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{{Short description|Historic building in Maenan, Wales}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox building
{{Infobox building
| name = Maenan Abbey
| name = Maenan Abbey
Line 23: Line 26:
| location_town =
| location_town =
| location_country = [[Wales]]
| location_country = [[Wales]]
| coordinates = {{coord|53|10|28|N|3|48|45|W|display=inline}}
| iso_region =
| coordinates_display =
| latd = 53
| latm = 10
| lats = 28
| latNS = N
| longd =3
| longm = 48
| longs =45
| longEW = W
| coordinates =
| start_date =
| start_date =
| completion_date = 1283
| completion_date = 1283
Line 49: Line 42:


==History==
==History==
A [[Cistercian]] community was founded at Rhedynog Felen near [[Caernarfon]] in 1186 by a group of monks from [[Strata Florida Abbey]]. In 1190/91, they moved to [[Conwy]], establishing [[Aberconwy Abbey]], and in 1283, they transferred to Maenan after a forced move by order of [[Edward I]], this [[abbey]]'s founder,<ref name="Long1837">{{cite book|last1=Long|first1=George|author2=Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain)|title=The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge: v. 1-27|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5w_y8jHUPoIC&pg=PA390|accessdate=24 March 2012|edition=Public domain|year=1837|publisher=C. Knight|pages=390–}}</ref> who had decided to build a castle on the site of the monks' former home at Aberconway.<ref name="Lewis1845"/> The Abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Saints.
A [[Cistercian]] community was founded at Rhedynog Felen near [[Caernarfon]] in 1186 by a group of monks from [[Strata Florida Abbey]]. In 1190/91, they moved to [[Conwy]], establishing [[Aberconwy Abbey]], and in 1283, they transferred to Maenan after a forced move by order of [[Edward I]], this [[abbey]]'s founder,<ref name="Long1837">{{cite book|last1=Long|first1=George|author2=Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain)|title=The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge: v. 1–27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5w_y8jHUPoIC&pg=PA390|edition=Public domain|year=1837|publisher=C. Knight|page=390}}</ref> who had decided to build a castle on the site of the monks' former home at Aberconwy.<ref name="Lewis1845"/> The Abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Saints. The new monastery was regarded as an English royal foundation - King Edward was present at the foundation, and arranged the finances to construct the abbey buildings, donating a set of glass windows.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Robinson |first=David |title=The Cistercian Abbeys of Britain |publisher=Batsford |year=1998 |isbn=0 7134 8392 X |location=London |pages=64-65}}</ref> In the [[Valor Ecclesiasticus]] survey of 1535, the abbey's income was assessed at £162, putting it among the smaller houses that were first to be suppressed as part of [[dissolution of the monasteries|Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries]].<ref name=":0" /> Due to the efforts of Abbot Richard ap Robert, the abbey at Maenan continued to exist until March 1537. At this point, the abbey's revenue was valued at £179 10s. 10d.<ref name="Lewis1845"/>
Edward later moved the community again to the abbey at [[Vale Royal]] in Cheshire, but the abbey at Maenan continued to exist until c.1538, when it was suppressed as part of [[dissolution of the monasteries|Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries]]. At this point, the abbey's revenue was valued at £179. 10. 10.<ref name="Lewis1845"/>


In 1563, the site of the abbey was given to Elizeus Wynne, who was also granted the township of Maenan itself. Wynne demolished many of the abbey's buildings, and used the materials to construct a new mansion on the site.<ref name="Lewis1845">{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Samuel|title=A topographical dictionary of Wales,: comprising the several counties, cities, boroughs, corporate and market towns, parishes, chapelaries, and townships, with historical and statistical descriptions: embellished with engravings of the arms of the bishoprics, and of the arms and seals of the various cities and municipal corporations: and illustrated by maps of the different counties|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6XwOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA187|accessdate=25 March 2012|year=1845|publisher=S. Lewis|page=187}}</ref><ref name="Association1885" /> Reused materials from the abbey were also incorporated in [[Gwydir Castle]]. The stone coffin of Prince [[Llewelyn the Great]] was moved from the abbey to the Gwydir Chapel at the church in Llanrwst.<ref name="Association1885" /> Only a small arch remains of the original edifice, which was described in Samuel Lewis' [[topographical]] dictionary as "remarkable for the pleasantness of its situation and the beauty of its architecture".<ref name="Lewis1845"/>
In 1563, the site of the abbey was given to Elizeus Wynne, who was also granted the township of Maenan itself. Wynne demolished many of the abbey's buildings, and used the materials to construct a new mansion on the site.<ref name="Lewis1845">{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Samuel|title=A topographical dictionary of Wales,: comprising the several counties, cities, boroughs, corporate and market towns, parishes, chapelaries, and townships, with historical and statistical descriptions: embellished with engravings of the arms of the bishoprics, and of the arms and seals of the various cities and municipal corporations: and illustrated by maps of the different counties|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6XwOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA187|year=1845|publisher=S. Lewis|page=187}}</ref><ref name="Association1885" /> Reused materials from the abbey were also incorporated in [[Gwydir Castle]]. The stone coffin of Prince [[Llewelyn the Great]] was moved from the abbey to the Gwydir Chapel at the church in Llanrwst.<ref name="Association1885" /> More materials were removed to repair the justice's hall at Caernarfon. Only a small arch remains of the original edifice, which was described in Samuel Lewis' [[topographical]] dictionary as "remarkable for the pleasantness of its situation and the beauty of its architecture".<ref name="Lewis1845"/>


In 1885, the Cambrian Archaeological Association noted discrepancies regarding the subsequent history of the Maenan Abbey estate:
In 1885, the [[Cambrian Archaeological Association]] noted discrepancies regarding the subsequent history of the Maenan Abbey estate:
{{quote|Dugdale says, in his Monasticon, vol. v, p. 671:—"In 26 Henry VIII, the revenues of Conway, otherwise Maynan Abbey, amounted in clear income to £162 15s., in gross revenue to £179 10s. 10c?. The site was granted in the fifth year of Queen Elizabeth to Elizaeus Wynne, in whose family it still continues, Lord Newborough being the present owner. A large house built from the materials of the abbey still remains." On the other hand, in the pedigree of Wynne of Garthewin, we find it stated that William Wynne of Melai married Mary, heiress of Maenan Abbey, being daughter and co-heir of Sir [[Richard Clough]] of Plas Clough, co. Denbigh.<ref name="Lloyd1887">{{cite book|last=Lloyd|first=Jacob Youde William|title=The history of the princes, the lords marcher, and the ancient nobility of Powys Fadog, and the ancient lords of Arwystli, Cedewen, and Meirionydd|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ThsfAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=25 March 2012|year=1887|publisher=T. Richards}}</ref> She died in 1632, and the abbey descended in the male line to John Wynne of Melai and Maenan, Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1712, who married Sydney, second daughter of Sir William Williams of Llanvorda, by whom he left two co-heirs, of whom Jane, the elder, married Sir John Wynn of Bodvean, and was so mother of Thomas Wynn, created Lord Newborough, 23rd July 1776.<ref name="Association1885">{{cite book|author=Cambrian Archaeological Association|title=Archaeologia cambrensis: the journal of the Cambrian Archoeological Association|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ofpJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA110|accessdate=24 March 2012|edition=Public domain|year=1885|publisher=published for the Association by J. R. Smith|pages=110–}}</ref>}}
{{quote|[[William Dugdale|Dugdale]] says, in his Monasticon, vol. v, p. 671:—"In 26 Henry VIII, the revenues of Conway, otherwise Maynan Abbey, amounted in clear income to £162 15s., in gross revenue to £179 10s. 10d. The site was granted in the fifth year of Queen Elizabeth to Elizaeus Wynne, in whose family it still continues, [[Baron Newborough|Lord Newborough]] being the present owner. A large house built from the materials of the abbey still remains." On the other hand, in the pedigree of Wynne of Garthewin, we find it stated that William Wynne of Melai married Mary, heiress of Maenan Abbey, being a daughter and co-heir of Sir [[Richard Clough]] of [[Plas Clough]], Denbighshire.<ref name="Lloyd1887">{{cite book|last=Lloyd|first=Jacob Youde William|authorlink=Jacob Youde William Lloyd|title=The history of the princes, the lords marcher, and the ancient nobility of Powys Fadog, and the ancient lords of Arwystli, Cedewen, and Meirionydd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThsfAAAAMAAJ|year=1887|publisher=T. Richards}}</ref> She died in 1632, and the abbey descended in the male line to [[John Wynne (1689–1718)|John Wynne]] of Melai and Maenan, [[High Sheriff of Denbighshire|Sheriff of Denbighshire]] in 1712, who married Sydney, second daughter of [[Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet, of Gray's Inn|Sir William Williams]] of Llanvorda, by whom he left two co-heirs, of whom Jane, the elder, married [[Sir John Wynn, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Wynn]] of Bodvean, and was so mother of [[Thomas Wynn, 1st Baron Newborough|Thomas Wynn, created Lord Newborough]], 23 July 1776.<ref name="Association1885">{{cite book|author=Cambrian Archaeological Association|title=Archaeologia cambrensis: the journal of the Cambrian Archoeological Association|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ofpJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA110|edition=Public domain|year=1885|publisher=published for the Association by J. R. Smith|page=110}}</ref>}}


The grounds were excavated in 1963.<ref name="Williams2001">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=David Henry|title=The Welsh Cistercians: written to commorate the centenary of the death of Stephen William Williams (1837-1899) (The father of Cistercian archaeology in Wales)|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=GSv77Ry8oW4C&pg=PA119|accessdate=25 March 2012|year=2001|publisher=Gracewing Publishing|isbn=978-0-85244-354-5|page=119}}</ref> In modern times, the site was developed into the Maenan Abbey Hotel. In 2011, three medieval walls were found in the grounds at Maenan Abbey Hotel whilst workmen were working on the drainage. They are believed to be the cloister walls, about 6 ft thick, dated to 1282.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-14545255|title=Three medieval walls found at Maenan Abbey Hotel, Conwy|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=17 August 2011|accessdate=25 March 2012}}</ref> [[Cadw]] visited the site to assess the excavations.
The grounds were excavated in 1963.<ref name="Williams2001">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=David Henry|title=The Welsh Cistercians: written to commemorate the centenary of the death of Stephen William Williams (1837–1899) (The father of Cistercian archaeology in Wales)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GSv77Ry8oW4C&pg=PA119|year=2001|publisher=Gracewing Publishing|isbn=978-0-85244-354-5|page=119}}</ref> In modern times, the site was developed into the Maenan Abbey Hotel. In 2011, three medieval walls were found in the grounds at Maenan Abbey Hotel while workmen were working on the drainage. They are believed to be the cloister walls, about 6&nbsp;ft thick, dated to 1282.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-14545255|title=Three medieval walls found at Maenan Abbey Hotel, Conwy|publisher=BBC|date=17 August 2011}}</ref> [[Cadw]] visited the site to assess the excavations.


==References==
==References==
Line 63: Line 55:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.maenanabbey.co.uk/default.html Official website]
* [http://www.maenanabbey.co.uk/default.html Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623032104/http://www.maenanabbey.co.uk/default.html |date=23 June 2018 }}


{{Conwy Valley}}

[[Category:Llanddoged and Maenan]]
[[Category:1530s disestablishments in Wales]]
[[Category:Cistercian monasteries in Wales]]
[[Category:Cistercian monasteries in Wales]]
[[Category:Medieval Wales]]
[[Category:Hotels in Conwy County Borough]]
[[Category:Hotels in Wales]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Wales]]
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 13th century]]
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 1280s]]
[[Category:Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation]]

Latest revision as of 20:18, 28 November 2024

Maenan Abbey
Maenan Abbey
Maenan Abbey is located in Conwy
Maenan Abbey
General information
LocationNear Llanrwst, Conwy
CountryWales
Coordinates53°10′28″N 3°48′45″W / 53.17444°N 3.81250°W / 53.17444; -3.81250
Completed1283

Maenan Abbey (formally: The Abbey Church of Saint Mary and All Saints; alternatively: Abaty Maenan, or Maynan Abbey; now Maenan Abbey Hotel) was a monastic religious house located in Maenan, Conwy, Wales. It is situated near Llanrwst.

History

[edit]

A Cistercian community was founded at Rhedynog Felen near Caernarfon in 1186 by a group of monks from Strata Florida Abbey. In 1190/91, they moved to Conwy, establishing Aberconwy Abbey, and in 1283, they transferred to Maenan after a forced move by order of Edward I, this abbey's founder,[1] who had decided to build a castle on the site of the monks' former home at Aberconwy.[2] The Abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Saints. The new monastery was regarded as an English royal foundation - King Edward was present at the foundation, and arranged the finances to construct the abbey buildings, donating a set of glass windows.[3] In the Valor Ecclesiasticus survey of 1535, the abbey's income was assessed at £162, putting it among the smaller houses that were first to be suppressed as part of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.[3] Due to the efforts of Abbot Richard ap Robert, the abbey at Maenan continued to exist until March 1537. At this point, the abbey's revenue was valued at £179 10s. 10d.[2]

In 1563, the site of the abbey was given to Elizeus Wynne, who was also granted the township of Maenan itself. Wynne demolished many of the abbey's buildings, and used the materials to construct a new mansion on the site.[2][4] Reused materials from the abbey were also incorporated in Gwydir Castle. The stone coffin of Prince Llewelyn the Great was moved from the abbey to the Gwydir Chapel at the church in Llanrwst.[4] More materials were removed to repair the justice's hall at Caernarfon. Only a small arch remains of the original edifice, which was described in Samuel Lewis' topographical dictionary as "remarkable for the pleasantness of its situation and the beauty of its architecture".[2]

In 1885, the Cambrian Archaeological Association noted discrepancies regarding the subsequent history of the Maenan Abbey estate:

Dugdale says, in his Monasticon, vol. v, p. 671:—"In 26 Henry VIII, the revenues of Conway, otherwise Maynan Abbey, amounted in clear income to £162 15s., in gross revenue to £179 10s. 10d. The site was granted in the fifth year of Queen Elizabeth to Elizaeus Wynne, in whose family it still continues, Lord Newborough being the present owner. A large house built from the materials of the abbey still remains." On the other hand, in the pedigree of Wynne of Garthewin, we find it stated that William Wynne of Melai married Mary, heiress of Maenan Abbey, being a daughter and co-heir of Sir Richard Clough of Plas Clough, Denbighshire.[5] She died in 1632, and the abbey descended in the male line to John Wynne of Melai and Maenan, Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1712, who married Sydney, second daughter of Sir William Williams of Llanvorda, by whom he left two co-heirs, of whom Jane, the elder, married Sir John Wynn of Bodvean, and was so mother of Thomas Wynn, created Lord Newborough, 23 July 1776.[4]

The grounds were excavated in 1963.[6] In modern times, the site was developed into the Maenan Abbey Hotel. In 2011, three medieval walls were found in the grounds at Maenan Abbey Hotel while workmen were working on the drainage. They are believed to be the cloister walls, about 6 ft thick, dated to 1282.[7] Cadw visited the site to assess the excavations.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Long, George; Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain) (1837). The Penny cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge: v. 1–27 (Public domain ed.). C. Knight. p. 390.
  2. ^ a b c d Lewis, Samuel (1845). A topographical dictionary of Wales,: comprising the several counties, cities, boroughs, corporate and market towns, parishes, chapelaries, and townships, with historical and statistical descriptions: embellished with engravings of the arms of the bishoprics, and of the arms and seals of the various cities and municipal corporations: and illustrated by maps of the different counties. S. Lewis. p. 187.
  3. ^ a b Robinson, David (1998). The Cistercian Abbeys of Britain. London: Batsford. pp. 64–65. ISBN 0 7134 8392 X.
  4. ^ a b c Cambrian Archaeological Association (1885). Archaeologia cambrensis: the journal of the Cambrian Archoeological Association (Public domain ed.). published for the Association by J. R. Smith. p. 110.
  5. ^ Lloyd, Jacob Youde William (1887). The history of the princes, the lords marcher, and the ancient nobility of Powys Fadog, and the ancient lords of Arwystli, Cedewen, and Meirionydd. T. Richards.
  6. ^ Williams, David Henry (2001). The Welsh Cistercians: written to commemorate the centenary of the death of Stephen William Williams (1837–1899) (The father of Cistercian archaeology in Wales). Gracewing Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-85244-354-5.
  7. ^ "Three medieval walls found at Maenan Abbey Hotel, Conwy". BBC. 17 August 2011.
[edit]
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