Hinton Priory

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Hinton Priory
HintonCharterhouse.JPG
Monastery information
Order Carthusian
Established1227
Disestablished1539
People
Founder(s)Ela, Countess of Salisbury
Important associated figuresWilliam Longspee, Earl of Salisbury
Site
Location Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset, England
Grid reference ST778592
Visible remainsbuildings and earthworks
Public accessno

Hinton Priory was a Carthusian monastery in northeast Somerset, England, from 1232 until 1539.

Contents

History

The priory was one of the ten medieval Carthusian houses (charterhouses) in England. It was first established at Hatherop, Gloucestershire in 1222 by William Longspee, Earl of Salisbury. The monks disliked the location, and on Longspee's death in 1226 they petitioned his countess for a new site to achieve greater solitude. She gave them her manors of Hinton and Norton St Philip in Somerset, and the new house was consecrated at a site about 0.6 miles (1 km) northeast of the village of Hinton (later called Hinton Charterhouse) in May 1232. It was called Locus Dei meaning 'God's Place'.

A "lower house" for lay brothers was established near Freshford, close to the River Frome, about 0.6 miles (1 km) to the east (grid reference ST 7884 5910 ). This ceased to be used, probably in the 14th century, and the lay brothers were accommodated with the main community. [1]

Hinton gained the land and property of the small Longleat Priory in 1529. [2]

The house was suppressed as part of the dissolution of the monasteries on 31 March 1539; at that time it housed the Prior, sixteen monks and six lay brothers. The property was then bought by Matthew Colthurst. [3]

Hinton Priory Chapel drawn by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm in 1790 Hinton Priory Chapel.jpg
Hinton Priory Chapel drawn by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm in 1790

Today

The chapter house, with library and dovecote above, survives and was designated as Grade I listed in 1956. [4] [5] Also standing is the refectory (also Grade I) [6] which is part of a former stable yard (Grade II) [7] incorporating other early work. All now belong to the sixteenth century country house, also known as Hinton Priory, on the northern part of the site and itself a Grade I listed building. [8] Surviving earthworks from the great cloister are visible in an orchard and paddocks.

The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. [9] [10] It is included in the Heritage at Risk Register produced by English Heritage; the entry for 2012 states that its condition is "Poor" and that some parts are in need of condition assessment. [11]

The Priory is in private ownership and there is no public access.

The site of the lower house on the River Frome is also a scheduled monument. A small current settlement there preserves the name of its predecessor in its name of "Friary". Earthworks and buried material remain, and a later cottage incorporates fragments of 14th century masonry; [1] an interpretation board was erected by the Cotswolds Conservation Board in 2017 and indicates the layout of the mediaeval buildings.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carthusians</span> Catholic Church religious order founded in 1084

The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians, are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called the Statutes, and their life combines both eremitical and cenobitic monasticism. The motto of the Carthusians is Stat crux dum volvitur orbis, Latin for "The Cross is steady while the world turns." The Carthusians retain a unique form of liturgy known as the Carthusian Rite.

Charterhouse may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witham Friary</span> Human settlement in England

Witham Friary is a small English village and civil parish located between the towns of Frome and Bruton in the county of Somerset. It is in the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the ancient Forest of Selwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton St Philip</span> Human settlement in England

Norton St Philip is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The village lies about 5+12 miles (9 km) south of the city of Bath and 5 miles (8 km) north of the town of Frome on the eastern slopes of the Mendip Hills. It is situated on the A366 between Trowbridge and Radstock, and on the B3110 between Bath and Frome.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charterhouse, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

Charterhouse, also known as Charterhouse-on-Mendip, is a hamlet in the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the English county of Somerset. The area between Charterhouse and Cheddar Gorge including Velvet Bottom and Ubley Warren is covered by the Cheddar Complex Site of Special Scientific Interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corsley</span> Human settlement in England

Corsley is a hamlet and civil parish 3 miles (5 km) west of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. The parish is on the county border with Somerset; the Somerset town of Frome is about 3 miles (5 km) to the northwest. The largest settlement in the parish is Corsley Heath, which is on the A362 Warminster-Frome road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinton Charterhouse</span> Human settlement in England

Hinton Charterhouse is a small village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish, which includes the village of Midford, has a population of 515.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lullington, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

Lullington is a village and civil parish just across the Mells River from Beckington and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north east of Frome, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selwood, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friary, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

The Friary is a small hamlet outside the English village of Freshford, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Bath, Somerset. Although closer to Freshford it lies within the parish of Hinton Charterhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witham Charterhouse</span>

Witham Charterhouse, also Witham Priory, at Witham Friary, Somerset, was established in 1178/79, the earliest of the ten medieval Carthusian houses (charterhouses) in England. It was suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

North Somerset is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, severe restrictions are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or its fittings. In England, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Historic England, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; local authorities have a responsibility to regulate and enforce the planning regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The George Inn, Norton St Philip</span> Building in Norton St Philip, England

The George Inn in Norton St Philip, Somerset, England, one of a number of establishments that claims to be Britain's oldest tavern, is located in the centre of the village. It was built in the 14th or 15th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

Longleat Priory was a priory near Warminster, Wiltshire, in the south of England. A short-lived priory was established and dissolved near to Longleat in the 12th century. The main priory was established before 1233 and was under the control of the Dean of Salisbury until its dissolution in 1529.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St John the Baptist, Hinton Charterhouse</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St John the Baptist is an Anglican parish church in Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset, England. It was built in the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinalehin Friary</span> Ruined Franciscan friary in Galway, Ireland

Kinalehin Friary, originally a medieval charterhouse or Carthusian monastery and later a Franciscan friary, is a National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Site of correrie or lower house to Hinton Priory (1434671)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  2. Pugh, R.B.; Crittall, Elizabeth, eds. (1956). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 3 pp302-303 – Houses of Augustinian canons: Priory of Longleat". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  3. Greenwood, Charles (1977). Famous houses of the West Country. Bath: Kingsmead Press. pp. 40–43. ISBN   978-0-901571-87-8.
  4. Historic England. "Chapter House of Hinton Priory (1320809)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  5. Historic England. "The chapel, Hinton Charterhouse (1320809)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  6. Historic England. "Refectory, to west of Chapter House (1129461)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  7. Historic England. "Stables, Coach-house and Wall enclosing stable yard (1320806)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  8. Historic England. "Hinton Priory (1136191)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  9. "List of Scheduled Ancient Monuments". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  10. Historic England. "Hinton Priory (monument) (1007014)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  11. "Heritage At Risk Register 2012: South West England" (PDF). English Heritage. September 2012. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2013.

Further reading

Coordinates: 51°19′53″N2°19′12″W / 51.3313°N 2.3199°W / 51.3313; -2.3199