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Holywell Priory or Haliwell, Halliwell, or Halywell (various spellings), was a religious house in
Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impo ...
, formerly in the historical county of
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
and now in the
London Borough of Hackney London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Its formal name was the Priory of St John the Baptist. The Priory stood at Holywell Lane on the west side of Shoreditch towards Hoxton, its precinct lying within the area now bounded by Batemans Row, Shoreditch High Street, Haliwell Lane, and Curtain Road.


Foundation

It is sometimes said in secondary literature to be a Benedictine foundation, made by a Bishop of London, but it was certainly a house of Augustinian women, established in the twelfth century by Robert FitzGeneran (or Gelran), the second known holder of the prebend of Holywell or Finsbury in St. Paul's Cathedral (the prebend also passed to the Priory), his name occurring from 1133 to 1150. The founder made an endowment gift of three acres across the moor on which the Halliwell, or Holywell spring had its source. In 1239 there was a gift to the nuns of 300 tapers from King Henry III, who in 1244 also gave twelve marks for the rebuilding of mills that had been burnt down through the carelessness of the King's bakers. In 1318 came a gift of six oaks from the forest of Essex from
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...
. However, the crown paid little attention to the priory, at least as far as royal patronage was concerned. More generally, there were few benefactions from magnates before the reign of Henry VII when as almost the last great benefactor, Sir Thomas Lovell,
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
appeared on the scene and virtually refounded the house. He caused extensive building work at the priory, including the construction of a chapel in which he was buried in 1524.Cf. ''Religious Houses: Houses of Augustinian canonesses: 5. The Priory of Haliwell'', in J.S. Cockburn, H.P.F. King and K.G.T. McDonnell, ''A History of the County of Middlesex, Volume 1'', London, 1969, pp. 170-182. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp170-182 ccessed 26 September 2017 The size of the community doubtless varied over the years. In 1379 there were eleven professed nuns in the priory. At the election of the Prioress Elizabeth Prudde in 1472, it is recorded that seven nuns and ten novices were present. At the election in 1534 of the last prioress, Sybil Newdigate, there were 13 professed nuns and 4 novices present. Apart from paid lay employees, there were also lay brothers attached to the priory. They may never have been very numerous. In 1314 a complaint was lodged about two brothers misappropriating property at
Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impo ...
. From an earlier period, we know the name of one of the brothers, Peter, whose father was Odo, a smith who in 1275 gave rents in London to the priory for his son.


Known prioresses

The list given here is incomplete. The dates given refer to mentions in the historical record as prioress or to the period covered by several mentions, presuming continuity of office. * Magdalena (about 1185 or 1210) * Clementia (1193-1204) * Maud (1224) * Agnes (1239-1240) * Juliana or Gillian (1248-1261) * Benigna (reign of Henry III) * Isabel (1261) * Christina or Christine of Kent (1269-1284) * Alice (1293) * Christine (1314) * Albreda or Aubrey (about 1320) * Lucy of Colney (1328-1330) * Mary of Stortford (1330-1334) * Theophania (1335-1336) * Elizabeth Montacute (1337-1357) * Ellen or Elena Gosham (1362-1363, mentioned as the "late prioress" in 1375) * Isabella Norton (1387-1392) * Edith Griffith (1400-1409) * Elizabeth Arundel (1428-1432) * Clementia or Clemence Freeman (1432-1444) * Joan Sevenok or Sevenoak (1462-1472) * Elizabeth Prudde (1472-1474) * Joan Lynde (1515-1534) * Sybil Newdigate (1534-1539), the last Prioress.


A particular case: Prioress Elizabeth Montacute

Elizabeth Montacute also Montagu, originally ''de Mont Aigu'' (''of the sharp mountain'') and Latinised to ''de Monte Acuto'', seems to have served as Prioress of Holywell at least in the years 1340-1357. Dame Elizabeth was particularly well connected. She was the third daughter of William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of the first creation (died 1319) and Elizabeth Montfort (died 1354), daughter of the knight Sir Peter de Montfort, who survived her first husband and married Sir Thomas Furnivall of
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
, without royal licence, for which the groom was fined £200. On her death in 1354, the now widowed Lady Furnivall was buried in the Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford (now
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dua ...
), where her tomb still exists in the Latin chapel. The four brothers and six sisters of the nun, Dame Elizabeth, included
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...
(1301–1344), who succeeded his father as 3rd
Baron Montagu The titles Baron Montacute or Baron Montagu were created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the House of Montagu. The family name was Latinised to ''de Monte Acuto'', meaning "from the sharp mountain"; the French form is ...
, and later became 1st
Earl of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first created for Patrick de S ...
, and who was the "most intimate personal friend" of King
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...
, and Edward de Montacute, 1st Baron Montacute of the second creation (died 1361), who married Alice of Norfolk, a granddaughter of
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vass ...
. A third brother, Simon (died 1345), was successively
Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
and
Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nor ...
. Dame Elizabeth's sisters were Alice, Katherine, Mary and Hawise, all of whom married at least once; and Maud and Isabel, who both became successively Abbess of
Barking Abbey Barking Abbey is a former royal monastery located in Barking, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It has been described as having been "one of the most important nunneries in the country". Originally established in the 7th century, f ...
from 1341-1352. Apart from these family connections, the historical record mentions two incidents connected with Elizabeth de Montagu's life as a nun. The first is more personal. When exactly Elizabeth entered the priory of Holywell as a nun, is not clear. In 1334 a Westminster Abbey made a grant to Holywell Priory of a yearly pension of 100 shillings to cover Elizabeth's food and clothing, alleging four considerations: that Elizabeth had no personal means from which to provide for her own sustenance; that Holywell Priory had insufficient funds to cover the expense; that the abbey had received many benefactions from her family, especially from her brother Simon, Bishop of Worcester, and that the abbey had formerly paid the same amount to the bishop. Odd as this sounds,''The Augustinian Priory of St. John the Baptist, Holywell'', in James Bird (ed.), ''Survey of London: Volume 8, Shoreditch'', London, 1922, pp. 153-187. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol8/pp153-187 ccessed 24 September 2017 it is true that Elizabeth's father had died in 1319, her mother had married again before 8 June 1322 and was widowed a second time before 18 April 1332. It is possible that there may have been a technical requirement for the payment of a dowry for a nun entering the Priory community, which her brother, as a churchman, arranged to be paid in some roundabout fashion. It sounds likely that at this juncture she had only recently entered the monastery. The prioress and nuns gave permission for Elizabeth to receive the pension and dispose of it herself. Moreover, the following year it was confirmed by both the Bishop of London and the King, and records show it being paid not only in 1335 but also in 1351. In any case, Elizabeth's situation was not so precarious as the matter of the pension might make it sound, for by Michaelmas 1340 she is mentioned as Prioress of Holywell in a lawsuit. It is as Prioress, too, that she was present at the blessing of her sister, Maud, as Abbess of Barking, on 29 April 1341, along with her brother Bishop Simon. Finally, perhaps the intricate interconnections between social and economic status, dynastic marriages and convent life explain why, in response to a complain lodged by "Elizabeth, prioress of Halewell", King
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...
on 26 January 1357 ordered an investigation into an incident when a group of men broke violently into the Priory and abducted Joan, the daughter of John of Coggeshall (or Coggeshale), who had been committed to the Prioress's safekeeping by Henry Galeys, Elizabeth having pledged to restore Joan unmarried. It appears that the intruders had caused the woman to undergo a form of marriage. The case may not be concerned so much with romantic elopement as with sordid exploitation of a woman in order to secure economic gain. The names John of Coggeshall (or Coggeshale) and Henry Galeys (or Waleys) seems to lead us into the trade and financial dealings of the medieval city of London. Anyhow, this appears to be the last mention of Elizabeth in the surviving historical records.


Elizabeth Prudde

We know some details of the priory from an agreement made between Alice Hampton and the prioress Elizabeth Prudde in 1492. Alice was the only known unmarried vowess; she was rich and had influence in London. She had inherited her uncle's riches but also his influence. She paid the prioress eight pounds of pepper a year. In exchange for this she was allowed to use her well and washing facilities and to make changes to the building's structures. She arranged for her living area to have a view of the church altar and for a locked entrance to her garden. She had her own exit and a dedicated pew in the Lady Chapel, however she lived in two rooms that were just over 18 feet by ten feet.


The last prioress, Sybil Newdigate

The last Prioress of Holywell, Dame Sybil Newdigate, was the daughter of John Newdigate (died 1528), a Sergeant-at-law, and his wife Amphyllis (or Amphelisia) (née Neville) (died 1544). We have access to some details about the family from the Newdigate Cartulary. Dame Sybil was herself born on the Eve of St Thomas, 2 July 1509 at Harefield, Middlesex, and was the youngest daughter and 12th child of her parents' fourteen children. Her Godfather was the priest Robert Malber and she had two Godmothers, Sybil Bynchestre (Binchester) and Isabell Antony. Her sponsor at Confirmation was John Bynchestre. Although the family had known social success, the 1530s brought some grim moments, and not just the dissolution of Holywell Priory. Among Sybil's brothers and sisters was Sebastian, almost nine years her elder, who as a young man was a courtier and member of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...
's
Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...
, on close personal terms with the King. However, he later entered the Carthusian Priory or
Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...
in London as a monk, being also ordained a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
(on 3 June 1531) and prior to his death, a priest. He was arrested on 25 May 1535 for refusal to accept the King's assumption of supremacy over the English church, and underwent harsh imprisonment, during which he was twice visited by the King but resisted Henry's blandishments. Condemned to death for treason, on 19 June he was dragged to
Tyburn Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern Ox ...
on a hurdle, and hanged, drawn and quartered. Regarded as a martyr for the Catholic faith, Sebastian was beatified by Pope
Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
on 9 December 1886. Five years after the Dissolution, Dame Sybil, then aged 35, is mentioned in the will of her brother George Newdigate, dated 13 August 1544. George left £10 a year to be paid by his widow "to my Sister Sybell". If his widow were to die during the minority of his children, his "landes, annuities and Rentes do remayne to my syster, Sibell Newdegate, and she to have the dysposing of them to thuse of my children, and if they dye the remaynder to her only, whome I make overseer of this my last will and testament".''The Augustinian Priory of St. John the Baptist, Holywell'', in James Bird (ed.), ''Survey of London: Volume 8, Shoreditch'', London, 1922, pp. 153-187. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol8/pp153-187 ccessed 24 September 2017 George was three years older than Sybil, and was the sibling born to their parents immediately before her, on 26 April 1506. Sybil is known to have been alive still in 1549.


Dissolution

It is documented that when Holywell Priory was formally dissolved on 10 October 1539, the convent then comprised 14 nuns, including the prioress and subprioress. Prioress Sybil Newdigate received a pension of £50, the subprioress, Ellen Claver or Claire or Cavour, £6 13 shillings and 4 pence, and twelve nuns pensions varying from 53 shillings and 4 pence, and to 93 shillings and 4 pence each. The other nuns are named as Margerye Frauncis, Alice Martyn, Alice Goldwell, Kateryn Grene, Kateryn Fogge, Isabell Gine, Beatrix Lewes, Mary Good, Elene Clave, Agnes Bolney, Alice Frelond and Cristyane Skypper. Of these women, sixteen years later, on 24 February 1556, six were still drawing their pension.


The fate of the priory buildings

The loss of this functioning institution must have had notable effects on the social and economic life of the area. The Priory precinct covered about eight acres. Already in the year of the Priory's surrender, one Thomas Pointz mentioned it in a letter he wrote to Thomas Cromwell in the hope of acquiring a suppressed monastic house as a dwelling for his family. However, it would seem that nothing happened, for it was some years after the Dissolution of the community, that the part which had been occupied directly by the nuns was granted by sale on 23 September 1544, to Henry Webb, then a gentleman usher to Queen
Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...
. It would seem that there may have been distant family connections by marriage between the Queen and the Webb family. The property that went to Webb is described as including the hall and all the rooms, kitchens and buildings both upstairs and downstairs; extensive other houses and other buildings in several blocks, including the fratry (frater), both upstairs and downstairs; several barns, brewhouses, granaries, stables, workshops, dovecotes, etc., and various plots of land, including several garden areas, among which the prioress's garden and the convent orchard, of one acre. The priory chapel was speedily demolished, as may have been a more or less formal requirement for this kind of purchase from the crown. After Webb's death in 1553 the property passed to his daughter and her husband (Susan and George Peckham) who sold it in 1555, sold it to Christopher Bumsted, who soon mortgaged it to Christopher Allen and his son Giles. After Christopher Allen's death, Bumsted quarrelled with the son, who however manage to gain possession, at least by the time of his own death in 1609, upon which it was quickly sold on to others. The remains of the Priory were popularly known for a time as "King John's Palace", though by the end of the 18th century there was little left to see.


A Shakespearean connection

In 1576,
James Burbage James Burbage (1530–35 – 2 February 1597) was an English actor, theatre impresario, joiner, and theatre builder in the English Renaissance theatre. He built The Theatre, the first permanent dedicated theatre built in England since Roman tim ...
, a joiner, actor and impresario, leased land on the former property of Holywell Priory. There he built ''
The Theatre The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the first permanent theatre ever built in England. It was built in 1576 after the ...
'', one of the first purpose-built London play-houses since Roman times. It was probably here that the
playing company Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...
or actors' company
Leicester's Men The Earl of Leicester's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in English Renaissance theatre, active mainly in the 1570s and 1580s in the reign of Elizabeth I. In many respects, it was the major company in Elizabethan drama of its time, and ...
played from the early days, and in the 1580s the
Admiral's Men The Admiral's Men (also called the Admiral's company, more strictly, the Earl of Nottingham's Men; after 1603, Prince Henry's Men; after 1612, the Elector Palatine's Men or the Palsgrave's Men) was a playing company or troupe of actors in the E ...
. From 1594 to 1597, it was the venue for The Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was for them and their successors that
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
wrote and acted for most of his career, and it was at
The Theatre The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the first permanent theatre ever built in England. It was built in 1576 after the ...
that some of Shakespeare's early plays had their première. A dispute arose with the landlord, Giles Allen, when the twenty-one-year-old lease ran out. Failing to reach an agreement for its extension, James Burbage's son,
Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of No ...
hired Peter Streete to take down the old Theatre and to build a new one using as much of the salvaged material as possible. With the help of others, on the night of 28 December 1598, the structure was dismantled and the materials were transported across the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...
and reassembled there on
Bankside Bankside is an area of London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance befor ...
in
Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, as '' The Globe'', which was functioning by the following September.


See also

*
St John the Baptist, Hoxton The Church of St. John the Baptist, Hoxton, usually known as St. John's Hoxton, is an English urban Anglican parish church in the Hoxton area of Shoreditch, within the London Borough of Hackney. Nearby is Silicon Roundabout, and also Aske G ...
* List of monastic houses in Middlesex * List of monastic houses in England *Essex village of
Holloway Down Holloway Down was a village, historically in Essex and now part of Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is a London borough in north-east London, England. Its population is estimated to ...
, now part of
Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-ea ...


References

{{Coord, 51.525066, -0.07995, type:landmark_region:GB-BNE, display=title Monasteries in London Nunneries in England Augustinian nunneries in England Shoreditch