Wallingford 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 ...

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 ...

dedicated to the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

in Wallingford in the English county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

(now

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

). Nothing remains of Holy Trinity Priory, which is believed to have stood on the site of the Bullcroft recreation ground off the High Street.

History

Sometime between 1077 and 1091,

Robert D'Oyly Robert D'Oyly (also spelt Robert D'Oyley de Liseaux, Robert Doyley, Robert de Oiley, Robèrt d'Oilly, Robert D'Oyley and Roberti De Oilgi) was a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror on the Norman conquest, his invasion of En ...

, lord of Wallingford, gave the collegiate Church of Holy Trinity to St Albans Abbey. Paul, 14th

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of St Albans, sent some of his monks to establish a cell there. Holy Trinity served as both the priory and parochial church. The monks of Wallingford are known to have ministered to the sick. The priory remained a dependency of St. Albans.

Notable priors

The learned John of Wallingford, was named prior in 1191, before being elected abbot of St. Albans four years later. Towards the end of the 13th century, Prior William de Kirkeby took in the ten year old orphan

Richard of Wallingford Richard of Wallingford (1292–1336) was an English mathematician, astronomer, horologist, and cleric who made major contributions to astronomy and horology while serving as abbot of St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire. Biography Richard was b ...

, and later sent him to Oxford to be educated. Richard became a monk at Wallingford, and as later abbot of St. Albans made significant contributions to

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and

horology Chronometry or horology () is the science studying the measurement of time and timekeeping. Chronometry enables the establishment of standard measurements of time, which have applications in a broad range of social and scientific areas. ''Hor ...

. He is best known for the

astronomical clock An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...

he designed. William of Wallingford, was a monk of Wallingford who moved to St. Albans and later became abbot. He had the Wallingford Screen, a high altar screen made for the Abbey. William Binham, a prior and theologian in the late 14th century, challenged the views of John Wycliff, his former friend and colleague at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. The priory was dissolved in 1525 by

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( ; – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic cardinal. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling f ...

, partly in order to fund the building of Cardinal College, Oxford. In 1983, work at 56 High Street exposed burials in chalk cists which are believed to be part of the cemetery.

References

External links

Wallingford History Gateway
*
Houses of Benedictine monks: The priory of Wallingford', A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 2 (1907), pp. 77-9.
{{coord, 51.60127, N, 1.12670, W, source:placeopedia, display=title Monasteries in Berkshire Monasteries in Oxfordshire Benedictine monasteries in England 1097 establishments in England 1525 disestablishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 1090s Wallingford, Oxfordshire