The Priory Church of St Peter, Thurgarton is a former house of

Canons Regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

or "Black Canons" and now a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

church in

Thurgarton Thurgarton is a small Village#United Kingdom, village in rural Nottinghamshire, England. The village is close to Southwell, Nottinghamshire, Southwell, and Newark-on-Trent and still within commuting distance to Nottingham. It is served by Thur ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, England. St Peter's is a Grade I listed building. The Canons Regular were called "Black Canons" because they wore black cassocks, black capes and hoods.

History

It is thought that a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

was built at Thurgarton for its location in circa 1119. It was in a sheltered valley and had a stream and natural spring very near. It also had a good supply of wood and stone for building. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the

Valor Ecclesiasticus The ''Valor Ecclesiasticus'' (Latin: "church valuation") was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII. It was colloquially called the Kings books, ...

gave the clear income of £259 9s. 4d. (), making it one of richer monasteries of the time.

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 known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

granted the manor partly to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, and partly to William Cooper. It was lived in by the Cooper family until at the end of the 17th century the estate passed to John Gilbert, who changed name to Cooper as a condition of William Cooper's will. At the end of the 18th century, the owner demolished the old priory, so that nothing of it was left but the cellars, and one aisle of the old church, plus the tower, which make up the present church. The original building would have rivalled nearby

Southwell Minster Southwell Minster_(church), Minster, strictly since 1884 Southwell Cathedral, and formally the Cathedral and Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. The cathedral is the s ...

, having two western towers and a nave of seven bays, cloister and a large chancel, plus the monastic houses. The church was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004, by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard Aus ...

in 1853 by

Thomas Chambers Hine Thomas Chambers Hine (31 May 1813 – 6 February 1899) was an architect based in Nottingham. Background He was born in Covent Garden into a prosperous middle-class family, the eldest son of Jonathan Hine (1780–1862), a hosiery manufacturer and ...

. Parish registers exist from 1721; earlier records were lost in 1780. The house called Thurgarton Priory was largely rebuilt for John Gilbert Cooper in 1777. It was used as the Bishop of Southwell's

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

from 1884 to 1904 until a new one was built next to the cathedral in Southwell. Thurgarton Priory house is Grade II* listed.

List of the priors of Thurgarton

*Thomas, occurs c. 1190 *Henry, 1209; occurs 1218 *William, occurs 1234-1245 *Richard, occurs 1250-1257 *Adam, occurs 1263-1276 *Robert de Baseford, resigned 1284 *Gilbert de Ponteburg, 1284–1290 *Alexander de Gedling, 1290–1304 *John de Ruddeston, 1304–1319 *John de Hikeling, 1319–1331 *Robert de Hathern, 1331–1337 *John de Ruddeston, re-elected 1337-1338 *Richard de Thurgarton, 1338–1345 *Robert de Hickling, 1345–1349 *Robert de Claxton, 1349 *John de Calveton, died 1381 *William de Saperton, 1381 *

Walter Hilton Walter Hilton, Can. Reg. (c. 1340/1345 – 24 March 1396) was an English Augustinian mystic, whose works gained influence in 15th-century England and Wales. He is commemorated by the Church of England and by the Episcopal Church in the Unit ...

died 1396 *Robert de Wolveden, occurs 1432; resigned 1434 *Richard Haley, 1434 *William Bingham, 1471–1477 *Richard Thurgarton, died 1494 *John Allestre, 1494 *John Goverton, 1505 *John Angear, 1517–1534 *Thomas Dethick, 1534–1536 *John Berwick, 1536'Houses of Austin canons: The priory of Thurgarton', A History of the County of Nottingham: Volume 2 (1910), pp. 120-125.

Parish status

It is in a joint parish with: * St Mary's Church, Bleasby *

St James' Church, Halloughton St James' Church, Halloughton is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Halloughton. History The church dates from the 13th century. It was restored between 1879 - 1882 by Ewan Christian. It is in a joint parish with: * ...

* St Michael's Church, Hoveringham

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurgaton, St Peter Grade I listed churches in Nottinghamshire Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire Monasteries in Nottinghamshire Newark and Sherwood Augustinian monasteries in England 1110s establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 1110s

History

List of the priors of Thurgarton

Parish status

See also

References