Dartford Priory

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Dartford Priory
Dartford Manor Gatehouse - geograph.org.uk - 3204571.jpg
Dartford Manor Gatehouse, in October 2012
Dartford Priory
Monastery information
Other names
  • Dartford Manor
  • Dartford Nunnery
  • Dertford Priory
Order Dominican
Denomination Catholic
Established1346
Disestablished1539, 1559
Reestablished1558
Dedicated toSt Mary, St Margaret
People
Founder(s) Edward III
Important associated figures Elizabeth Cressener
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade II* (farmhouse) [1]
Designated date22 December 1953
Style Gothic
Site
Location Dartford, Kent
CountryEngland
Coordinates 51°26′52″N0°12′50″E / 51.44768°N 0.21388°E / 51.44768; 0.21388
Grid reference TQ 53938 74402
Visible remainsFarmhouse, gatehouse, Kingsfield Terrace
Public accessno

Dartford Priory was a Dominican Nunnery, located in Dartford, Kent. When Henry VIII suppressed the monasteries, he took Dartford Priory for himself, establishing it as a Royal Palace. [2] Between 1541 and 1544 the former ecclesiastical buildings were converted to become a manor house. [3] [4]

Contents

Foundation

Edward III announced the foundation of Dartford Priory in 1346 [5] on his return from the victorious campaign in France against Philip VI of France culminating in the Battle of Crecy. This inauguration of the priory was accompanied by a tournament, a way of celebrating favoured by Edward III. The King previously staged tournaments at Dartford twice before: firstly at the age of seventeen in 1329, after he had assumed the throne but still under the control of his step father Roger Mortimer who assumed the role as his guardian and effectively ruled the Kingdom. Tension rose between Edward III and Mortimer which led to Edward taking Mortimer prisoner and executing him in 1330. Edward organised a series of tournaments in 1331, and Dartford was chosen to host one of these. [6]

Prioresses and notable nuns

Dedication of Bridget to the nunnery at Dartford, painting by James Northcote (1822). National Trust, Petworth House, West Sussex. Bridget Plantagenet becoming nun by J.Northcote (1822, Petworth House).jpg
Dedication of Bridget to the nunnery at Dartford, painting by James Northcote (1822). National Trust, Petworth House, West Sussex.

The prioresses were as follows (with dates of record) [7]

Other nuns: Sometime between 1489 and 1492, Bridget of York became a nun under the care of Elizabeth Cressener.

Dissolution

Dartford Priory played a significant role in the dissolution of the monasteries.[ how? ][ citation needed ]

References

  1. Historic England. "Priory Farmhouse containing the remains of Dartford Priory Gatehouse (1086030)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  2. Thurley, Simon. "Dartford | Royal Palaces | An Encyclopedia of British Royal Palaces and Royal Builders". Royal Palaces. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  3. "The Manor Gatehouse". A Kentish Ceremony. Kent County Council . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  4. Howard Colvin, The History of the King's Works, 4:2 (London: HMSO, 1982), pp. 68–74.
  5. Ormrod, W. M. (1989). "The Personal Religion of Edward III" . Speculum. 64 (4): 849–877. doi:10.2307/2852870. ISSN   0038-7134. JSTOR   2852870 . Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. Turner, James (31 May 2023). "Did Jousting Give King Edward III Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)?". Medievalists.net. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  7. "Friaries: The Dominican nuns of Dartford | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2021.