Ashridge House - Formal Garden - geograph

Ashridge Priory was a medieval

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

of Austin canons called variously the "Brothers of Penitence" or the " Boni Homines". It was founded by Edmund of Almain in 1283 who donated, among other things, a phial of Christ's blood to the abbey. It was granted to Mary Tudor, Queen of France and later became the private residence of the future queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. It was acquired by Sir Thomas Egerton in 1604 and then passed down to the Duke of Bridgewater before being demolished.

History

In 1283

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...

, son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall holders of Berkhamsted Castle (two and half miles away) founded a monastery at Ashridge, Hertfordshire. The monastery was built for a rector and twenty canons who formed, according to the sixteenth-century historian Polydore Vergil, "a new order not before seen in England, and called the Boni homines". At the foundation of the abbey

Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall Edmund of Almain (26 December 1249 – 1300) was the second Earl of Cornwall of the fourth creation from 1272. He joined the Ninth Crusade in 1271, but never made it to the Holy Land. He was the regent of the Kingdom of England from 1286 to 1289 ...

donated, among other things, a phial of Christ's blood. This relic was perhaps not so well known as the Holy Blood which the Earl of Cornwall donated to Hailes Abbey in Gloucestershire, but it proved fruitful for the abbey.

Pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

s from all over Europe flocked to see the phial and the abbey grew quite wealthy as a result of their donations. One such visitor was King Edward I. In 1290 he held parliament at the abbey while he spent Christmas in Pitstone. The Black Prince, a later lord of Berkhampstead castle, became interested in the College around the time of the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

around 1350. A second house of the Order was established at the prince's suggestion at Edington, Wiltshire around 1358 by William Edington. The last rector was Thomas Waterhouse, who surrendered the house to

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. ...

. The building ceased to be used for religious purposes shortly afterwards. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the priory was surrendered to the crown and King

used it to house his children, namely Prince Edward and the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth. Eventually he bequeathed the property to his daughter Elizabeth. It was here that she was arrested on 15 March 1554, under suspicion of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

during Wyatt's rebellion. In 1604 the priory was acquired by Sir Thomas Egerton. A descendant of his, the Duke of Bridgewater, demolished the old buildings in the 1760s.

Albigensian connection

There has been speculation that the order was in some way associated with the Albigensian heresy of southern France whose ''perfecti'' called themselves ''bonhommes''. Edmund's mother had been married by proxy to Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, a protector of the heretical sect. Wall paintings in the college cloisters, now lost, were described in the eighteenth century as favouring the Albigensians. Wall paintings in a

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

at Piccotts End, near Ashridge, have been similarly described. These paintings were discovered in the 1950s and have been preserved.

References

Sources

* {{coord, 51.799, -0.56, type:landmark_region:GB-HRT, display=title Monasteries in Hertfordshire Augustinian monasteries in England Ashridge 1283 establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 1280s Little Gaddesden pt:Ashridge House#Ashridge Priory

History

Albigensian connection

See also

References

Further reading

Sources