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The monastery was flourishing at the time the manuscript was given to Hailes Abbey but there were difficulties ahead. The Black Death or bubonic plague struck in 1349, reducing the size of the community and seriously affecting its economy. A fire in 1398 destroyed the Abbey, its books and artefacts. Excavations at the end of 20th century revealed layers of charred wood which were under layers of stones enabling archaeologists to date the fire with some certainty. The date and fact of the fire are further reinforced by the evidence of a letter from Pope Boniface IX which reads as follows:

to penitents who at the first and second vespers of the Feast of St John the Baptist and during the two following days visit and give alms for the repair of the Cistercian Monastery… the buildings, books and other ornaments of whose church have been enormously devastated by fire …

After the ravages of the Black Death the monks would have been unable to re-build without the outside help given by pilgrims. Under the energetic leadership of Abbot John ap Gruffyd the Abbey was functioning again within a couple of years. During the early 15th century the merchants began to dominate the wool trade-one of the main sources of income for Llantarnam as it was for many other monasteries. Llantarnam Abbey became quite impoverished and the numbers in community dwindled to about 20 whereas previously there had been 60 or more. The final stage of the Cistercian part of the story of Llantarnam came of course with the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. Sometime during the year 1536, most probably in August of that year, Llantarnam Abbey was confiscated and the remaining monks turned adrift.

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