St Bees Priory
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St Bees Priory is the
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of St Bees,
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
, England. There is evidence for a pre-Norman religious site, and on this a Benedictine
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 ...
was founded by the first Norman Lord of Egremont
William Meschin William Meschin (sometimes William le Meschin; died between 1130 and 1135) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and baron. The brother of the earl of Chester, Meschin participated in the First Crusade. After returning to England, he acquired lands both ...
, and was dedicated by Archbishop ThurstanWilson, Rev J, The Registers of St Bees Priory, The Surtees Society 1915. of York, sometime between 1120 and 1135. From sculptural and charter evidence the site was a principal centre of religious influence in the west of the county, and an extensive parish grew up with detached portions covering much of the Western Lakes.See John M. Tod
The pre-Conquest Church in St Bees, Cumbria
/ref> The Priory was dissolved in 1539, and since then the buildings have been the Anglican church of St Bees parish, and is now a grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.


The Pre-Norman Church

There is sculptural and place-name evidence for the existence of a pre-Norman religious site; though no existing buildings from that time. The St Bees place-name is derived from "Kirkeby Becok" - the "Church town of Bega", which was used in the 12th Century. St Bega is a mysterious figure from pre-Norman Britain, and is said to have been an Irish princess who fled across the sea to St Bees to avoid an enforced marriage.John M Todd. ''St Bega - Cult, Fact and Legend'', Transactions of Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Volume LXXX 1980 Legend has it that she then lived a life of piety at St Bees. The most likely period for her journey would have been sometime in the thirty years after 850, when the Vikings were settling Ireland. The continuance of the cult of St Bega following the arrival of the Normans is recorded in the Register of the Priory by the swearing of oaths on the "Bracelet of St Bega". This relic was touched as the means of taking a binding oath; oaths are recorded up to 1279, and offerings to the bracelet were made as late as 1516.
In the graveyard is a cross shaft dating from the 10th century, showing Viking influence, and from the same era is a cross shaft of the Cumbrian spiral-scroll school, now in the church, both of which testify to this being a pre-Norman religious site.
Pre-Norman parish boundaries suggest that St Bees had considerable pre-Norman influence in the west, and it has been suggested that St Bees was a "minster church" serving the west coast, but there is no firm evidence.John M Todd, ''The pre-Conquest Church in St Bees, Cumbria: a possible minster?'', Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and archaeological Society, Vol III, 2003.


The Priory


Founding

The Normans did not reach this part of Cumbria until 1092.
William Meschin William Meschin (sometimes William le Meschin; died between 1130 and 1135) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and baron. The brother of the earl of Chester, Meschin participated in the First Crusade. After returning to England, he acquired lands both ...
, supported by Archbishop Thurstan, used the existing religious site to found a Benedictine Priory not earlier than 1120 and not later than 1135. The priory was subordinate to the great Benedictine monastery of
St Mary's Abbey, York The Abbey of St Mary is a ruined Benedictine abbey in York, England and a scheduled monument. History Once one of the most prosperous abbeys in Northern England,Dean, G. 2008. ''Medieval York''. Stroud: History Press. p. 86 its remains li ...
and had a Prior and six monks. To endow the Priory, there were many original grants of property and churches from local lords including the parish of Kirkeby Becok itself; stretching from the coast at present-day Whitehaven to the River Keekle, and down to where the river "Egre" (Ehen) falls into the sea. Also granted were the chapel of Egremont, churches at Whicham and Bootle, land in Rottington and the manor of Stainburn at Workington. St Bees was therefore the principal religious centre in the west of Cumbria, and the large number of existing medieval grave slabs of the local nobility testify to its to its importance.


Growth and decline

Later grants endowed the Priory with the churches of
Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...
,
Gosforth Gosforth is a suburb of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It constituted a separate Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of New ...
, Corney and Whitbeck, and the chapels of Harrington, Clifton, Loweswater and Weddicar. These and a number of other gifts made St Bees the third-richest monastic house in the county. The Priory was enlarged in about 1190 by construction of a new chancel at the east end, and further enlarged ca. 1270-1300 by the addition of a chancel aisle to the south of this.
In its most prosperous and active period, the 14th-15th centuries, the Priory had not only a large church, but an impressive range of monastic domestic buildings. None of the priors rose to great prominence in the wider church, though two became Abbots of York. Possibly the relative isolation of St Bees meant that it was out of the mainstream of monastic politics. However its proximity to the Scottish border had disadvantages. It is known the Priory suffered in 1315 from Scots raiders, when after the
Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...
James Douglas came south and raided the Priory and destroyed two of its mansions.Collison C, ''Ye Boke of ye Busie Bee"'' Dickinson, Millom, 1940 There is also an undated raid, possibly 1216, 1174 or further back in the reign of King Stephen. The monks were active in early coal mining, and the earliest reference to mining in the Whitehaven area is in the time of Prior Langton (1256–82), concerning the coal mines at Arrowthwaite. Apart from the usual husbandry, we have evidence the monks ran a mill in the village. Charter 423 of the priory refers to a grant of all the water in Rottington for the use of the priory sometime between 1240 and 1265. Despite this prosperity it is likely, as with many monastic houses, that the Priory was running down by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as the large chapel in the chancel south aisle at the east end appears to have become ruined about 1500, but not rebuilt. This can be seen in Bucks' view of the Priory dating from 1739, and some of the ruins are still visible.


The Dissolution

The monastic Priory was dissolved on 16 October 1539. The nave, tower and transepts continued in use as the Parish Church, and some of the cloister range was retained as a residence for the parish priest. This was finally demolished in 1816, when a new vicarage was built and the theological college was founded. Otherwise the monastic chancel at the east end was rendered roofless and the east arch of the tower was infilled with a dividing wall. The
chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
and east range of buildings were demolished.


Burials in the priory

*
William de Lancaster I William de Lancaster I (d. circa 1170), or William Fitz Gilbert, was a nobleman of the 12th century in Northwest England during the Anarchy, and the period during which his region was ruled by King David I of Scotland. His position survived the ...
*
Anthony de Lucy Anthony de Lucy, 1st Baron Lucy (also spelt Luci; 1283–10 June 1343) was an English nobleman who served as warden of Carlisle Castle and Chief Justiciar of Ireland. Biography Lord Lucy's coat of arms. The fish are pikes, and thus form a ...
, 3rd Baron Lucy (d. 1368) *Prior Thomas de Cotyngham


The Parish Church

Following the Dissolution, the nave continued in use as the parish church. But by 1611 it was necessary to undertake considerable repairs, including the large bell tower which was structurally repaired to prevent further collapse; it had deteriorated to not far above the present arches. There was continuing attention by a series of small repairs going through the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 18th century the west door was not used, probably because the land abutting the door had passed into secular ownership, and the congregation entered via a north porch. By the early 1800s the building was in a poor state of repair. However, help was at hand from an unexpected quarter.


The Theological College

In 1816
George Henry Law George Henry Law (12 September 1761 – 22 September 1845) was the Bishop of Chester (1812) and then, from 1824, Bishop of Bath and Wells. Born at the lodge of Peterhouse, Cambridge, of which his father Edmund Law (who later became Bishop of ...
,
Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the C ...
, in whose diocese the Priory then was, founded the St Bees Theological College.Park, Rev Dr T ''St Bees College - Pioneering Higher Education in 19th Century Cumbria'' 2008, . It was the first Church of England college for the training of clergy outside Oxford and Cambridge and was an immediate success due to its more vocational approach. The monastic chancel, which had been roofless since the Dissolution, was re-roofed to become the main college lecture room and library. The students lodged in the village and the Principal was also the Vicar of St Bees. The college was very successful; training over 2,600 clergy, but closed in 1895, both at the prospect of falling numbers as it could not award degrees, and its vulnerability as a private institution as students now favoured the larger colleges that had sprung up using the St Bees model.


Restoration

The 19th century was the great era of
restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
, helped greatly by the presence of the Theological College and the increasing prosperity of the village. The West door came into use, a new vicarage was built to the west, and the last of the monastic cloister was demolished. The nave and transepts were re-roofed, and to accommodate a new organ in 1867 the west Gallery was taken down. The altar was moved from under the tower east into a new chancel, which occupied one bay of the monastic choir. The tower was re-built in the Romanesque style to the design of
William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was born in Lon ...
when the eight bells were installed in 1858. The north and south aisles were partly rebuilt and completely furnished with new stained glass. In 1899 the present magnificent "Father"
Henry Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...
organ was installed.


Present use

The church continues in use as the parish church of St Bees. In 1953 the Butterfield Romanesque spire was removed, and the bells were re-hung. In the 1960s the central pew arrangement was removed to give a centre aisle, and in the 1980s a doorway was built between the church and the monastic choir, which now acts as one of the parish rooms. In the
lapidarium A lapidarium is a place where stone (Latin: ) monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited. They can include stone epigraphy, epigraphs; statues; architectural elements such as columns, cornices, and acroterions; bas reliefs ...
in the south aisle there is one of the finest collections of effigies and carved stones in the county, including a very fine incised stone of Prior Cotyngham, and there is a comprehensive history display created in 2010.


Architecture

All of the church buildings in use at 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 ...
are still standing and in use by the parish. However, nothing remains of the domestic buildings of the monks.
The magnificent Norman west doorway of the Priory dates from 1150 to 1160,Pevsner N, ''The buildings of England, Cumberland and Westmorland''. 1967 and is the most richly decorated in the county, with three orders of columns, zig-zag and beak-head decoration. Opposite in the west courtyard is a fine Romanesque lintel, which may have served an earlier church, dating from circa 1120. The six nave arcades are Early English arches sitting on the original Norman pillars, and the base of the tower is Norman but the arches are Early English. The east wall of the north transept has plain Norman windows above the chapel altar, and there is a fine Norman window on the north side of the present chancel, though with Victorian plate tracery. The St Bega chapel in the north transept has two fine Norman windows above the altar. Flanking the altar are the two sculptures of St Bega and the Virgin Mary by
Josefina de Vasconcellos Josefina Alys Hermes de Vasconcellos (26 October 1904 – 20 July 2005) was an English sculptor who worked in bronze, stone, wood, lead and perspex. She was at one time the world's oldest living sculptor. She lived in Cumbria much of her wor ...
which make up the "Vision of St Bega" (1950). In the 19th century two large
cinquefoil ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 300Guillén, A., et al. (2005)Reproductive biology of the Iberian species of ''Potentilla'' L. (Rosaceae).''Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid'' 1(62) 9–21. species of annual, biennial and perenn ...
openings were inserted by Butterfield into the medieval east walls of the transepts. The side aisles are a Victorian restoration down to the string course. At the east end, beyond the present chancel wall built by Butterfield, is the monastic chancel of about 1190, still almost complete, with a fine range of lancet windows on the north side, and on the south an arcade of arches (now infilled and with modern windows) which would have led to the 14th-century chapel in the chancel aisle. The monastic chancel is currently separated from the body of the church by the altar wall, though there is a modern connecting doorway. It is currently used as a parish room. Beneath the elevated wooden floor of the present building is the original stone floor of the medieval church. Outside to the south of the chancel are the remains of the chapel built 1270–1300, which may have fallen due to structural problems before the Dissolution.
In the ruined fragment of the south wall can be seen the top steps of the monks' night stairs and a squint window, while to the east the north jamb is all that remains of what must have been a very impressive window.


St Bees Man

During an archaeological dig in 1981 in the area of the 14th-century ruined chapel at the east end, a number of medieval burials were uncovered, and the remains of an earlier building on a different alignment to the Priory was found. The most significant find was of a man aged 35–45 in a lead coffin in a stone vault, given the name St Bees Man, whose body was in a remarkable state of preservation. It has now been determined with a high degree of probability that he was Anthony de Lucy, a
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
, who died in 1368 in the Teutonic Crusades in
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
. Although the body was about six hundred years old, his nails, skin and stomach contents were found to be in near-perfect condition.Text of lecture given by John M Todd at the Post Graduate Seminar on Medieval history, Lancaster University, Sept, 1987, and later at Oxford, Copenhagen and St Andrews universities. After his death the vault was enlarged to take the body of his sister, Maud de Lucy, who died in 1398. The probable effigies of both Maud and Anthony can be seen in the extensive history display in the priory, which includes the shroud in which he was wrapped.


Gallery

File:Nave_st_bees_priory.jpg, The nave, showing the wrought-iron screen by
William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was born in Lon ...
File:St_bees_priory_east_end.jpg, The late 12th-century monastic chancel File:St Bees Priory - 12th century chancel.jpg, Interior – the restored monastic chancel, now a parish room File:St Bees priory effigies.JPG, Medieval effigies. Top: thought to be Anthony de Lucy. Middle: Maud de Lucy. Bottom: possibly Robert de Harington. File:St Bees priory Willis organ.jpg, The famous pipe organ by
Henry Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...
File:St Bees bells in up position.jpg, The Priory's 8 bells shown in the "up" position. File:St bees priory history display.jpg, The history information and study area File:St bees graveyard war memorial.jpg, St Bees graveyard war memorial, designed by
W. G. Collingwood William Gershom Collingwood (; 6 August 1854, in Liverpool – 1 October 1932) was an English author, artist, antiquary and professor of Fine Arts at University College, Reading.Obituary in ''The Times'', ''Mr W.G. Collingwood'', ''Artist, Autho ...
File:Vision of st bega st bees.jpg, Vision of St Bega by
Josefina de Vasconcellos Josefina Alys Hermes de Vasconcellos (26 October 1904 – 20 July 2005) was an English sculptor who worked in bronze, stone, wood, lead and perspex. She was at one time the world's oldest living sculptor. She lived in Cumbria much of her wor ...


See also

*
List of monastic houses in Cumbria The following is a list of monastic houses in Cumbria, England, a modern county including all of the former Cumberland and Westmorland and parts of Lancashire. See also * List of monastic houses in England Notes References ...
*
Grade I listed churches in Cumbria Cumbria is a Counties of England, county in North West England. It was created in 1974 from the Historic counties of England, historical counties of Westmorland and Cumberland, together with the Furness area of Lancashire and the Sedbergh Rural ...
*
Grade I listed buildings in Cumbria There are over 9000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the county of Cumbria, sub-divided by district. Allerdale Barrow-in-Furness Carlisle ...
* Listed buildings in St Bees *
List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
Josefina de Vasconcellos Josefina Alys Hermes de Vasconcellos (26 October 1904 – 20 July 2005) was an English sculptor who worked in bronze, stone, wood, lead and perspex. She was at one time the world's oldest living sculptor. She lived in Cumbria much of her wor ...
*
Richard Parkinson (priest) Richard Parkinson (1797–1858) was an English clergyman, known as a canon of Manchester Cathedral, college principal, theologian and antiquarian. Background The son of John Parkinson, by his wife Margaret Blackburne, he was born at Woodgates, ...


References


Notes


Further reading

* Further details on St Bees Man see: ''Proceedings of the Paleopathology Association, 4th European meeting,'' (Middelburg Antwerpen 1982) pp. 171–187. * Further details on the cult of St Bega see: Clare Downham 'St Bega - myth, maiden or bracelet?' ''Journal of Medieval History'' 33 (2007) 33-42 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jmedhist.2007.01.003?journalCode=rmed20


External links


St Bees village web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bees Priory Monasteries in Cumbria English churches with Norman architecture Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Grade I listed buildings in Cumbria 1539 disestablishments in England 12th-century establishments in England Church of England church buildings in Cumbria Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation St Bees