Scheduled MonumentsEnglandRewley Abbey

Rewley Abbey

England
List entry 1003650
Nation
England
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Rewley Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in Oxford in 1281 by the Earl of Cornwall, making it one of the last major Cistercian houses established in England. The abbey occupied a site within the medieval city of Oxford, where it functioned as both a religious community and an important centre of learning, with its monks maintaining substantial landholdings across Oxfordshire and beyond. Little survives of the abbey's physical structures today, though archaeological investigation and historical records document its layout and development before its dissolution in 1538. The remains, now largely subterranean, lie beneath later urban development and represent an important but archaeologically challenging example of late medieval monastic organisation in an urban setting.

Rewley Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003650. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Rewley Abbey?

Rewley Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in Oxford in 1281 by the Earl of Cornwall, making it one of the last major Cistercian houses established in England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003650.

Who is responsible for protecting Rewley Abbey?

Rewley 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 1003650.

What other scheduled monuments are near Rewley Abbey?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Old Abingdon Road Culverts (2.9 km), Romano-British pottery site, prehistoric ring-ditches and enclosures, including medieval ridge and furrow, Lower Farm, Nuneham Courtenay (6.8 km), Settlement site E of Goose Acre Farm (8.3 km).

Aubrey Research

Generate a full report for this location

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.

Research the area around Rewley Abbey