REVIEW BY GEORGE NASH
I have always thought that, for many archaeological projects, the process of data-gathering and reporting on previous archaeological activity is as important as the archaeology itself; the investigative activity at Rushen Abbey, including more than 100 years of investigation, is no exception to this principle.
Like elsewhere in the western British Isles, examples of medieval and post-medieval monastic activity on the Isle of Man are numerous and well-documented, including in the archaeological record. In this book, Peter Davey captures the very essence of that archaeological record for one of the most visible monastic sites on the island.
Rushen Abbey, founded by a Cistercian community in 1134, was a victim of the Reformation in 1540. The Abbey and its community were probably the most powerful monastic institution on the island during the medieval period.
Excavating the CA archive: Monasteries of the high medieval period – Part 2