Carrow Abbey
Encyclopedia
Carrow Abbey is a former Benedictine
Priory
in Bracondale
, northeast Norwich
, England
. The village on the site was previously called Carrow (there are many alternate spellings) and gives its name to Carrow Road
, the football ground of Norwich F.C., located just metres to the north. Granted by charter of King Stephen
, it was founded ca. 1146, and became a Grade I listed building in 1954.
In the second year of Stephen's reign the nuns endeavoured to obtain an enlargement of the abbey's grounds and gave the king a sparrowhawk
for having the words cum omnibus libertatibus et liberis consuetudiuibus ad liberas ferias pertinentibus substituted in their charter for the words ad hujusmodi ferias pertinent, and in the next year the corresponding entry occurs on the Pipe rolls
. It was not, however, till June of King John's 7th year of reign that the nuns obtained their amended charter. King Henry III
, in the 13th year of his reign, confirmed the gift of the land, but is silent as to the cost; in his 19th year, he gave them a general confirmation; and in the 56th year, he confirmed the cost.
The early Rectors of Carrow Mediety, presented by the Prioresses of Carrow, were Robert de Cokethorp (1306), Richard Sekkesteyn of Herdwyk (1330), Richard de'Qirytewafh (1331), Robert King of Cnapeton (1335), John Akewra (1349), Thomas Cowles (1371), John Bale (1385), William Giffard (1388), Walter Aldous of Wingjield (1395), Nicholas Walter (1401), Thomas Catefby (1402), John Felys (1405). Julian of Norwich
was said to have received his training at the priory in the 1350/60s.
In 1416 a dispute arose over ownership between the Prioress of Carrow and the Prior of Holy Trinity. The involved parties were Robert de Burnham, Prior of Holy Trinity (1407–1427) of County Norwich and Editha (Edith de Wilton) Prioress of Carrowe. The Prior pleaded that Editha was wrongly described as Prioress of Carrowe as Richard I. granted the City of Norwich to the citizens, and the city was in the County of Norfolk till Henry IV. separated it and made it a County of itself, which granted the citizens jurisdiction over Carrowe as "within a parcel of the City of Norwich."' The Prior further stated that Carrowe was in the parish of Bracondale which is in the County of Norfolk and was never in the City of Norwich. The court ruled in favor of the Prioress stating that Carrow was a parcel of the City of Norwich. Wills from the 15th century document many alternate spellings, such as Carhoe, or Carhowe; or Carehowe; or Carrowe.
Between 1529 and 1539 there were eight, two priests, and eight women-servants. The value of the lead, bells, and buildings was estimated at £145. In 1538 it was granted to Sir John Shelton
, who lived there briefly until his death the following year.
refugee, and found a haven in Norwich from religious persecution. In 1878 Carrow Abbey was purchased by the firm of J &J Colman. The Coleman family owned it for many decades and between 1899 and 1909 carried out considerable renovation work, including adding a new wing. It became a Grade I listed building on 26 May 1954. A notable painting of the members of "the Carrow Abbey hunt" were made by Philip Reinagle
in 1780.
The Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society studied the abbey in 1917 and again in August 2010 when they studied the remaining Norman architecture, the 16th century rooms and gardens.
The former parlour, also known as the Prioress’s Parlour and Guest chamber, contains wooden mullioned windows to left and a small oriel window to right of first floor. On one of the Tudor doors are the wooden spandrels with the letter “Y” and a gun, which was the rebus of Isabella (Elizabeth) Wygun, the last but one Prioress of Carrow. Some original brick details to ground-floor window remain as does the central 4-shafted ridge chimney. The rear has wooden mullioned windows dated to the late 19th century and a stair turret with brick parapet.
The former Hall, in the centre, contains a square-fronted bay window to the left and a tall wooden mullioned and transomed window to the rear, and late 19th century porch to right with perpendicular style windows. The brickwork mostly dates to the 16th century. It has a central 3-shafted ridge red brick chimney. The wing to the right of the priory was added in the late 19th century and features a red brick diaper pattern on knapped flint walls. Another wing set back to right has 2-storeys and an attic, and has five first-floor windows and five dormers.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
in Bracondale
Bracondale
Bracondale was a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1967. It's most notable achievement, was electing one of two women Members of the Provincial Parliament to share the title "first-woman MPP" in 1943...
, northeast Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village on the site was previously called Carrow (there are many alternate spellings) and gives its name to Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
, the football ground of Norwich F.C., located just metres to the north. Granted by charter of King Stephen
Stephen, King of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
, it was founded ca. 1146, and became a Grade I listed building in 1954.
Early history
The actual date of the abbey's foundation is not clear. King Stephen, by charter, gave his lands in the fields of Norwich, and a meadow adjoining the land charged to God and the Church of St. Mary and St. John, of Norwich, and the nuns serving there. Stephen directed that such nuns should found their church on such land. They were to hold such lands as freely as the king himself did. Upon this, two of the nuns, who were sisters, Seyna and Lescelina, are said to have begun building the Abbey in 1146, eight years before Stephen's death, and to have dedicated it to "St. Mary of Carhowe," from which it would seem this was an offshoot of a Norwich nunnery dedicated to St. Mary and St. John (now unknown). The Benedictine nunnery, usually called Carrow Abbey, though only a priory, was founded originally for a prioress and nine "black nuns", but afterwards twelve nuns were part of its foundation.In the second year of Stephen's reign the nuns endeavoured to obtain an enlargement of the abbey's grounds and gave the king a sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian Sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below...
for having the words cum omnibus libertatibus et liberis consuetudiuibus ad liberas ferias pertinentibus substituted in their charter for the words ad hujusmodi ferias pertinent, and in the next year the corresponding entry occurs on the Pipe rolls
Pipe Rolls
The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rolls, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury. The earliest date from the 12th century, and the series extends, mostly complete, from then until 1833. They form the oldest continuous series of records kept by...
. It was not, however, till June of King John's 7th year of reign that the nuns obtained their amended charter. King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, in the 13th year of his reign, confirmed the gift of the land, but is silent as to the cost; in his 19th year, he gave them a general confirmation; and in the 56th year, he confirmed the cost.
The early Rectors of Carrow Mediety, presented by the Prioresses of Carrow, were Robert de Cokethorp (1306), Richard Sekkesteyn of Herdwyk (1330), Richard de'Qirytewafh (1331), Robert King of Cnapeton (1335), John Akewra (1349), Thomas Cowles (1371), John Bale (1385), William Giffard (1388), Walter Aldous of Wingjield (1395), Nicholas Walter (1401), Thomas Catefby (1402), John Felys (1405). Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich is regarded as one of the most important English mystics. She is venerated in the Anglican and Lutheran churches, but has never been canonized, or officially beatified, by the Catholic Church, probably because so little is known of her life aside from her writings, including the...
was said to have received his training at the priory in the 1350/60s.
In 1416 a dispute arose over ownership between the Prioress of Carrow and the Prior of Holy Trinity. The involved parties were Robert de Burnham, Prior of Holy Trinity (1407–1427) of County Norwich and Editha (Edith de Wilton) Prioress of Carrowe. The Prior pleaded that Editha was wrongly described as Prioress of Carrowe as Richard I. granted the City of Norwich to the citizens, and the city was in the County of Norfolk till Henry IV. separated it and made it a County of itself, which granted the citizens jurisdiction over Carrowe as "within a parcel of the City of Norwich."' The Prior further stated that Carrowe was in the parish of Bracondale which is in the County of Norfolk and was never in the City of Norwich. The court ruled in favor of the Prioress stating that Carrow was a parcel of the City of Norwich. Wills from the 15th century document many alternate spellings, such as Carhoe, or Carhowe; or Carehowe; or Carrowe.
Between 1529 and 1539 there were eight, two priests, and eight women-servants. The value of the lead, bells, and buildings was estimated at £145. In 1538 it was granted to Sir John Shelton
Sir John Shelton
Sir John Shelton of Carrow, courtier, was, through marriage, the uncle of King Henry VIII's second Queen, Anne Boleyn, and controller of the joint household of the King's daughters, Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth.-Life:...
, who lived there briefly until his death the following year.
Later history
By 1712 it was in the possession of Nathaniel Axtell who, in his Monasticon Anglicanum, discusses some of the priory's obituaries. Axtell belonged to St. Julian's and All Saints in Norwich, which were, during the monastic period, under the Prioress of Carrow. It later passed into the hands of the Martineaus, who traced their descent from a HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
refugee, and found a haven in Norwich from religious persecution. In 1878 Carrow Abbey was purchased by the firm of J &J Colman. The Coleman family owned it for many decades and between 1899 and 1909 carried out considerable renovation work, including adding a new wing. It became a Grade I listed building on 26 May 1954. A notable painting of the members of "the Carrow Abbey hunt" were made by Philip Reinagle
Philip Reinagle
Philip Reinagle was an English animal, landscape and botanical painter.- Biography :Philip Reinagle entered the schools of the Royal Academy in 1769, and afterwards became a pupil of Allan Ramsay , whom he assisted in the numerous portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte...
in 1780.
The Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society studied the abbey in 1917 and again in August 2010 when they studied the remaining Norman architecture, the 16th century rooms and gardens.
Exterior
The foundations of the priory date to 1146, but the rooms mostly date to the early 16th century and late 19th century. The priory is built from knapped flint studded with red brick; brick dressings and plain tiled roof. It is built in 2 storeys and in three parts, with the former parlour on the left, the former hall in the centre and the late 19th century wing on the right.The former parlour, also known as the Prioress’s Parlour and Guest chamber, contains wooden mullioned windows to left and a small oriel window to right of first floor. On one of the Tudor doors are the wooden spandrels with the letter “Y” and a gun, which was the rebus of Isabella (Elizabeth) Wygun, the last but one Prioress of Carrow. Some original brick details to ground-floor window remain as does the central 4-shafted ridge chimney. The rear has wooden mullioned windows dated to the late 19th century and a stair turret with brick parapet.
The former Hall, in the centre, contains a square-fronted bay window to the left and a tall wooden mullioned and transomed window to the rear, and late 19th century porch to right with perpendicular style windows. The brickwork mostly dates to the 16th century. It has a central 3-shafted ridge red brick chimney. The wing to the right of the priory was added in the late 19th century and features a red brick diaper pattern on knapped flint walls. Another wing set back to right has 2-storeys and an attic, and has five first-floor windows and five dormers.
