The Abbey
The pre-Norman church was a “clas” - a monastic establishment and a mother church. It had rights of sanctuary (noddfa). Possibly the two crosses from Bryngwyn, which are now on display in Cardiff, marked the boundary of the sanctuary.
The Norman invasion of Cemais took place about 1100, Robert fitz Martin making his headquarters at Nevern. Around 1115 he granted to the congregation of Tiron in northern France, the clas at St. Dogmaels and established a priory there. In 1120 the priory was given abbey status.
St. Dogmaels acquired status as the mother house of the priories of Caldey, Pill (Milford Haven) and Glascarreg (in Southern Ireland) and also held property in north Pembrokeshire and Devon.
The grant to the monks included the Fishery of St. Dogmaels. The Sân (Seine) fishing technique is believed to have been introduced by the monks. Tradition holds that the Carreg-y-Fendith (Blessing Stone) on the Netpool is where the Abbot blessed the fishermen before they set out on their fishing season. The stone, also called Carreg Ateb (Echo Stone), was re-discovered in the 1960s.
There has been much recent interest in St. Dogmaels apples, possibly survivors from the horticulture of the monks. Currently three varieties are well known in St. Dogmaels: Afal Pren Caled, Afal Pren Glas and Afal Pig Aderyn.
A Famous Visit
One Spring evening in 1188 Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury and Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales), with a large cavalcade carrying banners decorated with white crosses, approached St Dogmaels. They spent the night at the Abbey, entertained by the Abbot and Lord Rhys of Deheubarth and Cardigan Castle.
The following day they preached the Cross at Cardigan, recruiting soldiers for a crusade to the Holy Land.
End of the Monastic Era
In the reign of Henry VIII the Abbey was dissolved; the local properties were leased and subsequently sold to John Bradshaw of Presteigne. His mansion house may have been where the vicarage now stands.
Continuity
The Abbey ruins are thought to be within the boundary of the ancient clas. The old parish church, which stood just north of the present church hall, was replaced by another on the site of today's church, possibly after the dissolution of the abbey. St. Thomas' Church, the Vicarage and the Coach House were built around the middle of the 19th century. Today they are listed buildings. A new church porch was dedicated in 1925 and the churchyard greatly extended.
