Donnington Friary was a
friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
of
crouched friars
The Crutched Friars (also Crossed or Crouched Friars, cross-bearing brethren) were a Roman Catholic religious order in England and Ireland. Their name is derived from a staff they carried with them surmounted by a crucifix. There were several orde ...
at
Donnington in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
county of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
. At the time of suppression the establishment was recorded as
Trinitarian
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Fa ...
, but this was later corrected to
Crossed Friars
The Crutched Friars (also Crossed or Crouched Friars, cross-bearing brethren) were a Roman Catholic religious order in England and Ireland. Their name is derived from a staff they carried with them surmounted by a crucifix. There were several orde ...
. This was possibly a ploy by the two brothers in occupation at the time in order to ensure their pension.
Establishment
In 1376
Sir Richard Abberbury granted land to the Crutched Friars in London for the chapel to be served by two chaplains at Donnington, where a church and dependant priory were erected to the north of the chapel. The friary was established by 1393 when the patients of the hospital at Donnington were mandated to attend mass at the church.
Forfeit and dissolution
The chapel was forfeit in 1448 due to breach by the Prior of the terms of the endowment. The establishment was
dissolved on 30 November 1538.
Donnington Priory
The site is now occupied by the 17th century
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...
named Donnington Priory.
See also
*
List of monastic houses in Berkshire
The following is a list of the monastic houses in Berkshire, England.
Alien houses are included, as are smaller establishments such as Monastic cell, cells and notable monastic granges (particularly those with resident monks), and also camerae ...
References
* Knowles, David & Hadcock, R. Neville (1971) ''Medieval Religious Houses
England & Wales''. Longman
Monasteries in Berkshire
West Berkshire District
1538 disestablishments in England
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