Tonbridge Priory
Encyclopedia
Tonbridge Priory was a priory
in Tonbridge
, Kent
, England
that was established in 1124. It was destroyed by fire in 1337 and then rebuilt. The priory was disestablished in 1523. The building stood in 1735, but was a ruin by 1780. The remains of the priory were demolished in 1842 when the South Eastern Railway
built the railway through Tonbridge, the original station standing on its site.
. He was buried in the priory following his death in 1136. In 1139, a Papal bull
was issued by Pope Celestine III
. The priory was granted two cartloads of wood daily and the right of pannage
for 120 pigs
. A buck
was to be provided every year for the Feast of St Mary Magdalene. In 1291, income for the priory amounted to almost £52
from properties located in East Anglia
, Kent
, Surrey
and Sussex
. The priory enjoyed these rights until the forest of Tonbridge was forfeited to the Crown. King Richard II
ordered that the priory should continue to enjoy the rights, although the right of pannage was reduced to 60 pigs.
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
. In 1267, the priory was granted possession of the parish church in Tonbridge. A Christmas
feast during the reign of King Edward I
consisted 2 quarters of beef, 3½ casks of beer, 200 loaves of bread, six cockerels, two hams, 100 herrings, two pigs and some wine, at a cost of 16s 9½d
.
On 11 July 1337, the priory was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt with assistance from the Bishop of Rochester
and the Archbishop of Canterbury
, who granted to the priory the right to take over the revenues of the church and vicarage at Leigh
, which was then worth £12 per annum. The income therefrom was for the maintenance of two canons and the rebuilding of the priory, although it was not until 1353 that this was granted. In 1342, Margaret de Clare
was buried in the priory. Following his death in 1347, her husband Hugh de Audley
was also buried in the priory. In 1348, the Prior of Tonbridge loaned King Edward III
£4 to assist him in fighting the French
. In 1349, Margaret de Audley
, daughter of Hugh de Audley and Margaret de Clare, was buried in the priory. Her husband Ralph de Stafford was buried at the priory in 1372.
In 1353, a mill
at Yenesfield was mentioned in an agreement between the Bishop of Rochester
and the priory. The priory also owned its own mill, Priory Mill, which stood at . The income of the priory in 1353 was £99 6s 8d. At that time, the priory received income from the parishes of Brenchley
, Leigh, Tudeley
and Yalding
.
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. In 1523, the priory was proposed by Cardinal Wolsey to be dissolved as one of 40 priories and monasteries
sold to provide fund for the establishment of Christ Church
, Oxford
. At that time, the priory was assessed as being worth £48 13s 4d. The dissolution happened on 8 February 1525. 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. At a meeting in Maidstone
, held in June 1525, only 16 people attended, of whom 13 were in favour of keeping the priory. The issue was still undecided at Wolsey's death in 1530. The priory then passed to the Crown and was granted to the Dean and Chapter of Windsor
. It was not until 1553 that Andrew Judde established Tonbridge Free Grammar School
.
The priory building was still intact in 1753, but was a ruin by 1780. In the 1820s, some coffins and skeletons were discovered by men digging for stones from the priory. One of the coffins was placed in the garden of Somerhill House
by James Alexander. The coffin is still extant at Somerhill. An iron and brass foundry
was later built adjacent to the ruined priory. In 1842, the remains of the priory were demolished when the South Eastern Railway built the railway
between and . In 1934, the building of a new signal box
at Tonbridge station resulted in the discovery of more bones from the priory.
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
in Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 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 was established in 1124. It was destroyed by fire in 1337 and then rebuilt. The priory was disestablished in 1523. The building stood in 1735, but was a ruin by 1780. The remains of the priory were demolished in 1842 when the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
built the railway through Tonbridge, the original station standing on its site.
History
Tonbridge Priory was established in 1124 by Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, who held Tonbridge CastleTonbridge Castle
Tonbridge Castle is situated in the town of the same name, Kent, England.-Early history:Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-and-bailey castle on the site. To dig the moat and erect the...
. He was buried in the priory following his death in 1136. In 1139, a Papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
was issued by Pope Celestine III
Pope Celestine III
Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...
. The priory was granted two cartloads of wood daily and the right of pannage
Pannage
Pannage is the practice of turning out domestic pigs in a wood or forest, in order that they may feed on fallen acorns, beechmast, chestnuts or other nuts. Historically, it was a right or privilege granted to local people on common land or in royal forests...
for 120 pigs
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
. A buck
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
was to be provided every year for the Feast of St Mary Magdalene. In 1291, income for the priory amounted to almost £52
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
from properties located in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. The priory enjoyed these rights until the forest of Tonbridge was forfeited to the Crown. King Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
ordered that the priory should continue to enjoy the rights, although the right of pannage was reduced to 60 pigs.
The priory was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
. It was an Augustinian priory which had a range of buildings including a chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
, church, dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. In 1267, the priory was granted possession of the parish church in Tonbridge. A Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
feast during the reign of 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...
consisted 2 quarters of beef, 3½ casks of beer, 200 loaves of bread, six cockerels, two hams, 100 herrings, two pigs and some wine, at a cost of 16s 9½d
£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
.
On 11 July 1337, the priory was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt with assistance from the Bishop of Rochester
Hamo Hethe
Hamo Hethe was a medieval Bishop of Rochester. He was elected on 18 March 1317 and consecrated on 26 August 1319. He resigned the see in early 1352 before his death on 4 May 1352....
and the Archbishop of Canterbury
John de Stratford
John de Stratford was Archbishop of Canterbury and Treasurer and Chancellor of England.-Life:John was born at Stratford-on-Avon and educated at Merton College, Oxford, afterwards entering the service of Edward II....
, who granted to the priory the right to take over the revenues of the church and vicarage at Leigh
Leigh, Kent
Leigh , historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles south of Sevenoaks town and three miles west of Tonbridge....
, which was then worth £12 per annum. The income therefrom was for the maintenance of two canons and the rebuilding of the priory, although it was not until 1353 that this was granted. In 1342, Margaret de Clare
Margaret de Clare
Margaret de Clare, Countess of Cornwall, Countess of Gloucester , was an English noblewoman, heiress, and the second eldest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and his wife, Joan of Acre, making her a granddaughter of King Edward I of England...
was buried in the priory. Following his death in 1347, her husband Hugh de Audley
Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Hugh II de Audley, 1st Baron Audley and 1st Earl of Gloucester was the English Ambassador to France in 1341.-Family:...
was also buried in the priory. In 1348, the Prior of Tonbridge loaned King 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...
£4 to assist him in fighting the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1349, Margaret de Audley
Margaret de Audley
Margaret de Audley, suo jure 2nd Baroness Audley and Countess of Stafford was an English noblewoman. She was the only daughter of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester by his wife Lady Margaret de Clare...
, daughter of Hugh de Audley and Margaret de Clare, was buried in the priory. Her husband Ralph de Stafford was buried at the priory in 1372.
In 1353, a mill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
at Yenesfield was mentioned in an agreement between the Bishop of Rochester
John II, Bishop of Rochester
-References:* accessed on 30 October 2007-Further reading:...
and the priory. The priory also owned its own mill, Priory Mill, which stood at . The income of the priory in 1353 was £99 6s 8d. At that time, the priory received income from the parishes of Brenchley
Brenchley
Brenchley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.-History:The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The parish is located east of Tunbridge Wells, and south of Paddock Wood, and includes the neighbouring village of Matfield...
, Leigh, Tudeley
Tudeley
thumb|Chagall windowTudeley is a small village near Tonbridge Kent in South East England.It is the location of All Saints' church, the only church in the world that has all its windows in stained glass designed by Marc Chagall.The East window...
and Yalding
Yalding
Yalding is a village and part of Yalding civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England.The village is situated six miles south-west of Maidstone at a point where the Rivers Teise and Beult join the River Medway....
.
During the reign of King Richard II, the priory was granted a licence in mortmain
Mortmain
Mortmain is a legal term that means ownership of real estate by a corporation or legal institution that can be transferred or sold in perpetuity; the term is usually used in the context of its prohibition...
to hold lands valued at 26s 8d which returned 60s 8d annually. In 1523, the priory was proposed by Cardinal Wolsey to be dissolved as one of 40 priories and monasteries
Monastery
Monastery 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...
sold to provide fund for the establishment of Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. At that time, the priory was assessed as being worth £48 13s 4d. The dissolution happened on 8 February 1525. Wolsey was to provide a free grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for 40 pupils in exchange for the closure of the priory. The townsfolk of Tonbridge were against this plan, wanting to retain the priory. At a meeting in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, held in June 1525, only 16 people attended, of whom 13 were in favour of keeping the priory. The issue was still undecided at Wolsey's death in 1530. The priory then passed to the Crown and was granted to the Dean and Chapter of Windsor
Richard Sampson
Richard Sampson was an English clergyman and composer of sacred music, who was Anglican bishop of Chichester and subsequently of Coventry and Lichfield.-Biography:...
. It was not until 1553 that Andrew Judde established Tonbridge Free Grammar School
Tonbridge School
Tonbridge School is a British boys' independent school for both boarding and day pupils in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd . It is a member of the Eton Group, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies...
.
The priory building was still intact in 1753, but was a ruin by 1780. In the 1820s, some coffins and skeletons were discovered by men digging for stones from the priory. One of the coffins was placed in the garden of Somerhill House
Somerhill House
Somerhill House is a Grade I listed Jacobean mansion situated near Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom. It was built for Richard de Burgh in 1611–13. The estate was sequestrated by Parliament in 1645, and restored to its rightful owner in 1660. The building had become derelict by the mid-eighteenth...
by James Alexander. The coffin is still extant at Somerhill. An iron and brass foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
was later built adjacent to the ruined priory. In 1842, the remains of the priory were demolished when the South Eastern Railway built the railway
Redhill to Tonbridge Line
The Redhill to Tonbridge Line is a railway line running from Redhill, Surrey to Tonbridge, Kent in southeast England. It branches off the Brighton Main Line at Redhill station and, after 20 miles, joins the South Eastern Main Line at Tonbridge station....
between and . In 1934, the building of a new signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at Tonbridge station resulted in the discovery of more bones from the priory.