Harleian_Ms2169 St Mihell arms colorized

The Holy Trinity Priory, also known as Christchurch Aldgate, 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 ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

canons ( Black Canons) founded around 1108 by the English queen

Matilda of Scotland Matilda of Scotland (originally christened Edith, 1080 – 1 May 1118), also known as Good Queen Maud, or Matilda of Blessed Memory, was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England o ...

near

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

.'Austin canons: Priory of Holy Trinity or Christchurch, Aldgate' ''A History of the County of London: Volume 1: London within the Bars, Westminster and Southwark'' (1909), pp. 465–475
Accessed 13 November 2007Burton ''Monastic and Religious Orders'' p. 46

History

The English queen

received advice and help in the foundation from

Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury, OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also called ( it, Anselmo d'Aosta, link=no) after his birthplace and (french: Anselme du Bec, link=no) after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of th ...

, the

archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

. The house was founded with clergy from St Botolph's Priory in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

, and the first prior was Norman, who was the queen's confessor. By 1115 the entire ''soke'', or

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

East Smithfield East Smithfield is a small locality in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, east London, and also a short street, a part of the A1203 road. Once broader in scope, the name came to apply to the part of the ancient parish of St Botolph withou ...

(including the ward of

Portsoken Portsoken, traditionally referred to with the definite article as the Portsoken, is one of the City of London's 25 ancient wards, which are still used for local elections. Historically an extra-mural Ward, lying east of Aldgate and the City wall ...

) was given by the ''

Knighten Guilde The ''Knighten Guilde'' or ''Cnichtengild'', which loosely translates into modern English as the Knight's Guild, was an obscure Medieval guild of the City of London, according to '' A Survey of London'' by John Stow (1603) in origin an order of ch ...

'' to the church of Holy Trinity within Aldgate. The prior of the abbey was then to sit as an ''ex officio''

Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

of London.Allen, Thomas ''The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and parts adjacent'' pp.709–712 (George Virtue, 1839)

Matilda of Boulogne Matilda (c.1105 – 3 May 1152) was Countess of Boulogne in her own right from 1125 and Queen of England from the accession of her husband, Stephen, in 1136 until her death in 1152. She supported Stephen in his struggle for the English throne ...

continued the close relationship between queenship and the priory. Two of her children were buried here and she took the prior as her confessor. In the 12th century the priory had a reputation as a centre of learning under Prior

Peter of Cornwall Peter of Cornwall (1139/1140– July 7, 1221) was a medieval scholar and prior of Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate. He was born near Launceston, Cornwall, the son of Jordan of Trecarrel (died c. 1180). He studied in London under Master Henry of Nort ...

. Holy Trinity Priory in London, commended to St Botolph's Priory by Matilda of Scotland, was initially supposed to be obedient to them. However this authority was disputed by Holy Trinity, and after a lawsuit before arbitrators appointed by

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of import ...

the matter was referred to the bishop of London, who decided in 1223 that Holy Trinity should be free from visitation from the canons and priors of St Botolph's. Thomas Pomerey is named as the prior of the house & church of Holy Trinity within Algate, in 1460. Holy Trinity Priory

The priory was dissolved in February 1532 when it was given back to 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 disa ...

. The buildings and land associated with the priory were given, or sold, to prominent courtiers and City merchants. None of the buildings survive today except for some pointed arches within the office building on the corner of Aldgate and Mitre Street. Mitre Street itself follows roughly the line of the nave of the priory church, while

Mitre Square Mitre Square is a small square in the City of London. It measures about by and is connected via three passages with Mitre Street to the south west, to Creechurch Place to the north west and, via St James's Passage (formerly Church Passage), t ...

corresponds roughly to the former cloister. Some account of the Priory is given by

John Stow John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles'', ''The ...

, and in the revised ''Monasticon''.J. Caley, H. Ellis and B. Bandinel (eds), ''Monasticon Anglicanum'', New Edition, Volume 6 Part 1 (James Bohn, London 1846)
pp. 150-65
(Google).

Burials

*Baldwin of Blois, son of

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...

, (died in or before 1135) *Matilda of Blois, daughter of

, (died before 1141), married in infancy to

Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan Waleran, Galeran, or Walram is a Germanic first name, common in the Middle Ages, that may refer to: People *Waleran I of Limburg (died 1082) * Waleran the Hunter (fl. 1086) * Walram (bishop of Naumburg) (r. 1091–1111) *Waleran of Le Puiset (died ...

*Rohese de Boulogne, wife of

Richard de Luci Richard de Luci (or Lucy; 1089 – 14 July 1179) was first noted as High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief Justiciar of England. Biography His mother was Aveline, the niece and heiress of William Goth. In the charter for Sées Ca ...

* Henry Fitz-Ailwin (d. 1212). First Lord Mayor of London. Buried in the entrance to the chapter-house. *

Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex and 4th Earl of Gloucester (c. 1191 – 23 February 1216) was an English peer. He was an opponent of King John and one of the ''Magna Carta'' sureties. Geoffrey and his brother took the surname Mande ...

*Lady Margaret Tibetot Scrope, wife of

Roger Scrope, 2nd Baron Scrope of Bolton Roger Scrope, 2nd Baron Scrope of Bolton was a member of the English peerage in the late fourteenth century. He was the second son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton (''c''. 1327–1403) and Blanche de la Pole (sister of the earl o ...

*Agnes (d. 12 June 1403), daughter of

Michael de Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings Michael de Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings, Knt. (c.1318 – 7 March 1369), of Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, was an English nobleman and soldier. He was present at the Battle of Crécy. Michael de Poynings was summoned to Parliament by writs direct t ...

Priors

The priors of this house include: * Norman d. 1147- a disciple of

* Ralph d. 1167 * William *

(Prior 1197-1221) * Richard de Temple * John de Toking * Eustace prior from 1264 to 1280 * William Aygnel * John Sevenoke (accused of lechery in 1439) * Nicholas Hancocke

References

* * {{Authority control History of the City of London Augustinian monasteries in England Monasteries in London 1108 establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century 1532 disestablishments in England Medieval London Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation