The Franciscan Friary, Lichfield
Encyclopedia
The Franciscan Friary was once a large estate located on the west side of Lichfield
city centre in Staffordshire
. The estate was built and inhabited by the Franciscan
Friars from 1237. At one time the estate consisted of a large church, a cloister, dormitory lodge and a refectory building as well as many other domestic dwellings.
Henry VIII
ordered the dissolution of the Friary in 1538 and the majority of the buildings on the estate were demolished. Today the site of the Friary is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the excavated ruins of some of the original buildings are visible in the specially designated site. The only original buildings still standing are present at the south west end of Lichfield Library.
in 1209. In 1237 a group of these monks came to Lichfield to set up home. In the town they became known as the Grey Friars because of the colour of their habits. The Bishop of Lichfield
at the time, Bishop Stavenby
founded the Friary when he granted the friars ‘certain free burgages
in the town for them to set their house on’.
The Friary was treated very generously during its time in Lichfield. They received gifts frequently in order to develop their estate. In 1237 King Henry III
gave them oak trees from local forests for building and grants of money. In 1241 the Sheriff of Lichfield was authorised ‘to clothe the Friars of Lichfield’. In 1286 King Edward I
provided them with 8 oak trees from Cannock Chase
for further building. As the estate was developing a large fire broke out in Lichfield in 1291 destroying the Friary.
Again after the fire the Friars were treated generously by Lichfield and it was prompty rebuilt. In 1301 the Crucifix Conduit was built at the gates of the Friary at the corner of Bore Street and Bird Street. Henry Champanar, son of Michael de Lichfield, granted the Friars free water supply for their use from his springs at Aldershawe
. The Crucifix Conduit remained in that position until the 19th century.
The Friars live a simple existence of poverty, chastity and obedience and spent most of their time preaching and caring for the poor and sick of Lichfield. This is why they were treated with such generosity over their time in Lichfield. It was with this that they received many gifts and amassed a fairly large wealth although they had not set out for this to be the case. With this wealth the simple timber structures of the Friary became large sandstone buildings within a site covering 12 acres. One of these buildings was the church which was large (the nave measured 110ft x 60ft, the chancel 95ft x 28ft and the cloister 80ft square).
By 1534 Henry VIII had squandered most of his money. The wealth of the church became his target. In 1535, the Kings minister Thomas Cromwell
ordered a valuation of all church property, following this with visitation to ascertain the rigour with which the monks were obeying the monastic rules. With this evidence, in 1536 he went to Parliament and secured an act that dissolved all monastic houses worth under £200 a year, all their properties to revert to the crown. In practise much of the property was sold to raise more income for the King. In 1538 the Franciscan Friary in Lichfield was dissolved after 301 years.
These buildings formed an L shape in the corner of the large 10.5 acre estate of what was the Friary site. The remaining buildings were red sandstone buildings built in the early 16th century. These buildings would go on to serve as a domestic residence for many owners for approximately 370 years to come. The estate and remaining buildings were sold to Gregory Stonyng (the Master of St Mary’s
Guild) in 1544. He would remodel the buildings for his own domestic use. The estate and its buildings went on to be bought and sold to many different people until 1920.
In 1920 the 11 acre estate was sold to Sir Richard Ashmole Cooper (MP for Walsall), who gave it to the city for the purpose of developing the area and laying out a new road. For many years since the invention of the motor car Bird Street and Bore Street were becoming congested with traffic due to their narrow layout. The west side of Lichfield was still very much undeveloped by 1920 and the city didn’t really extend beyond St Johns Street to the west.
In 1928 the current road named ‘The Friary’ was built across the former Friary site. The building of this road necessitated the relocation of the clock tower
, the demolition of buildings on the south side of St John’s Street and the demolition of much of the west range of the remaining buildings from the original Friary. Some of the remains from the demolition of the west range was used to build the public convenience located on the north east entrance to Beacon Park
. The roads were declared open by Lady Cooper in April 1928.
The Bishops Lodging would be the only remaining part of the original Friary to survive. When the new Friary Girls School
was built in 1921 the Bishops Lodging were incorporated into the south west of the building. The Friary School relocated to the north of the city in 1975 and the building now serves as Lichfield Library. The remaining part of the original Friary can still be seen today in the south west part of the Library building.
In 1933 when the former church site of the Friary was threatened with development, Councillor Thomas Moseley secured permission to carry out an archaeological excavation. The dig revealed the extent and layout of the ruins. The site would eventually become a Scheduled Ancient Monument thus preventing any danger of development on the site. The site is now a public garden and the slabs showing the layout of the walls of the cloister are visible on the ground as well as parts of the north wall of the nave. The classical style portico was set up in 1937 to frame the entrance to the excavated ruins. The portico came from Shenstone Court, which was home to Sir Richard Cooper.
The legacy of the Friary is still present in Lichfield today with many locations owing its name to the former Friary. These include the Friary School
, Friary Tennis Club and the Friary Gardens among others.
List of Scheduled Ancient Monuments
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
city centre in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. The estate was built and inhabited by the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Friars from 1237. At one time the estate consisted of a large church, a cloister, dormitory lodge and a refectory building as well as many other domestic dwellings.
Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
ordered the dissolution of the Friary in 1538 and the majority of the buildings on the estate were demolished. Today the site of the Friary is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the excavated ruins of some of the original buildings are visible in the specially designated site. The only original buildings still standing are present at the south west end of Lichfield Library.
The Friary
The Franciscan Friars were an order of monks founded by St Francis of AssisiFrancis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
in 1209. In 1237 a group of these monks came to Lichfield to set up home. In the town they became known as the Grey Friars because of the colour of their habits. The Bishop of Lichfield
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
at the time, Bishop Stavenby
Alexander de Stavenby
Alexander de Stavenby was a medieval Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.Alexander was probably a native of Sainsby, Lincolnshire and had two brothers, William and Gilbert, who held land there. He may have studied under Stephen Langton, later Archbishop of Canterbury, as Langton was from a village...
founded the Friary when he granted the friars ‘certain free burgages
Burgage
Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town rental property , owned by a king or lord. The property usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street...
in the town for them to set their house on’.
The Friary was treated very generously during its time in Lichfield. They received gifts frequently in order to develop their estate. In 1237 King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
gave them oak trees from local forests for building and grants of money. In 1241 the Sheriff of Lichfield was authorised ‘to clothe the Friars of Lichfield’. In 1286 King 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...
provided them with 8 oak trees from Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
for further building. As the estate was developing a large fire broke out in Lichfield in 1291 destroying the Friary.
Again after the fire the Friars were treated generously by Lichfield and it was prompty rebuilt. In 1301 the Crucifix Conduit was built at the gates of the Friary at the corner of Bore Street and Bird Street. Henry Champanar, son of Michael de Lichfield, granted the Friars free water supply for their use from his springs at Aldershawe
Wall, Staffordshire
Wall is a small village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, just south of Lichfield. It lies on the site of the Roman settlement of Letocetum.The nearby junction of the A5 and A5127 roads and the M6 Toll motorway is often referred to as Wall junction....
. The Crucifix Conduit remained in that position until the 19th century.
The Friars live a simple existence of poverty, chastity and obedience and spent most of their time preaching and caring for the poor and sick of Lichfield. This is why they were treated with such generosity over their time in Lichfield. It was with this that they received many gifts and amassed a fairly large wealth although they had not set out for this to be the case. With this wealth the simple timber structures of the Friary became large sandstone buildings within a site covering 12 acres. One of these buildings was the church which was large (the nave measured 110ft x 60ft, the chancel 95ft x 28ft and the cloister 80ft square).
By 1534 Henry VIII had squandered most of his money. The wealth of the church became his target. In 1535, the Kings minister Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
ordered a valuation of all church property, following this with visitation to ascertain the rigour with which the monks were obeying the monastic rules. With this evidence, in 1536 he went to Parliament and secured an act that dissolved all monastic houses worth under £200 a year, all their properties to revert to the crown. In practise much of the property was sold to raise more income for the King. In 1538 the Franciscan Friary in Lichfield was dissolved after 301 years.
After Dissolution
After the dissolution the majority of the Friary site was cleared and sold for £68 to provide money for the crown. The church, cloisters, refectory and most domestic buildings were demolished. The only buildings to survive were the Dormitory on the west range and a house known as ‘Bishops Lodging’ in the south west corner.These buildings formed an L shape in the corner of the large 10.5 acre estate of what was the Friary site. The remaining buildings were red sandstone buildings built in the early 16th century. These buildings would go on to serve as a domestic residence for many owners for approximately 370 years to come. The estate and remaining buildings were sold to Gregory Stonyng (the Master of St Mary’s
St Mary's Church, Lichfield
St Mary's Church is a city centre church in Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom, located on the south side the market square. A church is reputed to have been on the present site since at least 1150 but the current building dates from 1870...
Guild) in 1544. He would remodel the buildings for his own domestic use. The estate and its buildings went on to be bought and sold to many different people until 1920.
In 1920 the 11 acre estate was sold to Sir Richard Ashmole Cooper (MP for Walsall), who gave it to the city for the purpose of developing the area and laying out a new road. For many years since the invention of the motor car Bird Street and Bore Street were becoming congested with traffic due to their narrow layout. The west side of Lichfield was still very much undeveloped by 1920 and the city didn’t really extend beyond St Johns Street to the west.
In 1928 the current road named ‘The Friary’ was built across the former Friary site. The building of this road necessitated the relocation of the clock tower
Lichfield Clock Tower
Lichfield Clock Tower or Friary Clock Tower is a 19th century Grade II listed clock tower located on 'The Friary' south of Festival Gardens in the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom....
, the demolition of buildings on the south side of St John’s Street and the demolition of much of the west range of the remaining buildings from the original Friary. Some of the remains from the demolition of the west range was used to build the public convenience located on the north east entrance to Beacon Park
Beacon Park
Beacon Park is a public park in the centre of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom. The park was originally laid out in 1859 in the form of the Museum Gardens adjacent to the newly built Free Museum and Library and has been extended over the years to its current size of...
. The roads were declared open by Lady Cooper in April 1928.
The Bishops Lodging would be the only remaining part of the original Friary to survive. When the new Friary Girls School
The Friary School
The Friary School is a community secondary school located in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The school serves about 1,300 students aged 11–18...
was built in 1921 the Bishops Lodging were incorporated into the south west of the building. The Friary School relocated to the north of the city in 1975 and the building now serves as Lichfield Library. The remaining part of the original Friary can still be seen today in the south west part of the Library building.
In 1933 when the former church site of the Friary was threatened with development, Councillor Thomas Moseley secured permission to carry out an archaeological excavation. The dig revealed the extent and layout of the ruins. The site would eventually become a Scheduled Ancient Monument thus preventing any danger of development on the site. The site is now a public garden and the slabs showing the layout of the walls of the cloister are visible on the ground as well as parts of the north wall of the nave. The classical style portico was set up in 1937 to frame the entrance to the excavated ruins. The portico came from Shenstone Court, which was home to Sir Richard Cooper.
The legacy of the Friary is still present in Lichfield today with many locations owing its name to the former Friary. These include the Friary School
The Friary School
The Friary School is a community secondary school located in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The school serves about 1,300 students aged 11–18...
, Friary Tennis Club and the Friary Gardens among others.
See also
- FranciscanFranciscanMost Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
- MonasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
- Scheduled Monument
List of Scheduled Ancient Monuments