Dorchester Friary, also known as Dorchester Priory, was a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friary formerly located in

Dorchester, Dorset Dorchester ( ) is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The friary stood on the north side of the town (), on the banks of the River Frome, a little east of the site of

Dorchester Castle Dorchester Castle was a motte and bailey castle in the market town of Dorchester, Dorset, southern England (). History The date that the castle was built is unclear. Between 1154 and 1175 it was in possession of the Earl of Cornwall and it had b ...

.Victoria County History, (1908), The Franciscan Friars of Dorchester
/ref> Possibly a royal foundation, it was in existence by 1267, and it was dissolved in 1538. In 1296, the establishment is recorded as being home to 32 friars. In the course of its existence it received legacies and gifts from such notable people as Thomas Bitton, Bishop of Exeter;

Elizabeth de Clare Elizabeth de Clare, 11th Lady of Clare (16 September 1295 – 4 November 1360) was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk, in England and Usk in Wales. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertfo ...

; and John de Waltham, Bishop of Salisbury. The Hospital of St John the Baptist in Dorchester was placed in their care by King

Richard III of England Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

, even though his predecessor, Henry VI, had given it to

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. The friars' other properties included profitable local watermills, barns and gardens. In 1485, in return for his generosity to the friary, Sir John Byconil was recognised as "chief founder" and it was agreed that henceforth boys newly admitted to the order would be known as "Byconil's Friars". Richard Yngworth, the newly appointed Bishop of Dover, had the task of dissolving the friary and seizing its assets on behalf of King

Henry VIII of England 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 ...

, and the long-standing warden, Dr William Germen, eventually signed the deed of surrender at the end of September 1538. Edmund Peckham, a cofferer in the King's Household, purchased the buildings and land and sold them on to

Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton (21 December 1505 – 30 July 1550), KG was an English peer, secretary of state, Lord Chancellor and Lord High Admiral. A naturally skilled but unscrupulous and devious politician who changed with t ...

in 1547. The estate later passed into the hands of Denzil Holles, MP, who had married Dorothy Ashley, a Dorset heiress, whose father, Sir

Francis Ashley Sir Francis Ashley (24 November 1569 – 1635) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1625. Ashley was born at Damerham, the son of Sir Anthony Ashley of Damerham in Wiltshire and ...

, had bought it from Southampton. Ashley had made many alterations to the house Holles' son, Francis Holles, 2nd Baron Holles, was born there in 1627. When the Holles barony became extinct, the estate passed to

John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle John Holles, Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, KG, PC (9 January 1662 – 15 July 1711) was an English peer. Early life Holles was born in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, the son of the 3rd Earl of Clare and his wife Grace Pierrepont. Grace was a d ...

. The house was described by James Savage in his 1837 ''History of Dorchester'' as having been standing "a few years ago". Savage described it as "a long low and irregular building; the eastern part seemed to be the most ancient by three old windows. At the West end there was a long gallery perhaps once a dormitory."

References

External links

The Franciscan Friars of Dorchester
Victoria County History (1908)
Dorchester Greyfriars
Pastscape {{coord, 50.7173, N, 2.4355, W, display=title Monasteries in Dorset Buildings and structures in Dorchester, Dorset Franciscan monasteries in England 13th-century establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 13th century 1538 disestablishments in England