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wales
anglesey
brecknockshire
caernarfonshire
carmarthenshire
cardiganshire
denbighshire
flintshire
glamorgan
merioneth
monmouthshire
montgomeryshire
pembrokeshire
radnorshire
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Glamorgan/Morgannwg (Cardiff, Swansea,
Merthyr Tydfil, Barry, Caerphilly, Bridgend, Neath, Pontypridd)
Glamorgan, My Birthplace
 Neath
Abbey was founded in 1130 by the Norman baron, Richard de Granville,
on a rocky terrace overlooking the river marshlands. though
originally affiliated to the monastic order of Savigny, Neath, along
with the other Savignac houses, became Cistercian in 1147.
The monastery remained Anglo-Norman in its sympathies and frequently
suffered from the hostility of the Welsh; there was rivalry too from
its Cistercian neighbour at Margam.
During the 15th Century, Neath enjoyed a revival in its fortunes
and, at the time of its suppression, was considered to be the
"fairest building in all Wales".
In 1130 a small group of monks from
Savigny in western Normandy arrived in the valley to colonise the
site. Immediately they began the construction of a stone church and
by the time the Savigniac monks were absorbed into the Cistercian
order in 1147, it was completed. Good economic management of the
abbey, meant that soon Neath became a wealthy house.
It had owned extensive estates in
Glamorgan, Devon and Somerset. However, expansion of its Glamorgan
estates led to a bitter dispute with the neighbouring abbey of
Margam.
Counties Wales
Anglesey,
Brecknockshire,
Caernarfonshire
Carmarthenshire,
Cardiganshire,
Denbighshire
Flintshire,
Glamorgan,
Merioneth Monmouthshire,
Montgomeryshire,
Pembrokeshire,
Radnorshire |
