Sempringham
Encyclopedia
Sempringham is a hamlet in Lincolnshire
, England
that is located north of Bourne
, on the Lincolnshire
fen edge
. Sempringham is now a very small hamlet consisting of a church, a house and a well, giving little clue to the history embodied within its parish boundary. Most of its houses are a kilometre from the church, scattered along the B1177 road, between Pointon
and Billingborough
. The church stands at an altitude of about sixteen metres, on land gently rising out of the flat fenland and the road turning to it is easily missed. Its civil parish is Pointon and Sempringham of which the main township is Pointon. It includes also, Millthorpe and the fens of Pointon, Neslam and Aslackby and a part of the Hundred Fen at Gosberton Clough. Formerly, Birthorpe, now part of Billingborough, was included in Sempringham parish.
It is the site of St Mary's Priory, a priory of the Abbey of Peterborough
that was founded by Saint Gilbert (also known as Gilbert of Sempringham
); it became the enforced residence of Gwenllian of Wales
, the daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Tywysog Cymru, the Leader of Wales, Prince of Wales
, and the granddaughter of Simon de Montfort
. Gwenllian had been born at the royal Welsh home at Abergwyngregyn
, on the north coast of Wales, on or about 19 June 1282, and was therefore the last true born Princess of Wales, and a danger to Edward I. Her mother Eleanor de Montfort, Lady of Wales, died in childbirth.
In 1282, Edward I
, king of England, had moved a massive army into north Wales. On 11 December 1282, Gwenllian's father Tywysog Llywelyn had been lured into a trap, and put to death (letters in Lambeth Palace Archives, November / December 1282). In 1283 Gwenllian and her cousins had been captured by Edward's troops. Edward sent Gwenllian 'in her cradle', to be held there in secure confinement, since it appears he could not bring himself to have her killed.
In 1327, Edward III
stayed at the Priory and granted Gwenllian a lifelong yearly pension of £20, necessary to pay her board and lodgings as she never became a nun, but was regarded as a 'paying guest' who was not permitted to leave. Gwenllian died at the Priory after being held there for 54 years, on June 7, 1337. A memorial stone has been erected in her honour, close to the site of the priory.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, Sempringham Priory came to the Clintons
, who demolished it and reused the stone to build their residence on the site. Today little remains of priory or residence.
In the early 17th Century, Sempringham was a centre of the Puritan
movement in Lincolnshire. Samuel Skelton, Sempringham's vicar at the time, sailed to Massachusetts Bay
in 1628 with the first group of Puritan settlers, who landed in Salem
. Another member of the Sempringham congregation at the time was the young Anne Dudley, later Anne Bradstreet
, the colony's first published poet.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that is located north of Bourne
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
, on the Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
fen edge
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
. Sempringham is now a very small hamlet consisting of a church, a house and a well, giving little clue to the history embodied within its parish boundary. Most of its houses are a kilometre from the church, scattered along the B1177 road, between Pointon
Pointon
Pointon is a small village situated near Bourne, in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Pointon and Sempringham, and the population of the civil parish in 2001 was 507....
and Billingborough
Billingborough
Billingborough is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, about ten miles north of Bourne and ten miles south of Sleaford on the B1177 between Horbling and Pointon just south of the A52.-Village:...
. The church stands at an altitude of about sixteen metres, on land gently rising out of the flat fenland and the road turning to it is easily missed. Its civil parish is Pointon and Sempringham of which the main township is Pointon. It includes also, Millthorpe and the fens of Pointon, Neslam and Aslackby and a part of the Hundred Fen at Gosberton Clough. Formerly, Birthorpe, now part of Billingborough, was included in Sempringham parish.
It is the site of St Mary's Priory, a priory of the Abbey of Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
that was founded by Saint Gilbert (also known as Gilbert of Sempringham
Gilbert of Sempringham
Saint Gilbert of Sempringham became the only Englishman to found a conventual order, mainly because the abbot of Cîteaux declined his request to assist him in helping a group of women living with lay brothers and sisters, in 1148...
); it became the enforced residence of Gwenllian of Wales
Gwenllian of Wales
Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn was the only child of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Tywysog Cymru . She is sometimes confused with Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, who lived two centuries earlier.- Lineage :...
, the daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Tywysog Cymru, the Leader of Wales, Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, and the granddaughter of Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
. Gwenllian had been born at the royal Welsh home at Abergwyngregyn
Abergwyngregyn
Abergwyngregyn is a village of historical note in Gwynedd, a county and principal area in Wales. Under its historic name of Aber Garth Celyn it was the seat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd....
, on the north coast of Wales, on or about 19 June 1282, and was therefore the last true born Princess of Wales, and a danger to Edward I. Her mother Eleanor de Montfort, Lady of Wales, died in childbirth.
In 1282, Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, king of England, had moved a massive army into north Wales. On 11 December 1282, Gwenllian's father Tywysog Llywelyn had been lured into a trap, and put to death (letters in Lambeth Palace Archives, November / December 1282). In 1283 Gwenllian and her cousins had been captured by Edward's troops. Edward sent Gwenllian 'in her cradle', to be held there in secure confinement, since it appears he could not bring himself to have her killed.
In 1327, Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
stayed at the Priory and granted Gwenllian a lifelong yearly pension of £20, necessary to pay her board and lodgings as she never became a nun, but was regarded as a 'paying guest' who was not permitted to leave. Gwenllian died at the Priory after being held there for 54 years, on June 7, 1337. A memorial stone has been erected in her honour, close to the site of the priory.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, Sempringham Priory came to the Clintons
Baron Clinton
Baron Clinton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1298 for John de Clinton. The peerage was created by writ, which means that it can descend through both male and female lines. The first Baron's great-great-great-grandson, the fifth Baron, fought on the Yorkist side in the Wars...
, who demolished it and reused the stone to build their residence on the site. Today little remains of priory or residence.
In the early 17th Century, Sempringham was a centre of the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
movement in Lincolnshire. Samuel Skelton, Sempringham's vicar at the time, sailed to Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
in 1628 with the first group of Puritan settlers, who landed in Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
. Another member of the Sempringham congregation at the time was the young Anne Dudley, later Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet
Anne Dudley Bradstreet was New England's first published poet. Her work met with a positive reception in both the Old World and the New World.-Biography:...
, the colony's first published poet.