Priory Church of St Mary, Bridlington, , commonly known as Bridlington Priory Church is a parish church in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the Diocese of York. It is on the site of an Augustinian priory founded in 1113 which was dissolved during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1951 it was designated a Grade I Listed Building.

History

Foundation

Bridlington Priory was founded around 1113 by Walter de Gant, for Augustinian Canons Regular, one of the earliest Augustinian houses in England, with an adjoining convent. Its foundation was confirmed in charters by King

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

The site had formerly been a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

church and

nunnery A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...

. When complete, the building was over and , with a transept which was . The first

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

is thought to have been called Guicheman or Wickeman.

Early history

The priory was favoured by kings and their nobles and soon owned land across Yorkshire. The Canons from the priory established Newburgh Priory in 1145. King Stephen granted that the priory should have the right to have the property of felons and fugitives within the town and proceeds from the harbour, and later King John gave the priory the right to hold a yearly fair in the town in 1200. During the conflict between Stephen and Matilda, William le Gros, Earl of Albemarle (a

Manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

in Holderness which is now ‘lost’) advanced on the priory and expelled the canons in his campaign against

Gilbert de Gant Gilbert de Gant (Giselbert de Gand, Ghent, Gaunt) (c. 1040 – 1095) was the son of Ralph, Lord of Aalst near Ghent, and Gisele of Luxembourg, the sister-in-law of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders. Gilbert de Gant was a kinsman of Matilda of ...

of Hunmanby. He fortified the priory and later gave the priory six parcels of land, one at Boynton and the rest in Holderness. Henry IV appropriated the rectory of Scarborough to the priory which was later confirmed by Henry V, Henry VI and

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

. A royal licence was also granted by

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

in 1388 to crenellate the priory with fortifications but although history tells there were four gates, 3 of those gates were in the main priory land, Kirk Gate, West Gate, Nun Gate and these were used as daily entrances in and out of the building enclosure itself. Only the

Bayle Gate The Bayle Museum is a local museum located in Bridlington, England. The building it occupies, Bayle Gate (akak The Bayle) was constructed in the 1100s and is a scheduled monument, although not much is known about its origins. The museum cont ...

was a fortified entrance standing at the borders and the Priory itself was in fact never walled. The priory also had a large library, which was listed by John Leland shortly before the dissolution.

Dissolution of the Monasteries

The priory was dissolved in 1538 by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The priory was very wealthy at the time of the dissolution and its yearly income was estimated to be , and owned land stretching from Blubberhouses in the north, and Askham Richard, down to the Spurn Point. The condition of the priory at the dissolution can be gathered from the report of Richard Pollard, a surveyor of Henry VIII. The Church was more than 390 feet in length, surrounded by the

Chapter House A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

, Treasury, Cloister, Prior's Hall,

Infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization ...

. The quire of the mediaeval church contained woodwork by the celebrated William Brownflete (or Bromflete) who had made the stalls in Beverley Minster, Manchester Cathedral and Ripon Cathedral and a number of churches under the patronage of Lady Margaret Beaufort, including Gresford and Mold churches, and the chapel of St John's College, Cambridge. All the buildings were destroyed except the nave which became the parish church and the gatehouse, which is now the

Bayle Museum The Bayle Museum is a local museum located in Bridlington, England. The building it occupies, Bayle Gate (akak The Bayle) was constructed in the 1100s and is a scheduled monument, although not much is known about its origins. The museum cont ...

. Some of the stones from the old priory were used in the construction of the piers at Bridlington. The last Prior,

William Wode Priory Church of St Mary, Bridlington, , commonly known as Bridlington Priory Church is a parish church in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the Diocese of York. It is on the site of an Augustinian priory founded in 1113 which ...

, was executed at Tyburn for his part in the Pilgrimage of Grace.

Restoration

For three centuries after the dissolution, the nave continued to be used as the parish church and only a third of the building was actually used by the congregation. From 1846 the parish began to raise funds to restore the church and it was partially re-roofed; the west window was opened out and filled with

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

; the interior was white-washed; and the east window also was filled with stained glass. This work was carried out by the Lancaster partnership of Paley and Austin, but their work was not to the satisfaction of the church authorities. Around 1874 the church employed Sir George Gilbert Scott to completely refurbish the church as it is today. The total cost of the restoration was about £27,000.

Organ

The organ was built in 1889 by the Belgian organ builder Charles Anneessens. Various adjustments were made in the 20th century, before it was restored and enlarged between 2004 and 2006 by Nicholson. It has been recorded a number of times and is played by Daniel Moult in the film and recording Virtuoso! Music for Organ.

Organists

*George Fox *William Turner 1857 – ???? (formerly organist at Pocklington) *J.W. Wilson *J E W Lord 1889–1894 (afterwards organist of

St Mary's Church, Harrogate St Mary's Church, Harrogate is a Grade II* listed redundant parish church in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The successor of the church, which uses the former church hall, is now known as Kairos Church. History In 1822 the inhabitants o ...

) * Arthur Edgar Perry * Arthur Charles Edwards 1896–1901 *

George Pattman George Thomas Pattman FRCO (1875 - 10 Aug 1961) was an organist and composer based in England. Life He was born in 1875 in Grantham, and studied music under Dr. Haydn Keeton at Peterborough Cathedral. On leaving Glasgow Cathedral in 1916 he to ...

1901–1904 (later organist of

St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow The Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Naomh Moire), commonly called St Mary's Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is located on the Great Western Road, in the west end of Glasgow, ...

) *

Bernard Johnson Bernard Johnson (1 December 1868 – 16 May 1935) FRCO was an organist and composer based in Nottingham. He was appointed City Organist for Nottingham in 1910. Life Johnson was born in South Pickenham, Norfolk on 1 December 1868. He educated at ...

1904–1909 (afterwards organist of Albert Hall, Nottingham) *Arthur Percy Stephenson ca. 1912 * Sydney Weale 1914 – 1920 *Arthur Robinson 1919–1947''Hull Daily Mail'' – Friday 31 January 1947 * Eric John Fairclough 1947–1950 * Mervyn John Byers 1952–1957 (afterwards organist of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney) *

Raymond Sunderland Raymond Sunderland FRCO (21 December 1921 – 25 December 1977) was an English organist and composer. Background Raymond G Sunderland started learning organ at age 12 and until 16 he studied with his father, the organist of Broadstone Baptist C ...

1957–1977 *Geoffrey Pearce 1984–1987 (afterwards organist at

Selby Abbey Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is Grade I listed. Monastic history It is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, ...

) *Michael Smith 1987–2019 *Paul Dewhurst 2020- Organ Scholars * Charlie Leeson 2012 – 2017 * Christopher Too 2012 – 2013 * Jake Leach 2017–2019

People connected to the Priory

* St John of Bridlington, English saint * Piers Langtoft who wrote a history of England in Anglo-Norman verse. * Robert of Bridlington, fourth prior and theologian * Sir George Ripley, 15th century English alchemist * Ginger Lacey, Battle of Britain fighter pilot (memorial plaque in the Priory)

References

External links

{{Commonscat
Priory stained glass
from the BBC 1113 establishments in England Religious organizations established in the 1110s 1537 disestablishments in England Augustinian monasteries in England Monasteries in the East Riding of Yorkshire Church of England church buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Grade I listed churches in the East Riding of Yorkshire Grade I listed monasteries Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Bridlington