Spalding Priory was a small Benedictine

Order of Saint Benedict

The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...

 house in the town of Spalding

Spalding, Lincolnshire

Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....

, 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...

. It was founded as a cell of Croyland Abbey

Croyland Abbey

Crowland Abbey is a Church of England parish church, formerly part of a Benedictine abbey church, in Crowland in the English county of Lincolnshire.-History:...

, in 1052, by Leofric, Earl of Mercia

Leofric, Earl of Mercia

Leofric was the Earl of Mercia and founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva.-Life and political influence:...

 and his wife, Godiva, Countess of Leicester

Lady Godiva

Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...

. It was supported by Leofric's eldest son. Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia

Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia

Ælfgar was son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia,by his well-known wife Godgifu . He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on the latter's death in 1057....

 and the monks were confirmed in their property in 1074, after the Norman Conquest of England

Norman conquest of England

The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...

.

Until 1220, Alkborough Priory was a dependency of Spalding. After 1071 one monk only remained in Spalding, so the house was refounded in 1074 as a cell of St. Nicholas's Abbey, Angers. The monks secured their independence from Angers in 1397, and remained so until 1540 when the house was surrendered at the dissolution. Six Human skeletons found during building work in Bridge Street are presumed to indicate the site of the Priory burial ground.

Priors

Its priors included

• Simon 1229 - 1252
• James 1252 - 1253
• John 1253 - 1274
• At some time before 1278, there was a Wazinus.
• William of Littleport 1278 - 1293
• Clement 1293 - 1318
• Walter de Halton 1318 - 1322 though he is reported as holding the post for 14 years.
• Thomas de Nassington 1322 - 1353