Yedingham 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 ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

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 ...

dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was home to Benedictine nuns from 1163 to 1539. The priory, also known as Little Mareis, was co founded by Helewise de Clere and Roger II de Clere. There were originally eight or nine nuns, but in time there were twelve with a prioress. In about 1512, a fourteen year old girl called

Elizabeth Lutton Elizabeth Lutton or Elizabeth Sutton or "Mrs Thomas Scaseby" (1498–before 1553) was an English Benedictine nun (and potential heiress) who became pregnant. She was abducted and married. The marriage was "contrary to the laws of God", and she wa ...

became a Benedictiine nun. For twelve years the convent's authorities thought her situation was fine although it was said that she privately complained that she had become a nun despite her wishes. In 1526 Agnes Brayerdricke succeeded Dame Elizabeth White as head of the convent and Brayerdricke soon discovered that Elizabeth Lutton was pregnant. Brayerdricke had her separated from the other nuns until the child was born and she was then allowed to resume her place as a nun. Robert Constable of Flamborough visited Yedingham Priory where he learned about Elizabeth Lutton. After she was taken back into the priory Constable encouraged Thomas Scaseby to elope with Elizabeth Lutton in 1531. Scaseby may have been the father of the child and he married Lutton. Constable's motives for getting involved was that Elizabeth was a potential heiress and the marriage was to Constable's advantage in his own territorial disputes. Robert Constable was executed at Hull for sundry crimes on 6 July 1537 being hanged in chains over Beverley gate at Hull. The priory was suppressed in 1539. One wall, believed to be the south wall of the church, survives as part of the Old Abbey, Yedingham.

References

Monasteries in North Yorkshire Benedictine nunneries in England 1163 establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 1160s 1539 disestablishments in England Ebberston and Yedingham {{UK-Christian-monastery-stub

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