Dartford Priory was a Dominican Nunnery, located in

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. When

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. ...

suppressed the monasteries, he took Dartford Priory for himself, establishing it as a Royal Palace. Between 1541 and 1544 the former ecclesiastical buildings were converted to become a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

Howard Colvin Sir Howard Montagu Colvin (15 October 1919 – 27 December 2007) was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field: ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–18 ...

, ''The History of the King's Works'', 4:2 (London: HMSO, 1982), pp. 68–74.

Foundation

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

announced the foundation of Dartford Priory in 1346 on his return from the victorious campaign in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

against

Philip VI of France Philip VI (; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (), the Catholic (''le Catholique'') and of Valois (''de Valois''), was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign w ...

culminating in the

Battle of Crecy A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. This inauguration of the priory was accompanied by a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

, 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 Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

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.

Prioresses and notable nuns

The prioresses were as follows (with dates of record) * Matilda, 1356, 1372 * Jane Barwe, c. 1377, 1400 * Maud, 1413 * Rose, 1421, 1428, 1432 * Margaret Beaumont, 1446, 1460, daughter of Henry Beaumont, 5th Baron Beaumont * Alice Branthwait, 1461, 1465, 1467 * Joan, daughter of Lord Scrope of Bolton, c. 1470 * Beatrice, 1474 * Alice Branthwayt, 1475, 1479 * Anne Barn, 1481 * Alice, 1487, 1488 (fn. 168) * Elizabeth Cressener, 1488 or 1489-1537 * Joan Fane, 1537 * Elizabeth Cressener, 1557 Other nuns: Sometime between 1489 and 1492,

Bridget of York Bridget of York (10 November 1480 – before December 1507) was the seventh daughter of King Edward IV and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville. Shortly after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by Richard III, Bridget, w ...

became a nun under the care of Elizabeth Cressener.

Dissolution

Dartford Priory played a significant role in the dissolution of the monasteries.

References

{{reflist Dartford Grade II* listed buildings in Kent Nunneries in England