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The 12th/14th Century
Cistercians in the Lower Wye Valley
Work in progress
The Abbey at Tintern was founded in 1131 by Walter de Clare
for the Cistercian Order,
the Mother order of the Knights Templar.
Tintern Abbey from the
Devil's Pulpit
In the Abbey there
remains the effigy of a Knight, vandalised and no longer
recognisable, but fortunately there exists a 19th Century
sketch, and a description that the legs were crossed.
Abbey Knight
About half a mile away,
in
Brockweir, on the Gloucestershire side of the Wye, there is
a "14th Century Monks Hall." Little else is known about
it, except local tales that there is a tunnel leading away from
it towards Tintern.
14th Century Monks Hall, Brockweir
What is
remarkable is that there is no history of Templar activity in
the area, so well documented at
Garway,
17 miles away, though there is an intriguing local name,
Temple Dors, at the entrance to the Wye Valley, just north
of St Arvans. This needs further work.
Chev I Laird MA FSA Scot
KCTpl
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