Scheduled MonumentsEnglandTotnes Priory

Totnes Priory

England
List entry 1020567
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020567
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.19 hectares
Grid reference
SX 80241 60476
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Totnes Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the late eleventh century in the town of Totnes in Devon. The priory was established as a daughter house of Normandy, reflecting the Norman influence prevalent in post-Conquest England, and operated as a significant religious community throughout the medieval period. The surviving remains include substantial stone structures characteristic of monastic architecture, though the site has been subject to considerable alteration and decay since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. The priory's location within the historic town of Totnes, which itself developed as an important medieval settlement, underscores its role as a centre of religious and economic influence in south Devon.

Totnes Priory is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020567. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Totnes Priory?

Totnes Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the late eleventh century in the town of Totnes in Devon. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020567.

Who is responsible for protecting Totnes Priory?

Totnes 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 1020567.

What other scheduled monuments are near Totnes Priory?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Luscombe Cross (2.8 km), Cornworthy Priory (5.3 km), Earthwork enclosures and field systems, 430m north east of Lower Well Farm (6.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Totnes Priory

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Totnes 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Totnes Priory

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

The wider landscape

Around Totnes Priory

ExeterRoman town · ~21.2 miles