Lanercost Priory
The Lanercost Priory is a former priory and later mansion in the village of Lanercost in the English county of Cumbria , in sight of the Naworth Castle . The priory was founded between 1165 and 1174 (probably 1169) by Robert de Vaux as a monastery for Augustinian canons . It has long had close ties with Naworth Castle. Today the abbey is managed by English Heritage and is open to the public.
Early years
The most likely year of foundation is 1169; in any case, the priory was founded between 1165 and 1174, as a charter shows. It was consecrated to Saint Mary Magdalene , which was unusual in this region.
It appears that the preparations for the establishment of the priory were well advanced when the founding charter was issued, unlike the priories of Wetherall and St Bees . Robert de Vaux gave the land of Lanercost “between the old wall and Irthing and between Burth and Poltros, the parish of Walton in the stated limits, the church of this parish with the chapel of 'Treverman', the churches of Irthington, Brampton, Carlaton and Farlam. ”The founding charter states that he made the donation for Henry II's sake and for the salvation of his father Hubert and his mother Grace.
Soon after the establishment of the house, Robert de Vaux granted the canons the right to freely choose their prior, in each case after the death of the incumbent prior. Most of the church buildings date from the end of the 13th century, but there is also evidence of earlier construction activity. The buildings of the priory were built at least partly from stones from Hadrian's Wall , some of the stones in the masonry can be recognized by Roman inscriptions.
Visitors and looters
The proximity to Scotland inevitably influenced the fortunes of the priory. It was the target of Scottish attacks in response to British attacks. After the outbreak of the Scottish Wars of Independence , the situation became acute. In 1296 the Scottish Army camped at Lanercost after burning down the Hexham Priory and the Lambley Nunnery . The bulkheads were disturbed before much damage could be done and retreated through Nicolforest after burning down some houses of the monastery but not the church. Similar forays under William Wallace continued the following year and led to English calls for retaliation.
Edward I visited the priory several times towards the end of his reign. In the autumn of 1280 he passed by on her way to Newcastle in the company of Queen Eleanor . The canons received him at the gate in their vaults and, although he stayed only a few days, he found time to hunt 200 deer and hinds in the Inglewood forest. In 1300 Edward spent a short time in Lanercost on his way to the siege of Caerlaverock Castle .
Edward's last visit was in 1306, when he was traveling in a horse-carried sedan chair for reasons of age and illness and was accompanied by Queen Margaret . He arrived on Michaelmas and stayed until the following Easter. It was six months, which was a heavy burden on the priory. During his stay, he sent Robert Bruce's brothers and other Scottish prisoners to Carlisle for execution.
This last royal visit used up the financial reserves of the priory and the canons begged for compensation for it, but a deal to get the church of 'Hautwyselle' , which made about 100 marks a year, fell through. But the king granted the priory the appropriation of the churches of Mitford in Northumberland and Carlatton in Cumberland in exchange for their expenses. In a letter to the Pope, Eduard justified his generosity with his special admiration for Maria Magdalena, his long stay because of his illness and the will to repair the damage caused by the attacks by the Scots. Eduard died shortly afterwards in July 1307 in Burgh by Sands while he was still fighting the Scots.
In August 1311 Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, came with his army and camped for three days at the priory, during which he "committed unbelievable crimes" and imprisoned some canons, but later released them. In contrast, took place in 1328 in fulfillment of the contract between Bruce and Edward III. a mutual exchange of good deals between Lanercost priory and Kelso Abbey in relation to the common income of the church of Lazonby . Later, however, in 1346, David II looted the convent buildings and desecrated the church. Coming fresh from the overthrow of Liddel "he entered the holy place with arrogance, threw the cauldrons out of the temple, stole the valuables, broke open the doors, took the jewels and destroyed everything that he could get hold of." In 1386 he became a prior captured by the Scots and released for a ransom and four quarters of corn.
The fortunes of the priory have always been linked to the fortunes of war and raids on the border. Prior to the outbreak of the Wars of Independence in 1296, the priory was in relatively secure circumstances and the annual income of the house was £ 74 12s 6d, according to a list by Pope Nicholas IV. 1291. But with the taxation of 1318, its value had fallen to almost zero.
The parish church
Lanercost Priory was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1538 and the convent buildings were covered. The exception was the church that served as a parish church. At the end of the 17th century, the main nave fell into disrepair because the community only used the north wing, which had been newly covered.
In 1747 the main nave was also re-covered, but in 1847 the entire priory was in such a state of disrepair that the eastern part of the roof collapsed. But in 1849 the church was in use again after extensive restoration by Anthony Salvin . In the 1870s, Carlisle architect CJ Ferguson carried out further restorations.
With the dissolution of the English monasteries in 1538, ownership of the priory fell to the Dacre family and then to the Howard family in the early 18th century . In 1929 the ruins of the priory became public property and are now managed by English Heritage.
architecture
The main nave of the church has a north wing, but in the south a large wall without additional wings, where it connects to the monastery. The impressive choir and middle section from around 1220–1230, now in ruins, is in good condition up to eaves level and only required a roof and windows to be in its original condition. The oldest masonry can be found in the south transept and dates from the end of the 12th century. The monastery and the buildings of the convent were largely demolished, with the exception of the western part, which was converted into a mansion by Sir Thomas Dacre in the 16th century. The former manor house now serves as a rectory.
The statue of Maria Magdalena, which was donated by King Edward I, has been preserved to this day in a niche high on the west facade. A dossal, an embroidered wall cloth designed by William Morris in 1881 , underwent a restoration before being hung behind the altar again in 2013/2014.
Monuments
In the priory there is an unusual medieval stone monument called the Lanercost Cross with an inscription dating back to 1214. Originally the cross stood directly in front of the entrance to the church. Today only the stump of the cross remains there, but the main part is kept in the priory.
In the churchyard ran the grave of Thomas Addison , a scientist and doctor. In the nave is a memorial to the Reverend Henry Whitehead , former Vicar of Lanercost, known for his pioneering work on the epidemiology of cholera with John Snow .
Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre , and his widow Mabel were both buried in the priory in the 15th century.
Web links
- Official website of Lanercost Priory
- Lanercost Priory . medieval-castle.com.
- Lanercost Priory (Lanercost) . The Cumbria Directory.
- Lanercost Priory . English Heritage.
Individual evidence
- ^ John M. Todd (editor): The Lanercost Cartulary (Cumbria County Record Office NS DZ / 1) . Surtees Society, Durham 1997. Volume 203. ISBN 978-0-854440-60-3 . P. 4.
- ↑ a b c d e 'Houses of Austin canons: The priory of Lanercost', A History of the County of Cumberland . Volume 2 (1905). Pp. 152-161.
- ^ Richard Hingley: Hadrian's Wall: A Life . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2012. ISBN 0199641412 . Pp. 56-57.
- ^ Alan Sykes: William Morris dossal to be restored . The Guardian (June 14, 2012). Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ Douglas Richardson, Kimball G. Everingham: Plantagenet ancestry: a study in colonial and medieval families . P. 251. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
Coordinates: 54 ° 57 ′ 58.3 " N , 2 ° 41 ′ 41.6" W.