Scheduled Monuments›England›Robertsbridge Abbey

Robertsbridge Abbey

England
List entry 1002295
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002295
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.46 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 75481 23890
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Robertsbridge Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1176 in the parish of Robertsbridge, East Sussex, by the Norman lord Salian de Toni. The abbey was established as a daughter house of Boxley Abbey in Kent and followed the strict observances of the Cistercian order, becoming an influential religious and agricultural centre in the Weald. The surviving remains include substantial fragments of the abbey church, cloister buildings, and other monastic structures, which demonstrate the scale and architectural sophistication of a major Cistercian foundation. The site was dissolved during the Reformation in 1538 and subsequently converted to domestic use, with some structures incorporated into later buildings that occupy the site today.

Robertsbridge Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002295. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Robertsbridge Abbey?

Robertsbridge Abbey is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1176 in the parish of Robertsbridge, East Sussex, by the Norman lord Salian de Toni. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002295.

Who is responsible for protecting Robertsbridge Abbey?

Robertsbridge 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 1002295.

What other scheduled monuments are near Robertsbridge Abbey?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow in Wellhead Wood (0.7 km), Romano-British site S of Bodiam Bridge (3.2 km), Medieval moated site, Glottenham Castle (3.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Robertsbridge Abbey

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Robertsbridge 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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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

Bowl barrow in Wellhead Wood
0.7 km
Romano-British site S of Bodiam Bridge
3.2 km
Medieval moated site, Glottenham Castle
3.3 km
A quadrangular castle and its landscaped setting, an associated millpond, medieval crofts and cultivation earthworks, and a World War II pillbox at Bodiam
3.5 km
A medieval pleasaunce 30m south east of Court Lodge: part of the landscaped setting of Bodiam Castle
3.7 km
Medieval moated site, Peters Green
4 km
Old Boarzell moated site 100m north east of Swiftsden Farm, Little Swiftsden
6 km
Bowl barrow in Petley Wood
6.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Robertsbridge Abbey

Robertsbridge Abbey stands on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around Robertsbridge Abbey

Battle of Hastings 1066Battle (1066) · ~5.3 miles
Domesday entry for Drigsell, Sussex →
All Scheduled Monuments