Tavistock Abbey

Tavistock Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Rumon, is a ruined Benedictine abbey in Tavistock, Devon. Nothing remains of the abbey except the refectory, two gateways and a porch. The abbey church, dedicated to Our Lady and St Rumon, was destroyed by Danish raiders in 997 and rebuilt under Lyfing, the second abbot. The church was further rebuilt in 1285 and the greater part of the abbey between 1457 and 1458.

History

Foundation

The abbey was founded in 961 by Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon, and completed by his son Ordwulf in 981, in which year the charter of confirmation was granted by King Æthelred II (c.968-1016) The Unready, nephew of Ordwulf. It was endowed with lands in Devon, Dorset and Cornwall, and became one of the richest abbeys in the west of England.

Account by Dugdale

William Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum (1718 edition in English) states as follows concerning the foundation:

1193 Papal Bull

A "Bull of Exemption and Confirmation" dated 1193 granted by Pope Celestine III (reigned 1191-1198) records the landholdings of the abbey thus: