Scheduled MonumentsWalesSt Dogmaels Abbey
Medieval · Abbey

St Dogmaels Abbey

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE073
Period
Medieval
Site type
Abbey
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

St Dogmaels Abbey is a Benedictine foundation established in the early twelfth century on the banks of the River Teifi in Cardigan, Pembrokeshire. The abbey was founded around 1115 by the Norman lord Robert fitz Martin, though the surviving stone structures date predominantly from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The ruins include the remains of the church, with its distinctive west front doorway, alongside fragmentary claustral buildings typical of the monastic plan. The site was dissolved during the Reformation and subsequently fell into ruin, though its substantial architectural remains continue to testify to its former importance as a significant Benedictine house in South Wales.

St Dogmaels Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE073. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Dogmaels Abbey?

St Dogmaels Abbey is a Benedictine foundation established in the early twelfth century on the banks of the River Teifi in Cardigan, Pembrokeshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE073.

What period does St Dogmaels Abbey date from?

St Dogmaels Abbey dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a abbey. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting St Dogmaels Abbey?

St Dogmaels Abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is PE073.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Dogmaels Abbey?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Court Moated Site (7 km), Castell Eglwyswrw (7.9 km), Castell Henllys (8.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about St Dogmaels Abbey

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St Dogmaels 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.
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.
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 St Dogmaels Abbey

St Dogmaels Abbey stands on Caradoc Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.