Ulverscroft Priory is a former hermitage and priory in Ulverscroft,

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...

History

The priory was founded by

Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1104 – 5 April 1168) was Justiciar of England 1155–1168. The surname "de Beaumont" was given to him by genealogists. The only known contemporary surname applied to him is "Robert son of Count Rober ...

, in 1139, as a hermitage for

eremites A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

of the Order of

St Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

. Before 1174, following a papal order, it became an Augustinian

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 ...

.Ulverscroft Priory
''English Heritage: PastScape'' The priory gained 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, a ...

of the church at Stanford on Soar in Nottinghamshire before 1174, however the priory lost it by 1280, following a dispute. In 1323 William de Ferrers donated "70 acres of waste land at Groby" and the advowson of Syston Church, both in Leicestershire. Thomas de Ferrers donated the advowson of Bunny church, in Nottinghamshire, in 1345. The first 12th-century priory was probably built of wood. The 13th and 14th-century buildings are built of Charnwood Forest Stone. Around 1220 there were only three canons at the priory. In 1438 the number had risen to eight, and in 1532 the priory was home to nine canons and the prior. Around 1465 the small, nearby Charley Priory was merged with Ulverscroft. In 1535 Ulverscroft was recorded as having an annual income of £83 and was thus scheduled to be dissolved with the other smaller priories. However, because its reputation was good, the priory was allowed to continue functioning upon payment of a fine of £166. 13s. 4d. Ulverscroft was finally dissolved in September 1539. The last

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 low ...

, Geoffrey Whalley, was granted an annual pension of £20. In 1543 the former priory was granted to

Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 12th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG (c. 1497{{snd20 September 1543), of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire (adjacent to the small county of Rutland), was created Earl of Rutland by King Henry VIII in 1525. Ori ...

.Houses of Augustinian canons: The priory of Ulverscroft
''A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2'' (1954), pp. 19-21. Date accessed: 27 June 2013 Ruins of the priory church and tower remain. The prior's lodging and refectory are incorporated into a farmhouse constructed on the site. The priory's door was reused at Thornton Church. The site was purchased in 1927 by Sir

William Lindsay Everard Sir William Lindsay Everard (13 March 1891 – 11 March 1949) was a brewer, politician, and philanthropist from Leicestershire, United Kingdom. As the founder and supporter of the Ratcliffe Aerodrome, Sir Lindsay was a pioneer aviator, knighte ...

, preserving the decaying ruins from total destruction.Leicestershire Villages
/ref> The priory ruins are on private land and are not open to the public.

Priors of Ulverscroft Priory

List of known Priors of Ulverscroft Priory: *William, occurs 1174. *Walter, occurs about 1230. *Thomas, resigned 1268. *William of Spondon, admitted 1268, became a Franciscan 1276. *Robert of Gaddesby, admitted 1276, occurs 1288. *John of Normanton, elected and resigned 1304. *Walter of Evesham, elected 1304, resigned 1315. *Roger of Glen, elected 1315, died 1338. *Roger of Shepshed, elected 1338, occurs to 1367. *Thomas of Lockington, died 1387. *John Ruydyngton, elected 1387, occurs 1395. *John Annesley, occurs 1433, resigned 1439. *John Pollesworth, admitted 1439, occurs 1450. *John Whatton, occurs from 1466 to 1492. *Robert Whaton, occurs 1492 or 1493. *William Shepeston, occurs, from 1502 to 1511. *Geoffrey Whalley, occurs 1524. *William Bradebern, occurs 1525. *Edward Dalby, occurs 1534, surrendered the priory, 1539.

Burials

Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers (c.1303-15 Sep 1343) was the son of William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby and his wife Ellen. Henry Ferrers has been described by one recent historian as "arguably the most successful member of his family" on ...

William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby (1333–1371) was a Leicestershire-based nobleman in fourteenth-century England who took part in some of the major campaigns of the first part of the Hundred Years' War. The eldest of two sons to Henry F ...

William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby (1372–1445) was an English baron in the late middle ages. He was an important figure in Leicestershire society and took part in most of the royal commissions that were held there. He was also active ...

Isabel de Verdun, Baroness Ferrers of Groby Isabel de Verdun, Baroness Ferrers of Groby (21 March 1317 – 25 July 1349) was an heiress, who was related to the English royal family as the eldest daughter of Elizabeth de Clare, herself a granddaughter of King Edward I of England. When she w ...

References

External links

{{Monasteries in Leicestershire , state=expanded Monasteries in Leicestershire Grade I listed buildings in Leicestershire Scheduled monuments in Leicestershire Augustinian monasteries in England 1139 establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century 1539 disestablishments in England Borough of Charnwood Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation