St. Denys Priory was a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

Austin canons Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...

in the

St Denys St Denys is a partially riverside district of Southampton, England, centred north north-east of the city centre facing variously Bitterne Park and quay across the River Itchen estuary. The river is here spanned in the mid-east extreme of t ...

area of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, Hampshire, England.

Foundation

The priory was founded by

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 ...

in 1124. The foundation charter granted

to God and the church of St. Denis and the canons serving God there, for the health of his soul and of the souls of his father and mother, Maud his wife and William his son, a parcel of land between Portswood and the Itchen, having a rental of 11s. 6d., together with another parcel of land near the sea to the east of the borough, having a rental of 41s. 6d.

A canon named Girard was named in the foundation charter and is assumed to have become the first prior.

12th to 16th centuries

In 1338 the town of Southampton was sacked and burnt by the French. The town took a long time to recover and as late as April, 1385 protection was granted to the priory of St. Denis and its possessions, because so much of its property had been burnt and destroyed that the costs of repairing the tenements and contributing to the fortification of the town had placed the priory deeply in debt and it did not have the means to pay pensions and corrodies or to maintain the canons. St dennys nave

The priory held the free chapel of the Blessed Mary which was a place of pilgrimage known as St. Mary of Graces.

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 ...

visited it in 1510 and made an offering in person of 6s. 8d.. By the time of the dissolution the priory held various possessions in Southampton, including the manor of St. Denis, and pensions from the churches of the Holyrood, All Saints, St. Lawrence and

St. Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

. In Hampshire it held the: * manors of Northam, 'Leverley', 'Berefords', 'Bremerton' and Quidhampton, *rectories of 'Estadderley, Aulworth' and

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

*lands, rents, pensions, etc., in Aldington (possibly an alternative spelling of Allington),

Portswood Portswood is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-north-east of the city centre and is bounded by (clockwise from west) Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley. Portswood Wa ...

, East Dean, Broughton,

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada * Houghton Townshi ...

King's Somborne King's Somborne is a village in Hampshire, England. The village lies on the edge of the valley of the River Test. Location King's Somborne is a large parish covers , of which are covered by water. Most of the ground is low-lying, with a high poi ...

Romsey Romsey ( ) is a historic market town in the county of Hampshire, England. Romsey was home to the 17th-century philosopher and economist William Petty and the 19th-century British prime minister, Lord Palmerston, whose statue has stood in the t ...

, Ablingeton, Appleshawe, Burbage, 'Brinknoll,' 'Shreton,' and Stapleford. The priory also had lands in Wiltshire at Wilton and

Chisbury Chisbury is a hamlet and prehistoric hill fort in the civil parish of Little Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Chisbury is about west of Hungerford and about south-east of Marlborough. History At above sea level, Chisbury hillfort is the highest ...

, and in Dorset at Sturminster and 'Lichette'.

Dissolution

The priory was suppressed in 1536. According to the

Valor Ecclesiasticus The ''Valor Ecclesiasticus'' (Latin: "church valuation") was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII. It was colloquially called the Kings books, a s ...

its annual value was £80 11s. 6d.. There were nine canons and the prior at that time. The prior received a pension of £13 6s. 8d. and the chapel of the Blessed Mary with its

appurtenances An appurtenance is something subordinate to or belonging to another larger, principal entity, that is, an adjunct, satellite or accessory that generally accompanies something else.Tudor House Museum Tudor House and Garden is a historic building, museum, tourist attraction, and Grade I listed building in Southampton, England. Established as Southampton's first museum in 1912, the house was closed for nine years between 2002 and 2011 during ...

. The present church is late

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

and holds a few tiles and a coffin from the original site.

References

* * ''

The Buildings of England ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight'',

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

and David W. Lloyd {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Denys Priory Augustinian monasteries in England Priories in Hampshire 1536 disestablishments in England Religious organizations established in the 1120s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Roman Catholic churches in Southampton 1124 establishments in England