St Mary the Virgin's Church, Little Dunmow, Essex, England

Little Dunmow Priory in

Little Dunmow Little Dunmow is a village situated in rural Essex, England, in the vale of the River Chelmer about east-southeast of the town of Great Dunmow. It can be reached from the Dunmow South exit of the A120 by following the road towards Braintree (B ...

was an

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

priory in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

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 priory was founded as a church by Juga de Baynard in 1104, dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

and consecrated by Maurice, bishop of London. Juga was the widow of Ralph Baynard, baron of

sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

and builder of Baynard's Castle in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, since demolished. Her son Geoffrey was sheriff of Yorkshire who, in 1097, beat

William II, Count of Eu William II, Count of Eu, feudal baron of Hastings (died about 1095) was a first generation Anglo-Norman nobleman, Count of Eu and rebel. Origins According to most authorities he was the son and heir of Robert, Count of Eu, (died before 1093), b ...

in a trial by battle. After her death (c.1106), and following her wishes and the advice of Anselm, bishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey populated Juga’s church with Augustinian canons. In 1110, Lady Juga’s grandson, and Geoffrey’s son, William de Baynard, fell from grace and lost his lands.

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...

gave those lands to Robert Fitz Richard, but Henry and his wife Matilda of Scotland confirmed the canons’ possessions in Little Dunmow. Robert’s wife Maud, the step-daughter of Matilda’s brother David I, gave more lands to the canons, establishing the priory in perpetuity. Much of the history of Little Dunmow Priory was unremarkable, but in 1369, canon William de Stoke was arrested for counterfeiting the king's money. Never large nor rich, Little Dunmow Priory, assessed at around £150, came under the

Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535 The Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535 ( 27 Hen 8 c 28; 1536 in modern dating), also referred to as the Act for the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries and as the Dissolution of Lesser Monasteries Act, was an Act of the Parliament of ...

and was closed down. Its lands were given to

Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex Robert Radcliffe, 10th Baron Fitzwalter, 1st Earl of Sussex, KG, KB, PC (c. 148327 November 1542), also spelt Radclyffe, Ratcliffe, Ratcliff, etc., was a prominent courtier and soldier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII who served ...

. Although the monastic complex was destroyed, the

lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, an ...

is still in use today as the parish church. The plan of the priory was determined by excavation in 1913 - 1914.

Burials in the priory church

* Robert Fitzwalter (died 9 December 1235), feudal baron of Little Dunmow, Essex *

Walter of Bibbesworth Walter of Bibbesworth (1235–1270) was an English knight and Anglo-Norman poet. Documents confirm that he held land in the parish of Kimpton, Hertfordshire at the farm now called Bibbsworth Hall ("Bibbs Hall" on some maps). About 1250 he serv ...

(1235-1270) was an English knight and Anglo-Norman poet. * Walter Fitz Robert (c. 1124–1198), 2nd Lord of Little Dunmow, Essex *Aveline FitzJohn FitzGeoffrey, wife of Sir Walter de Burgh,

Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's eld ...

John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter John FitzWalter, 2nd Baron FitzWalter (Fitzwalter or Fitz Wauter; 131518 October 1361) was a prominent Essex landowner best known for his criminal activities, particularly around Colchester. His family was of a noble and ancient lineage, with c ...

According to local legend, it is the resting place of Maid Marian.

References

{{coord, 51.865084, 0.403823, type:landmark_region:GB_source:Wikimapia_scale:2000, name=Little Dunmow Priory, display=title Monasteries in Essex Augustinian monasteries in England 1100s establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century 1536 disestablishments in England