Yelverton, Devon, England

Buckland Abbey

Buckland Abbey

Buckland Abbey (pictured above) is a 700-year-old house noted for its connection with Sir Richard Grenville the Younger and Sir Francis Drake. It was originally a Cistercian abbey founded in 1278 by Amicia, Countess of Devon. It is now under the care and ownership of the National Trust.

 

Thanks to Drake, the Abbey is part of Devon legend. It is said that Drake invoked the help of the Devil to help him rebuild the Abbey in three nights. As a result, Drake was forevermore to drive across Dartmoor on horse drawn carriage pulled by four headless horses. The hearse is followed closely by a terrifying pack of spectral hounds.

 

The road between the North and South lodges of the estate are reputedly haunted by a phantom monk.

 

Also found at the Abbey is Drakes Drum, and it is supposed to bear whenever England is in grave peril. It was allegedly heard before the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and in 1939 before the onset of World War 2.

Buckland Abbey,

Yelverton,

Devon,

PL20 6EY.

 

For further information, please visit:

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

 

For further information, please read Haunted Britain and Ireland by Richard Jones and Ghosts: Mysterious Tales from the National Trust by Sian Evans.

Location

Visitor Information

Yelverton is a large village in Devon, England.

It is situated on the south-western edge of Dartmoor National Park.

Pictured left is a view of Buckland Abbey courtesy of Andrew Hackney. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.