Ulverscroft Priory is a former hermitage and priory in
Ulverscroft
Ulverscroft is a civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire. It has a population of about 100. The population in 2011 is included in the civil parish of Newtown Linford. There is no village by the name, but there was previously a ...
,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
.
History
The priory was founded by
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1104 – 5 April 1168) was Justiciar of England 1155–1168.
The surname "de Beaumont" was given to him by genealogists. The only known contemporary surname applied to him is "Robert son of Count Robe ...
, in 1139, as a hermitage for
eremites of the Order of
St Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman province), Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced th ...
. Before 1174, following a papal order, it became an
Augustinian 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 ...
.
[Ulverscroft Priory]
''English Heritage: PastScape''
The priory gained the
advowson
Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...
of the church at Stanford on Soar in Nottinghamshire before 1174, however the priory lost it by 1280, following a dispute. In 1323 William de Ferrers donated "70 acres of waste land at
Groby" and the advowson of Syston Church, both in Leicestershire. Thomas de Ferrers donated the advowson of Bunny church, in Nottinghamshire, in 1345.
[
The first 12th-century priory was probably built of wood. The 13th and 14th-century buildings are built of Charnwood Forest Stone.][
Around 1220 there were only three canons at the priory. In 1438 the number had risen to eight, and in 1532 the priory was home to nine canons and the prior.][
Around 1465 the small, nearby Charley Priory was merged with Ulverscroft.][
In 1535 Ulverscroft was recorded as having an annual income of £83 and was thus scheduled to be dissolved with the other smaller priories. However, because its reputation was good, the priory was allowed to continue functioning upon payment of a fine of £166. 13s. 4d. Ulverscroft was finally dissolved in September 1539. The last ]Prior
The term prior may refer to:
* Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery)
* Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case
* Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics
* Prio ...
, Geoffrey Whalley, was granted an annual pension of £20.[
In 1543 the former priory was granted to ]Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland
Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 12th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, Order of the Garter, KG (c. 1497{{snd20 September 1543), of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire (adjacent to the small county of Rutland), was created Earl of Rutland by King Henry ...
.[Houses of Augustinian canons: The priory of Ulverscroft]
''A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2'' (1954), pp. 19-21. Date accessed: 27 June 2013
Ruins of the priory church and tower remain. The prior's lodging and refectory are incorporated into a farmhouse constructed on the site. The priory's door was reused at Thornton Church. The site was purchased in 1927 by Sir William Lindsay Everard, preserving the decaying ruins from total destruction.Leicestershire Villages
/ref> The priory ruins are on private land and are not open to the public.
Priors of Ulverscroft Priory
List of known Priors of Ulverscroft Priory:
*William, occurs 1174.
*Walter, occurs about 1230.
*Thomas, resigned 1268.
*William of Spondon, admitted 1268, became a Franciscan 1276.
*Robert of Gaddesby, admitted 1276, occurs 1288.
*John of Normanton, elected and resigned 1304.
*Walter of Evesham, elected 1304, resigned 1315.
*Roger of Glen, elected 1315, died 1338.
*Roger of Shepshed, elected 1338, occurs to 1367.
*Thomas of Lockington, died 1387.
*John Ruydyngton, elected 1387, occurs 1395.
*John Annesley, occurs 1433, resigned 1439.
*John Pollesworth, admitted 1439, occurs 1450.
*John Whatton, occurs from 1466 to 1492.
*Robert Whaton, occurs 1492 or 1493.
*William Shepeston, occurs, from 1502 to 1511.
*Geoffrey Whalley, occurs 1524.
*William Bradebern, occurs 1525.
*Edward Dalby, occurs 1534, surrendered the priory, 1539.[
]
Burials
*Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby
Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers (c.1303-15 Sep 1343) was the son of William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby and his wife Ellen. Henry Ferrers has been described by one recent historian as "arguably the most successful member of his family" on ...
* William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby
*William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby
William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby (1372–1445) was an English baron in the Late Middle Ages. He was an important figure in Leicestershire society and took part in most of the royal commissions that were held there. He was also active ...
*Isabel de Verdun, Baroness Ferrers of Groby
Isabel de Verdun, Baroness Ferrers of Groby (21 March 1317 – 25 July 1349) was an English heiress, who was related to the English royal family as the eldest daughter of Elizabeth de Clare, herself a granddaughter of King Edward I of England. ...
References
External links
{{Monasteries in Leicestershire , state=expanded
Monasteries in Leicestershire
Grade I listed buildings in Leicestershire
Scheduled monuments in Leicestershire
Augustinian monasteries in England
1139 establishments in England
Christian monasteries established in the 1130s
1539 disestablishments in England
Borough of Charnwood
Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation