St Mary's Priory, Binham, or Binham Priory, is a ruined

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 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 ...

located in the village of

Binham Binham is a village and a civil parish in the England, English county of Norfolk. The village is north west of Norwich, west of Cromer and north north east of London. The village lies east south east of the town of Wells-next-the-Sea. The ne ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. Today the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

of the much larger priory church has become the ''Church of St. Mary and the Holy Cross'' and is still used as a place of worship. The remains of the priory are in the care of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

. The abbey's west face is the first example in England of gothic bar tracery, predating

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

by a decade.

History

The priory was founded in the late 11th century, as a dependent house 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 ...

, by

Peter de Valognes Peter de Valognes (1045-1110) was a Norman noble who became a great landowner in England following the Norman Conquest. Land holdings Between 1070 and 1076 Peter de Valognes was granted lands in the six counties of Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshir ...

and his wife Albreda. After the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, Peter was assigned lands in west and north Norfolk, among them the entire village of Binham. The priory was endowed with the entire manor of Binham, making the

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

the

lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

, together with the

tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...

of thirteen other churches in Norfolk. Originally it had 8 monks, rising to 13 or 14 in the 14th century before falling back to 6 immediately before its suppression 1539. "Its history is one of almost continuous scandal." Many of its priors proved to be unscrupulous and irresponsible. A

Ley tunnel Mysterious tunnels or "secret passages" are a common element of the local folklore tradition in Europe. Such tunnels are said to physically link prominent places such as country houses, castles, churches, ancient monuments and other, often med ...

is said to run from the buildings to an unknown destination and it is reported that many years ago a fiddler decided to explore these passages; he could be heard for some distance before suddenly ceasing. The fiddler was never seen again.Westwood, Jennifer (1985), ''Albion. A Guide to Legendary Britain.'' Pub. Grafton Books, London. . P. 400.

Present day

The priory church continues to be used for parish services. As the priory was dedicated to Mary and the church to the Holy Cross, it is called The Priory Church of St Mary and the Holy Cross.

Burials

and wife Albreda de Saint-Saveur * Roger de Valognes (their son) and his wife Agnes FitzJohn

War Memorial

The war memorial for Binham is located in the grounds of Binham Priory.Smith, L. (2003). Retrieved 5 November 2022. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/BinhamPriory.html It takes the form of a stone

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

and holds the following names for the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

: * Sergeant Bertie J. Fickling MM (d.1918), 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment * Sergeant Thomas S. C. Youngman MM (1897-1916), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Corporal Wallace E. Clark (1882-1916),

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

* Private Bertie Bunnett (1897-1916), 10th Battalion, Border Regiment * Private Henry H. Wyer (d.1918), 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Private Edward E. Hooke (1895-1916), 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Private Harry R. Neale (d.1917), 7th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Private Alec G. Curson (1896-1916), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Private Herbert G. Grange (1896-1916), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Private William H. Males (1895-1916), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Private E. E. Coe (d.1915), 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment And, the following for the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

: * Sergeant Francis E. A. Rivett (1922-1943),

No. 576 Squadron RAF No. 576 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Second World War heavy bomber squadron. History 576 Squadron was formed on 25 November 1943 at RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire under the command of Wing Commander G.T.B Clayton DFC. "A" Flight was form ...

* Corporal Cecil R. Kendle (1920-1942), 5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment * Gunner Reginald J. Manning (1907-1940), 5th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery * H. Baxter * F. Taplin

References

External links