Tonbridge Priory
Monastery information | |
---|---|
Established | 1124 |
Disestablished | 1525 |
Dedicated to | St Mary Magdalene |
Diocese | Rochester |
People | |
Founder(s) | Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare |
Site | |
Location | Tonbridge, Kent |
Coordinates | 51°11′33″N 0°16′19″E / 51.19250°N 0.27194°E |
Grid reference | TQ 588 461 |
Visible remains | None |
Other information | Site obliterated by the building of Tonbridge railway station and associated infrastructure in 1842. |
Tonbridge Priory was a
History
Tonbridge Priory was established in 1124 by
The priory was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. It was an Augustinian priory which had a range of buildings including a chapter house, church, dormitory, library, refectory and vestry.[5] In 1267, the priory was granted possession of the parish church in Tonbridge.[6] A Christmas feast during the reign of King Edward I consisted of 2 quarters of beef, 3½ casks of beer, 200 loaves of bread, six cockerels, two hams, 100 herrings, two pigs and some wine,[1] at a cost of 16s 9½d.[7]
On 11 July 1337, the priory was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt with assistance from
In 1353, a
During the reign of King Richard II, the priory was granted a licence in mortmain to hold lands valued at 26s 8d which returned 60s 8d annually.[14] In 1523, the priory was proposed by Cardinal Wolsey to be dissolved as one of 40 priories and monasteries sold to provide funds for the establishment of Christ Church, Oxford.[1] At that time, the priory was assessed as being worth £48 13s 4d.[15] The dissolution happened on 8 February 1525.[2] Wolsey was to provide a free grammar school for 40 pupils in exchange for the closure of the priory. The townsfolk of Tonbridge were against this plan, wanting to retain the priory.[1] At a meeting in Maidstone,[16] held in June 1525, only 16 people attended, of whom 13 were in favour of keeping the priory.[2] The issue was still undecided at Wolsey's death in 1530.[1] The priory then passed to the Crown and was granted to the Dean and Chapter of Windsor.[2] It was not until 1553 that Andrew Judde established Tonbridge Free Grammar School.[1]
The priory building was still intact in 1753,
Other burials
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Priory". Tonbridge Historical Society. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Houses of Austin canons, The priory of Tonbridge". British History Online. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ a b Thorpe 1769, p. 666.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 332.
- ^ a b c Wadmore 1882, p. 326.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 329.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 330.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 336.
- ^ a b "From Favourite To Rebel: The Career of Hugh Audley". Edwardthesecond.com. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 339.
- ^ Reid 1987, p. 134.
- ^ "The Mills of Tonbridge part 1". Mills Archive. Retrieved 16 October 2010. (free registration required)
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 338.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 340.
- ^ Wadmore 1882, p. 341.
- ^ "The Beginning". Tonbridge United Churches. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "Drawing of the Priory remains, 1780". Tonbridge Historical Society. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "The Search for the Priory Coffin". Tonbridge Collectables. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
Sources
- Reid, Kenneth (1987). Watermills of the London Countryside, their place in English landscape and life. Vol. 1. Cheddar: Charles Skilton Ltd. ISBN 0-284-39165-4.
- Thorpe, John (1769). Registrum Roffensis. J Bayley & W J Richardson.
- Wadmore, James Foster (1882). "Tonbridge Priory". Archaeologia Cantiana. 14. Canterbury: Kent Archaeological Society.