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Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset is a magnificent place to visit and its Arthurian traditions are easily traced to the mid 12th century!

In 1184 the great Benedictine Abbey suffered a catastrophic fire, which cost a King's ransom to repair. This became a real cause for concern by 1191 when the numbers of Pilgrims visiting the Abbey had dropped off to such an alarming extent that something drastic needed to be done.

According to accounts it was a friar by the name of Henry de Sully who 'discovered' the graves of both Arthur and Guinevere some 5 metres below the Abbey grounds, encased in a hollowed out tree trunk, the reasons for digging to such a great depth never being explained.........

With this 'great discovery' pilgrimages and general visitations increased, as well as donations, and the Abbey went onto become one of the wealthiest and most influential in Britain.

The Arthurian legacy had the same grip on the public's imagination back then as it does now and with the income it was generating it is no wonder that the purely Welsh tales of this great hero should be transplanted to Somerset...........

Even more intriguingly, research points to the area around Valle Crucis Abbey in the Eglwyseg Valley, as the ancient Township of Glas, or Glasynfre or even Glaestingaburh!

Add to this the fact that St Collen is believed to be the first Abbot of Glastonbury, despite his cell, parish and written tradition placing him in and around the town of Llangollen.

Does this all mean these purely Welsh traditions were 'stolen' by the monks of Glastonbury Abbey in 1191to make their 'discovery' appear more plausible?

If so, does this mean Valle Crucis Abbey is the true site of the many traditions that Glastonbury holds so dear?

The written traditions may be intriguing but the evidence gathered so far of what lies beneath the ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey is tantalising!!