Holywood / Dercongal Abbey
Galloway
Founded by 1225 as a daughter of Soulseat (RICHARDSON AND WOOD)
Dercongal Abbey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The nave of the hospital and preceptory of the abbey as sketch in 1849, seven decades since the demolition of the abbey ruins.
Seal of one of the abbots.
Dercongal Abbey (or Holywood Abbey) was a Premonstratensian monastic community located in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The date of its foundation is not known, but it was certainly in existence as a Premonstratensian monastic community by 1225. The founder was presumably Alan, Lord of Galloway. Dercongal seems to come from Doire Congaill,Congall's oak-copse, Congall (Welsh, Cinvall) being a saint venerated by the natives of the area. For this reason the abbot of Dercongal also became known as the abbot "de Sacro Nemore" (="of the Holy Wood"), becoming "Holywood" in English.