fore abbey church and town gates

It was then granted to William Tessone, who pocketed the revenue for himself. It was taken over by William Englond who was appointed abbot by Pope Martin V in 1418. It was he, or his successor, William Croys, who turned the monastery into a fortification.

When the monastery was suppressed around 1540 it was leased to Christopher, Baron of Delvin, and remained in the hands of the Greville-Nugent family until early this century. The rectangular church was built early in the 13th century; it has three round-headed east windows, but the north wall is largely a modern reconstruction. At the western end is a tower erected as a fortification in the 15th century. Over the sacristy to the south end of the church is another tower of the same date, and each tower formed a residence in itself. The eastern and western sides of the domestic buildings around the clositer have been much modified, and portions of the 15th century cloister were re-erected in 1912. About 40 yards to the north-east of the church are the remains of a columbarium or dove-cot, while remains of an old earthwork, possibly attached to the monastery, can be seen beside the nearby hill. In fields not far away are gates which formed part of the medieval wall of the town.