Launceston Priory was a priory at
Newport
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,
Launceston,
Cornwall
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,
England
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, UK.
The priory was founded 1127 by
William Warelwast
William Warelwast (died 1137) was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of Exeter in England. Warelwast was a native of Normandy, but little is known about his background before 1087, when he appears as a royal clerk for King William II. Most ...
,
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell. as a house of
Augustinian canons. Its charter replaced an earlier foundation of secular canons at
St Stephens
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, a collegiate church dating back to c. 830. In c. 1155 the priory completed a move from its original site at St. Stephens to Newport in the valley of the
River Kensey.
Although the priory was
dissolved in 1539, it was one of three earlier Cornish monastic sites (the others being at
Bodmin
Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor.
The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...
and
St Germans) to appear in 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 best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...
's 1540 proposals to establish a new cathedral for Cornwall. None of these proposals succeeded,
[Jeffery, Paul (2012) ''England's Other Cathedrals''. Stroud: The History Press. , p. 71.] and the buildings at Launceston were gradually robbed of stone and materials and levelled with extra soil until nothing was visible..
The site was re-discovered in 1886 and 1888 (during the construction of the railway and a gas holder) and excavated by O. B. Peter, thus allowing the plan to be reconstructed.
In the late 20th century the ruins fell into disrepair, but in recent years they have been consolidated, the grounds tidied up, access improved and interpretation boards set up. The Friends of Launceston Priory in partnership with Launceston Town Council now care for the ruins, which are to be found at:
1 Riverside, Newtown, Launceston PL15 8DH
to the rear of the (Anglican) church of St Thomas the Apostle.
References
External links
English Heritage PastscapeFriends of Launceston Priory siteLaunceston Town Council site
Monasteries in Cornwall
Augustinian monasteries in England
1539 disestablishments in England
Launceston, Cornwall
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