Lewisham Priory was a

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 ...

monastic house in

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified 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 ...

(now London), England. In 918 Elftrudis otherwise Ælfthryth, countess of Flanders, granted Lewisham,

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

and

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, to St Peter's Abbey in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

.Victoria County History: Kent - Alien houses: the priory of Lewisham (p. 238)
/ref> The priory, a dependency of St. Peter's Abbey and thus an

alien priory Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the Motherhouse, mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Mediev ...

, was founded in the same year.David Knowles, C. N. L. Brooke, Vera C. M. London: ''The Heads of Religious Houses: England & Wales, I. 940–1216'', p. 105. 1st edn. 1972. Cambridge University Press. The priory was dissolved and its possessions confiscated, like all alien priories, under the Act of 1414 by

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

, who re-granted them to his new foundation, the

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

monastery

Sheen Priory Sheen Priory (ancient spelling: Shene, Shean, etc.) in Sheen, now Richmond, London, was a Carthusian monastery founded in 1414 within the royal manor of Sheen, on the south bank of the Thames, upstream and approximately 9 miles southwest of th ...

in Surrey. The location of the medieval Lewisham Priory is unknown but has been suggested to be either next to St Mary's church, at Priory Farm (around the Catford section of the South Circular), or on the High Street where the 17th-century mansion of the same name was later built (now Albacore Crescent south of the hospital).

Notes and references

Monasteries in London Monasteries in Kent Benedictine monasteries in England Alien priories in England {{UK-Christian-monastery-stub