priory?

Plympton Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the eleventh century in the parish of Plympton in Devon. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017594.

Who is responsible for protecting Plympton Priory?

Plympton Priory 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 1017594.

What other scheduled monuments are near Plympton Priory?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cross in grounds of Stentaway House, Billacombe (3.2 km), Round barrow on Burrow Hill (4.2 km), Worth's Cattedown Bone Cave 150m north of Cattedown Wharves (5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Plympton Priory

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Plympton Priory'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Cross in grounds of Stentaway House, Billacombe
3.2 km
Round barrow on Burrow Hill
4.2 km
Worth's Cattedown Bone Cave 150m north of Cattedown Wharves
5 km
Fort Stamford
5.6 km
Mount Batten: prehistoric and Romano-British settlement
5.8 km
Mount Batten: 17th century artillery tower, Civil War breastwork, and World War II remains
6 km
The Goreus Stone, immediately west of St Bartholomew's Church
6 km
The Royal Citadel mid 17th century bastioned artillery defence, incorporating late 16th century artillery fort and 18th century statue, on the Hoe
6.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Plympton Priory

Plympton Priory stands on Middle Devonian (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Domesday entry for Plympton, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments