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Summary

The medieval cloisters lay to the south of the abbey church.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009303: Dunkeswell Abbey

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 188997
• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST11SW/3/5
• Old SAM County Ref: 228
• Old SAM Ref: 24841
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: ST11SW16

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CLOISTER (XIII to Late Medieval - 1201 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Chapple, W. E. P., 1914 - 1915, Untitled Source, 34-36 (Article in Serial). SDV123675.

Other details: Plan.

Everett, A. W., 1938 - 1939, A Survey of Dunkeswell Abbey, 18-20 (Article in Serial). SDV136049.

The cloisters of Dunkeswell Abbey lay to the south of the church where cropmarks were visible of parallel north-south foundations about ten feet apart, suggesting the east cloister walk. West wall of meadow has a number of buttresses on the east face. This wall is the lower portion of that which bounded west side of cloister garth. West of this are remains of east wall of the west range.

Ministry of Works, 1948, Dunkeswell Abbey (Schedule Document). SDV345801.

Dunkeswell Abbey includes the remains of a Cistercian Abbey founded by William Bruere in 1201. Foundations of the whole range is visible in the adjoining fields in dry summers Other details: Monument 228.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1962, ST11SW16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV129116.

The surface of the meadow is uneven but investigation was during period of wet weather so no cropmarks visible. The west wall of the meadow and its buttresses are in poor state of repair.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1962, Untitled Source, 1:4 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV129107.

Weddell, P. J., 1986, Dunkeswell (Report - Assessment). SDV123603.

The buttresses noted above were not visible. T he area of the cloister would,on the basis of the plan recorded in Chapple 1914, have been about 30m north-south by 22m east-west. There is a rubble filled area at the north west end which appears to be the remains of the cloister walk.

Gibbons, P., 1993, Untitled Source (Un-published). SDV129109.

The cloister stood to the south of the abbey church and had sides of about 28m square. This is at variance with Weddell's reconstruction of 30m north-south by 22.5m east-west. The main problem here is that of trying to relate the drawing of the parchmarks to the present church and graveyard. The 1987 plan of the north west corner of the cloister, depicts the angle between the nave and the west range as less than 90 degrees. This would make the cloister trapezoidal in plan; it may be the result of a surveying error. Other details: MPP/134673.

Department of National Heritage, 1994, Dunkeswell Abbey (Schedule Document). SDV345802.

The cloister stood to the south of the Abbey Church and had sides of about 28 metres square. The west range of the cloister is about 42 metres long by 8.2 metres wide, surviving as several substantial sections of walling up to 1.3 metres thick. The best preserved section is the north gable-end which stands to a height of 8.1 metres and incorporates a large ground floor fireplace and a chimney with an internal dividing wall and external buttress. The adjoining section of the east wall is 13.2 metres in length, with the north room being 11.2 metres. The interior of the gable has the chasing of a lean-to roof dating from the Post Dissolution use of the building. The south end of the range lies in an orchard and consists of a further section of the east wall, about 11 metres in length and an estimated 7 metres high. Its southern part is incorporated into the west wall of a small farm building; it retains the wall scar of part of the south wall of the south range and ends with a wall return to the west along the line of the southern boundary wall of the orchard. A section of the west wall of the range survives to 4.7 metres in length and has, at its north end, a wall extending 3.3 metres to the west. Other details: Monument 24841.

Hunt, A., 2000, An Earthwork Survey of Dunkeswell Abbey, 215-226 (Article in Serial). SDV136064.

An earthwork survey undertaken in 2000 identified two curvilinear features to the south of the church probably related to the cloisters.

National Monuments Record, 2010, 188997 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV345810.

Remains of west wall of cloister belonging to Dunkeswell Abbey (1201-1539). Only fragmentary remains of the east and west walls survive.

Linford, N. + Payne, A., 2023, Dunkeswell Abbey, Dunkeswell, Devon: Report on Geophysical Surveys, August 2022 (Report - Geophysical Survey). SDV365655.

The remains of the cloister (gpr18) were recorded by Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and earth resistance surveys carried out at Dunkeswell Abbey in August 2022 as part of a wider, non-invasive study of the site. They were only partially defined within the survey area to the south of the church, however, the remains lying beyond the field boundary towards the standing remains of the west range.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8959 - Geophysical surveys at Dunkeswell Abbey

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