Little Dunmow Priory in

Little Dunmow Little Dunmow is a village situated in the Uttlesford district, in rural Essex, England, in the vale of the River Chelmer about east-southeast of the town of Great Dunmow. It can be reached from the Dunmow South exit of the A120 by following ...

was an Augustinian priory in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The priory was founded as a church by Juga de Baynard in 1104, dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and consecrated by Maurice, bishop of London. Juga was the widow of Ralph Baynard, baron of

sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient High sheriff, sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles (tribe), Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974 ...

and builder of

Baynard's Castle Baynard's Castle refers to buildings on two neighbouring sites in the City of London, between where Blackfriars station and St. Paul's Cathedral now stand. The first was a Norman fortification constructed by Ralph Baynard ( 1086), 1st feuda ...

in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, since demolished. Her son Geoffrey was

sheriff of Yorkshire The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferr ...

who, in 1097, beat

William II, Count of Eu William II, Count of Eu, feudal baron of Hastings (died about 1096) was a first generation Anglo-Norman nobleman, Count of Eu. Origins According to most authorities he was the son and heir of Robert, Count of Eu, (died before 1093), by his wife ...

in a trial by battle. After her death (c.1106), and following her wishes and the advice of Anselm, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

, Geoffrey populated Juga's church with Augustinian canons. In 1110, Lady Juga’s grandson, and Geoffrey’s son, William de Baynard, fell from grace and lost his lands.

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

gave those lands to

Robert Fitz Richard __NOTOC__ Robert Fitz Richard (1064–1136) was an Anglo-Norman noble. Life He was the son of Sir Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, Lord of Clare and Tonbridge, and Rohese Giffard, the daughter of Sir Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville. Rober ...

, but Henry and his wife

Matilda of Scotland Matilda of Scotland (originally christened Edith, 1080 – 1 May 1118), also known as Good Queen Maud, was Queen consort of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England on several occasions ...

confirmed the canons’ possessions in Little Dunmow. Robert’s wife Maud, the step-daughter of Matilda’s brother

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland ...

, gave more lands to the canons, establishing the priory in perpetuity. Much of the history of Little Dunmow Priory was unremarkable, but in 1369, canon William de Stoke was arrested for counterfeiting the king's money. Never large nor rich, Little Dunmow Priory, assessed at around £150, came under the

Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535 The Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535 (27 Hen. 8. c. 28),The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by section 5 of, and Schedule 2 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1948. Owing to the repeal of those provisions, it is ...

and was closed down. Its lands were given to

Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex Robert Radcliffe, 10th Baron Fitzwalter, 1st Earl of Sussex, KG, KB, PC (c. 148327 November 1542), also spelt Radclyffe, Ratcliffe, Ratcliff, etc., was a prominent courtier and soldier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, who serve ...

. Although the monastic complex was destroyed, the

lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

is still in use today as the parish church. The plan of the priory was determined by excavation in 1913 and 1914.

Burials in the priory church

* Walter Fitz Robert (c. 1124–1198), 2nd Lord of Little Dunmow, Essex *

Robert Fitzwalter Robert FitzwalterAlso spelled Fitzwater, FitzWalter, fitzWalter, etc. (died 9 December 1235) was one of the leaders of the baronial opposition against King John, and one of the twenty-five sureties of Magna Carta. He was feudal baron of Littl ...

(died 9 December 1235), feudal baron of Little Dunmow, Essex *

Walter of Bibbesworth Walter of Bibbesworth (middle of sec.XIII–at least 1277) was an English knight and Anglo-Norman poet. Documents confirm that he held land in the parish of Kimpton, Hertfordshire at the farm now called Bibbsworth Hall ("Bibbs Hall" on some m ...

(1235–1270), English knight and Anglo-Norman poet. *Aveline FitzJohn FitzGeoffrey (1235–1274), wife of Sir Walter de Burgh,

Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's el ...

John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter (Fitzwalter or Fitz Wauter; 18 October 1361) was an English baron and gang leader in the 14th-century. He was a prominent Essex landowner best known for his criminal activities, particularly around Colchest ...

(1315–1361) * Walter FitzWalter, 7th Baron FitzWalter (1400–1431) According to local legend, it is the resting place of

Maid Marian Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circums ...

References

{{coord, 51.865084, 0.403823, type:landmark_region:GB_source:Wikimapia_scale:2000, name=Little Dunmow Priory, display=title Monasteries in Essex Augustinian monasteries in England 1100s establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 1100s 1536 disestablishments in England