n abbey was first founded in Wensleydale by Alan, Count of Brittany, at a place called Fors and later known as Dalegrange. The abbey was originally founded by members of the Savigny Order under the direction of Peter de Quinciaco. Problems arose when it was discovered that the new foundation had been created without the direct consent of the mother house in Savigny. The Savigny chapter refused to send more monks or money to support the new foundation because previous attempts of starting English houses had been a failure. It was agreed that the nearby abbey at Byland should become the new mother house. To this Peter de Quinciaco agreed but it was still some time before any help from Byland arrived. It was around this time that the Savigny Order merged with the much larger Cistercian Order. The first years were particularly hard for the monks due to bad weather and poor ground that they had been given. Alan, Count of Brittany, died during this time but his son Conan was happy to continue supporting the monks. Seeing that the current location was unsuitable he gave the monks a new tract of land at East Witton near the river Ure. It was here that the abbey we now know as Jervaulx Abbey was built.