Belvoir Priory (pronounced ''Beaver'') 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 ...

priory near to

Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle ( ) is a faux historic castle and stately home in Leicestershire, England, situated west of the town of Grantham and northeast of Melton Mowbray. The Castle was first built immediately after the Norman Conquest of 1066 an ...

. Although once described as within

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, it is currently located in Leicestershire, near the present Belvoir Lodge.

History

The priory was established in 1076 by Robert de Todeni, Lord of Belvoir, on land near to the castle. Unable to complete the building work due to his "secular employments", following the advice of Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, he handed the priory to the Abbot of St Albans Abbey. Belvoir priory was then developed as a cell (a small establishment dependent upon a

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow memb ...

) for the abbey. In return for his gift, Robert de Todeni was buried within the priory's chapter house and the monks were to pray for his soul. St Peters Redmile

The priory was fairly small, housing only four monks. It did, however, attract gifts and patronage; many of those making donations were, similar to its founder, buried within the priory's church or chapter house. Among these gifts were the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...

s of the churches at

Redmile Redmile is an English village and civil parish in the Melton district of Leicestershire, about north of Melton Mowbray and west of Grantham. The population of the civil parish, which includes Barkestone-le-Vale and Plungar, was 921 at the 2 ...

, gifted by William d'Albini; and of Woolsthorpe, gifted in 1308 by

William de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros William Ros or Roos, 1st Baron Ros of Helmsley (c. 1255 – 6 or 8 August 1316), was one of the claimants of the crown of Scotland in 1292 during the reign of Edward I. Family William Ros was the eldest son of Robert de Ros (d. 17 May 128 ...

. The priory's small size meant it struggled to support itself and was frequently in debt and facing poverty. As the dissolution approached the priory was no longer in debt but did not have the revenues to support any monks; the prior lived alone, visited intermittently by monks from St Albans Abbey. Belvoir Priory was dissolved with its

in 1539, as part of the Dissolution of the monasteries.

Other burials

William d'Aubigny (Brito) William d'Aubigny (d. after 1148), was an itinerant justice under King Henry I of England. He was commonly known by the appellation Brito. William was a son of Main d'Aubigny, Breton lord of Saint-Aubin-d'Aubigné (now in Ille-et-Vilaine depar ...

* Robert de Todeni *

William de Ros, 6th Baron de Ros William Ros, 6th Baron Ros (c. 1370 – 1 November 1414) was a medieval English English peerage, nobleman, politician and soldier. The second son of Thomas Ros, 4th Baron Ros and Beatrice Stafford, William inherited his father's Feudal baron, ...

and his wife Lady Margaret Arundel Roos *

John de Ros, 7th Baron de Ros John Ros, 7th Baron Ros of Helmsley (c.1397 – 22 March 1421) was an English nobleman. He was the eldest son of William Ros, 6th Baron Ros, and Margaret Fitzalan (d. 3 July 1438), the daughter of John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel, by Eleanor Mal ...

References

{{Monasteries in Leicestershire , state=collapsed Monasteries in Leicestershire 1076 establishments in England 1539 disestablishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Benedictine monasteries in England Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation