Sopwell Priory (also known as Sopwell Nunnery) was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

nunnery founded around 1140 on the site of an ancient hermitage in Sopwell,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, England. After the Dissolution, the priory was torn down and a Tudor manor house constructed in its place.

History

Priory of St Mary

The priory was built c. 1140 by the Benedictine abbot of St Albans Abbey, Geoffrey de Gorham on the site of an old hermitage. It was founded as the Priory of St Mary of Sopwell and was a dependency of

St Albans Abbey St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

. The church was on the north side of the cloister with a chapter house and dormitory on the east side. At its height it comprised a prioress and nineteen nuns, and probably a number of servants. Many of the nuns came from well-off families."Sopwell", Monastic Matrix, University of St Andrews
/ref> The prioress was appointed by the abbot of St. Albans. In 1247 Henry III granted a yearly stipend of 50 shillings to support a chaplain. The priory was attacked in 1429 by the robber William Wawe and his men, who attempted to plunder the priory but were driven off by the intervention of some townsmen. Juliana Berners, a prioress during the 15th century, is believed to be the author of the ''

Boke of St Albans ''The Book of Saint Albans'' (or ''Boke of Seynt Albans'') is the common title of a book printed in 1486 that is a compilation of matters relating to the interests of the time of a gentleman. It was the last of eight books printed by the St Alba ...

'' published in 1486.

Lee Hall

Following the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

of St Albans Abbey in 1539, Sopwell Priory was bought by Sir Richard Lee, a military engineer and commander of

King 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 disag ...

. He tore the priory down and built a house on the site which he named Lee Hall. Lee retained some features of the priory, using the nave of the priory church as a hall with a fireplace.Bourton, Peter. "Sopwell ruins", St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaelogical Society, May 20, 2021
/ref>

Sopwell House

In the 1560s, Lee decided to build a larger house, named "Sopwell House", with a great hall between two perpendicular wings. The monastic cloister was turned into a courtyard. In 1669, the estate was sold to

Sir Harbottle Grimston ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

. Much of the house was pulled down, and materials reused at

Gorhambury Old Gorhambury House located near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, is a ruined Elizabethan mansion, a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. It was built in 1563–68 by Nicholas Bacon (courtier), Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord ...

. What remained was modified to form a house which ceased to be used in the late 18th century, and became a ruin. The ruins, which are now managed by St Albans Museums, remain today on Cottonmill Lane, near the centre of

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

. In 2017 the ruins were tagged with graffiti. "Due to the fragile nature of the bricks, specialist teams were brought in to ensure cleaning chemicals did not cause damage."Berry, Franki. "St Albans’ Sopwell Nunnery ruins now clean after graffiti incident", ''The Herts Advertiser'', 6 December 2017
/ref>

Images

File:Sopwell-PS01.JPG Image:Sopwell House (1).jpg Image:Sopwell House (2).jpg Image:Sopwell House (3).jpg Image:Sopwell House (4).jpg Image:Sopwell House (6).jpg Image:Sopwell House (7).jpg Image:Sopwell House (8).jpg

References

External links

St Albans Museums: Sopwell Ruins

Priory ruins

Priory floorplan
Buildings and structures in St Albans Monasteries in Hertfordshire Benedictine nunneries in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Ruins in Hertfordshire 12th-century establishments in England 1539 disestablishments in England Grade II listed buildings in Hertfordshire Grade II listed monasteries Scheduled monuments in Hertfordshire {{Christian-monastery-stub