Of the monastical parts of this foundation, practically only a barn, 180 feet long, and a belfry are still preserved. The fragments in the Vicarage garden are supposed to be all that is left of the last abbot’s house. Still, even in these days, it is quite possible to picture the happy situation and consequent beauty of the monastic demesne. The river Tavy flows past the abbey, which is surrounded on all sides by delightful gardens, including an orchard said to have been the first planted in Devonshire. To the industry and discernment of the monks is greatly due the fame of Devonshire for the excellence of its cider--the greatest care having been taken in those early days to secure the very best grafts from Normandy. Nothing particular is recorded of the fortunes of this religious house. Disgrace fell upon it at one time--the monks having presumed to perform certain ceremonies without the necessary permission of Walter de Bronescombe, Bishop of Exeter, and being consequently excommunicated. From this suspension they were happily relieved by the interposition of Queen Helena. Buckland Abbey, as in the case of all religious foundations, succumbed to the demands of the insatiable Henry VIII., but was fortunate in eventually passing into the hands of Richard Grenville, who did not utterly remove all vestiges of the original structure when building the present noble house called Buckland Abbey. The connection of the great Drake with the manor house was not limited to his ownership of the old abbey, for here he spent the earliest, and not a few of the later years of his life; while many of his triumphs were won on the waters which washed this lovely county of Devon. It is sad that at the close of a life so full of successful effort, a life almost unparalleled in its daring initiative of action, Sir Francis Drake should not have found a resting place in his beloved home. Failure attended his expedition to the West Indies, where he had hoped to strike a blow at the gigantic power of Spain. By the capture of the Spaniards of one of Drake’s smaller vessels, the plans of the English admiral became known to his enemies and all his schemes were more or less defeated. Bent down and disheartened by failure, Drake succumbed after twenty days’ illness to disease which had broken out among his men, receiving a sailor’s funeral off the shores of Puerto Bello, December 1595. BUCKFASTLEIGH (_Cistercian_) Founded and endowed for Cistercian monks by Richard Bauzan in the 12th century on the site of a Saxon Benedictine house--15--, Dissolved. Annual revenue, £466, 11s. 2d.--Used as a stone quarry--1882, French Benedictine monks buy the Gothic mansion built in this century on part of the original site--1886, The abbey partially rebuilt by the monks and the restored portion opened on April 26th.