Bective abbey was founded in 1147 by Murchad O’Maeil-Sheachlainn, as a second house of Mellifont Abbey. The abbey and its estate lands were confiscated during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s. Around this time the estate lands were recorded at 1580 acres. During the 17th century, the abbey buildings were partially converted for use as a manor house.
Bective Abbey was used as a location during the shooting of the 1995 historical action-drama movie Braveheart.[2
