Scheduled Monuments›Wales›Talley Abbey
Medieval · Abbey

Talley Abbey

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM013
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

Talley Abbey is a Premonstratensian monastery founded in the early twelfth century in Carmarthenshire, Wales, representing one of the earliest houses of the White Canons in Britain. The abbey was established by Rhys ap Gruffudd, the powerful Norman-Welsh prince, and became a significant religious foundation that flourished during the medieval period. The surviving ruins include substantial remains of the church and associated monastic buildings, which demonstrate the architectural character of a substantial Cistercian-influenced establishment. The site was dissolved during the Reformation in the sixteenth century, and its remains have since become an important archaeological witness to medieval monastic life in Wales.

Talley Abbey is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM013. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Talley Abbey?

Talley Abbey is a Premonstratensian monastery founded in the early twelfth century in Carmarthenshire, Wales, representing one of the earliest houses of the White Canons in Britain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM013.

What period does Talley Abbey date from?

Talley 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 Talley Abbey?

Talley 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 CM013.

What other scheduled monuments are near Talley Abbey?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Talley Mound and Bailey Castle (0.6 km), Fan Camp (4.4 km), Maes y Castell (4.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Talley Abbey

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

Talley Mound and Bailey Castle
Medieval · Motte and Bailey0.6 km
Fan Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort4.4 km
Maes y Castell
Prehistoric · Hillfort4.8 km
Nant Cilgwyn standing stone
Prehistoric · Standing Stone5.2 km
Mynydd Llansadwrn ring cairn
Prehistoric · Ring Cairn5.8 km
Dolaucothi Gold Mines
Roman · Gold Mine8 km
Dolaucothi Mound
Roman · Mound8.2 km
Dolaucothi Roman Aqueduct
Roman · Aqueduct8.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Talley Abbey

Talley Abbey stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

All Scheduled Monuments