Arthington Priory
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Arthington Priory was an English
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
which was home to a community of nuns in
Arthington Arthington is a linear village in Wharfedale, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is a civil parish which, according to the 2011 census, had a population of 532. It is in the Otley ward of the City of Lee ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, founded in the mid-12th century. The priory land is occupied by a residence called "Arthington Hall", which was built around 1585, and little, if anything, remains of the
priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
. The site of the priory church is possibly now occupied by a farmhouse called The Nunnery. The community was the only one of nuns of the
Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...
congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...
in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
and one of two in England. It was established through a grant by Peter de Arthington.


Foundation

Peter de Arthington gave the nuns ''"the place the whilk the said abby is byggyd on, with all the appurtenaunces".'' Peter's son Serlo confirmed and added to his father's gift and, in turn, his own son Peter confirmed the earlier gifts and added ''"of land in Tebecroft, and also all the watyre that thai may lede to make yam a milne with, and to thair other usez necessarez."'' The church at Maltby in
South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...
was granted to the priory and formally appropriated to it by the
Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...
,
Alexander Neville Alexander Neville ( 1340–1392) was a late medieval prelate who served as Archbishop of York from 1374 to 1388. Life Born around 1340, Alexander Neville was a younger son of Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby and Alice de Audley. He wa ...
, in 1378. The community received other gifts of land but the priory remained a small house. Other benefactors made donations, on the condition that they and their descendants were to have the right of presenting a girl for admission to the monastery any time there might be a vacancy in the community.


Priory history

The archives show that all was not well at the priory for a good portion of its history; discipline had to be enforced on various nuns and, at one point, on the prioress. Following a visit on 9 June 1307, William Greenfield, the
Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...
, wrote to the prioress concerning four nuns.
Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
s Dionisia de Heuensdale and Ellen de Castleford were forbidden to leave the precincts of the
cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...
. Two others, Agnes de Screvyn, who had resigned as prioress four years earlier, and Isabella Couvel, had claimed certain animals and goods belonging to the priory were their private property and the prioress ordered them to resign within three days as punishment. On 13 March 1311, the sub-prioress and community were ordered to render due obedience to the prioress, Isabella de Berghby. On 30 August, an anonymous letter was sent by a member of the community to Master Walter de Bebiry,
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of
Ainsty The Ainsty or the Ainsty of York was a historic district of Yorkshire, England, west of the city of York. Originally a wapentake or subdivision of the West Riding of Yorkshire it later had a unique status as a rural area controlled by the corpo ...
, asking him to come to Arthington to inquire as to why Prioress Isabella de Berghby and Dame Margaret de Tang had left the establishment. He was charged with finding with whom they had left and where they were living. He learned that de Berghby had resented having another nun associated with the management of the priory, and, in a fit of pique, had cast off her
religious habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally, some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious Hermit, eremitic and Anchorite, anchorit ...
and left. She did not formally resign the office and no successor could be elected or appointed until she returned and resigned or was expelled from the community. However, on 19 September 1312, Maud de Batheley was confirmed as prioress but within four days of her appointment, the archbishop wrote to inform her that de Berghby had come to him in the spirit of humility, and he had absolved her and lifted the
excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...
she had incurred by leaving the cloister. The archbishop instructed Prioress Maud to receive Isabella back, but that she was to take the last place in the community in the
Chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
, in choir for the
Divine Office Divine Office may refer to: * Liturgy of the Hours, the recitation of certain Christian prayers at fixed hours according to the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church * Canonical hours, the recitation of such prayers in Christianity more generall ...
and in the
refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...
, and she was not to leave the cloister. On 18 September 1315, Archbishop Greenfield visited Arthington and issued a series of injunctions to the nuns: The archbishop repeated these directives on a later visit.


Abbey of Cluny

The priory came under the rule of the Abbey of Cluny in
Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
. The Cluniac congregation was a reform branch of the
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
s, which was a keystone to the stability that European society achieved in the 11th century. Partly owing to stricter adherence to the Benedictine Rule, Cluny became the acknowledged leader of western monasticism from the later 10th century. Arthington was one of two
Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...
communities of nuns in England, the other being
Delapré Abbey Delapré Abbey is a neo-classical architecture, neo-classical mansion in Northampton, England. The mansion and outbuildings incorporate remains of a former monastery, the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré (the suffix meaning "in or of the Meadow"), ...
at
Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
. A succession of
Abbots of Cluny The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of the Abbey of Cluny in medieval France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories ...
were statesmen on an international stage. The Abbey of Cluny became the grandest, most prestigious and best endowed monastic institution in Europe. The height of Cluniac influence was from the second half of the 10th century until the early 12th century.


The Cluniac Prayer

"O God, by whose grace thy servants, the Holy
Abbots of Cluny The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of the Abbey of Cluny in medieval France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories ...
, enkindled with the fire of thy love, became burning and shining lights in thy Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and may ever walk before thee as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever."


The Dissolution

At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
in 1540 there were nine nuns at the priory, including the prioress, Elizabeth Hall, who was then 45 years of age. In the priory records, ''Domus monialium Arthyngton clunienc ordinis S nct Benedicti'', (The House of Nuns in Arthyington of the Cluniac Order of St. Benedict), against the names of the nuns, except the prioress, is written "continue", meaning that she wished to continue in
vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ...
. The records state that "All these persons (including the prioress) be of good religious liffying and not slanderid." The ages of the nuns ranged between 72 and 25 years. The priory was formally surrendered by Elizabeth Hall on 26 November 1540. The annual value of the priory at this time, according to the ''Valor Ecclesiasticus'', was , and at the date of the surrender the
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
lands were valued at , while the priory grounds, along with its storehouses, gardens, and orchards were valued at 5 
shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...
s a year.


After the Dissolution

After suppression of the priory, in 1543 the site was given by the King to Archbishop
Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a theologian, leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He is honoured as a Oxford Martyrs, martyr ...
. In the time of
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, a plain but substantial hall was built on the priory land. The front doorway which is dated 1585, has been removed from some older building. In 1822 the hall was occupied as a farm house and was the property of the
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. In the parish records it is described as "a large well-built, square house, on a fine elevation above the river". Despite the loss of the ancient buildings, the 1822 records have an entry that states: "ARTHINGTON NUNNERY, in the parish of Adel, upper-division of Skyrack, and adjoins the village of Arthington". This probably refers to The Nunnery, a farmhouse which is said to stand on the foundations and lower courses of the priory church. Its farm buildings were possibly built over the monastery buildings. Arthington Hall is an 18th century neo-classical mansion built on part of the former Priory site. After a fire in the late 18th century, it was remodelled by John Carr. In 1842, the hall was sold to the Sheepshanks family of wool merchants, who had it extended by
Alfred Waterhouse Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known for his designs ...
in 1875. The hall was further extended in 1908 and later used as a convalescent home during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The hall is a Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. As of October 2023, it is on sale with a guide price of £7.5 million.


The Prioresses

The Prioresses were as follows: *Sara – 1241 *Eleanor – 1299 *Maud de Kesewik – died 1299 *Agnes de Skrevin – 1299–1302 (resigned) *Agnes de Pontefract – 1302 *Isabella de Berghby – 1311 (demoted after leaving the priory without permission) *Maud de Batheley – 1312 *Isabella Dautry – died 1349 *Isabella de Berughby – 1349 *Isabel de Eccope – between 1413–20 *Sibil Plesyngton – 1437 *Alice Raucestre – died 1463 *Marjorie Craven – 1463 *Katherine Willesthorp – 1475 (died 1484) *Alice Mawde – 1484 (died 149) *Elizabeth Popeley – 1492 (deprived 1494) *Margaret Turton – 1494 (died 1496) *Alice Hall – 1496 *Elizabeth Hall – 1532 – Priory surrendered 1540 1543: property given to Thomas Cranmer.


References


External links


Victoria County History: A History of the County of York Vol 3 – 42. The Priory of Arthington
mentions site of Arthington Priory * {{coord, 53.9017, N, 1.5620, W, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:GB, display=title Nunneries in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Cluniac nunneries Cluniac monasteries in England Monasteries in West Yorkshire Buildings and structures in Leeds 12th-century establishments in England 1540 disestablishments in England