Tarrant Abbey, site of, and tithe barn at Abbey Farm

Heritage listing

Details This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 16 December 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records. This monument, which falls into two areas, includes part of the Cistercian Nunnery of Tarrant Abbey and a tithe barn situated on slightly rising ground beside the confluence between the Rivers Tarrant and Stour. The part of the Cistercian nunnery survives as predominantly buried structures, deposits and layers with visible features including various hollows and banks of up to 0.9m high containing masonry from walls of substantial buildings and parts of the precinct boundary bank with ditch. The tithe barn survives as a rectangular plan stone and brick built roofed building standing to full height and dates to the 15th century with 18th – 19th century alterations. Tarrant or ‘Tarrant Kaines’ was founded in around 1186 for three ladies with their servants who lived as anchoresses under no recognised order. It is believed this may be the unidentified monastery of Camestrum mentioned by Gervase of Canterbury as being of white nuns and dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, who did not at that time belong to the Cistercian order. The abbey of St Mary and All Saints was subsequently founded by 1233 by the Cistercians. In 1237 Bishop Poore of Salisbury was buried there, and in 1238 the sister of Henry III, Queen Joan of Scotland. By the end of the 13th century Tarrant Abbey was one of the richest Cistercian nunneries in England. There was a convent church built in 1240-6 in addition to the parish church (which still survives) and the tombs of the Bishop and Queen were within this convent churc

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.