Llantarnam Abbey
Encyclopedia
Llantarnam Abbey is an abbey of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy
and a former Cistercian monastery
located in Llantarnam
, Cwmbran
in the county borough of Torfaen
in southeast Wales
.
, Ceredigion
, in 1179. After its dissolution
in 1558, it was used as a private residence, being initially acquired and rebuilt by a local landowner. William Morgan of Llantarnam (Lanternam in some old documents) bought the abbey in 1561 and the family became great landowners in Monmouthshire around this time.
The Morgans and the Earls of Worcester
at Raglan
became leaders of the Monmouthshire Catholic
s. Thomas, the subject of this note, is thought to have been a member of the Llantarnam or the nearby Bassaleg
branch of the Morgans
of Tredegar Park
. It was acquired by Reginald James Blewitt and rebuilt in Elizabethan style to the designs of Thomas Henry Wyatt
in 1834-5.
In 1895, the Abbey was bought by Sir Clifford Cory, colliery owner, shipping magnate and Liberal politician, who lived there until his death in 1941. Without heirs, his barony became extinct.
In 1946 it became again a monastic institution, in the hands of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy
.
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
and a former Cistercian monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
located in Llantarnam
Llantarnam
Llantarnam is a community and suburb of Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales.Llantarnam Abbey is a Cistercian abbey founded in 1179 as a daughter house of Strata Florida Abbey...
, Cwmbran
Cwmbran
Cwmbrân is a new town in Wales. Today forming part of the county borough of Torfaen and lying within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, Cwmbrân was established in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield. Cwmbrân means Crow...
in the county borough of Torfaen
Torfaen
Torfaen is a county borough in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was originally formed in 1974 as a district of the county of Gwent and in 1996 it was reconstituted as a unitary authority.-Education:...
in southeast Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History
It was founded as a daughter house of Strata Florida AbbeyStrata Florida Abbey
Strata Florida Abbey Flowers. Ystrad corrupts into Strata, while Fflur is the name of the nearby river. After the region around St. David's was firmly occupied by the Norman Marcher lordship of Pembroke by the early 12th century, with St...
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, in 1179. After its dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1558, it was used as a private residence, being initially acquired and rebuilt by a local landowner. William Morgan of Llantarnam (Lanternam in some old documents) bought the abbey in 1561 and the family became great landowners in Monmouthshire around this time.
The Morgans and the Earls of Worcester
Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, by Elizabeth of Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de...
at Raglan
Raglan, Monmouthshire
Raglan is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located some 9 miles south-west of Monmouth, midway between Monmouth and Abergavenny on the A40 road very near to the junction with the A449 road...
became leaders of the Monmouthshire Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s. Thomas, the subject of this note, is thought to have been a member of the Llantarnam or the nearby Bassaleg
Bassaleg
Bassaleg is a small semi-urban suburb on the west side of the city of Newport, in south Wales. It lies in the Graig electoral ward and community.- Location, communications & amenities:Bassaleg is located two miles north west of Newport city centre...
branch of the Morgans
Baron Tredegar
Baron Tredegar, of Tredegar in the County of Monmouth, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.It was created in 1859 for the Welsh politician Sir Charles Morgan, 3rd Baronet, who had earlier represented Brecon in Parliament. His eldest son, Charles Rodney Morgan, sat as Member of...
of Tredegar Park
Tredegar Park
Tredegar Park is a large municipal park located near the housing estates of Duffryn, Maesglas, and Gaer in the city of Newport in South Wales.- History :...
. It was acquired by Reginald James Blewitt and rebuilt in Elizabethan style to the designs of Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...
in 1834-5.
In 1895, the Abbey was bought by Sir Clifford Cory, colliery owner, shipping magnate and Liberal politician, who lived there until his death in 1941. Without heirs, his barony became extinct.
In 1946 it became again a monastic institution, in the hands of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
.