''The Black Friars of Shrewsbury'' is a short historical book by

Paul Marsden Paul William Barry Marsden (born 18 March 1968) is a British writer, businessman and former politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shrewsbury and Atcham from 1997 until 2005. He was most prominently known for his anti-war views an ...

, the former

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

MP, about the Dominican friars who arrived in

, England, in 1230 and built a church, cloisters, Lady chapel and series of outbuildings.

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In 1221

St. Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...

, aged 51 years, died in Bologna, Italy. St. Dominic was revered for performing various miracles and caring for the poor and the sick. He was elected several times as bishop, but refused the position and preferred to stay among his fellow brethren. His Dominican friars moved freely among the citizenry spreading the word of God and helping those in need. Henry III enthusiastically supported the friars in their quest to build a church in Shrewsbury, and from 1232 until the king's death in 1272, regularly gave orders to support the construction. On the eve of the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, Prince Henry (later

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

) stayed at the friary. The Dominican Church in England was split between the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

rebels and Henry IV, but the Shrewsbury friary remained loyal to the king and provided a safe haven for the prince. Following the battle, many of the noblemen who died on the battlefield were taken back to the friary and buried in its grounds.

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

accompanied his pregnant wife Queen Elizabeth (Woodville) to the Shrewsbury friary in 1473. On 17 August, Richard was born. He became one of the Princes of the Tower,

Richard of Shrewsbury Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

and disappeared in the Tower of London together with his older brother King

Edward V Edward V (2 November 1470 – mid-1483)R. F. Walker, "Princes in the Tower", in S. H. Steinberg et al, ''A New Dictionary of British History'', St. Martin's Press, New York, 1963, p. 286. was ''de jure'' King of England and Lord of Ireland fro ...

. Their uncle,

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

was blamed for their disappearance. The friary continued to serve the local Shropshire community, dispensing spiritual and medical help to local SalopiansResidents of Shropshire during its 300-year existence. However, on or around 29 September 1538, on

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 ...

's orders, the friary was forced to close and the friars were thrown out onto the streets of Shropshire. On 25 April 1539, it was reported that a plate of "Black fryers in Shrewesbury" had been delivered to the

royal treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in ...

by Thomas Thacker. All of the stonework was torn down and sold off. Minor excavations were carried out in the 19th century, 1970s and 1990s. A bishop's chalice, floor tiles and numerous skeletons were found. Little remains above ground which is covered by the modern Blackfriars apartments. Boxes containing parts of the skeletons are stored in the basement of Rowley's House Museum in Shrewsbury together with various artefacts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackfriars Of Shrewsbury History of Shropshire Shrewsbury 2005 books

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See also

References