Hatfield Peverel Priory
Encyclopedia
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Hatfield Peverel Priory (also known as Hatfield Priory) was a Benedictine priory in Essex
, England
, founded as a secular college before 1087 and converted into priory as a cell of St Albans by William Peverel ante 1100. It is in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England and is located on the south side of the villiage of Hatfield Peverel
, about 5 miles north-east of Chelmsford
. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, a timber frame structure dominated the property.
According to tradition the priory was founded by the Saxon Ingelrica, wife of Ranulph Peverel and reputed to be the mistress of William the Conqueror, to atone for her sins. The parish church, St Andrew's (Church of England
) is the surviving fragment of the Norman priory church nave.
The property was acquired by the Wright family when John Wright, a coachmaker, first landed his family in Essex in 1764. The current house, in a park designed by Richard Woods
in 1765 and built in 1769, stands on a rise of land overlooking the Chelmer valley. The property passed to Wright's son, John Wright II, who died in 1796 without male issue. The estate then passed under entail to his nephew (i.e. his sister’s son) Peter Luard, who took the name and arms of Wright as required under the will. Peter (Luard) Wright, elder brother of William Wright Luard of The Lodge, Witham (and father of Admiral William Luard
), occupied and expanded the property considerably, which remained in the family until 1928 when it was sold.
Hatfield Peverel Priory (also known as Hatfield Priory) was a Benedictine priory in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
, founded as a secular college before 1087 and converted into priory as a cell of St Albans by William Peverel ante 1100. It is in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England and is located on the south side of the villiage of Hatfield Peverel
Hatfield Peverel
Hatfield Peverel is a large urban village and civil parish in the centre of Essex, England. Its population, including the hamlet of Nounsley, is approximately 5,500 . Hatfield means a 'heathery space in the forest'; Peverel refers to William Peverel, the Norman knight granted lands in the area by...
, about 5 miles north-east of Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, a timber frame structure dominated the property.
According to tradition the priory was founded by the Saxon Ingelrica, wife of Ranulph Peverel and reputed to be the mistress of William the Conqueror, to atone for her sins. The parish church, St Andrew's (Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) is the surviving fragment of the Norman priory church nave.
The property was acquired by the Wright family when John Wright, a coachmaker, first landed his family in Essex in 1764. The current house, in a park designed by Richard Woods
Richard Woods
Edward "Richard" Woods, CNZM is Chairman of the Board of the Environmental Risk Management Authority, a New Zealand Government Agency that ensures compliance with the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act - HSNO Act 1996...
in 1765 and built in 1769, stands on a rise of land overlooking the Chelmer valley. The property passed to Wright's son, John Wright II, who died in 1796 without male issue. The estate then passed under entail to his nephew (i.e. his sister’s son) Peter Luard, who took the name and arms of Wright as required under the will. Peter (Luard) Wright, elder brother of William Wright Luard of The Lodge, Witham (and father of Admiral William Luard
William Luard
Admiral Sir William Garnham Luard, R.N., K.C.B. was a leading British naval figure during the latter half of the 19th century.Born in 1820, he was the eldest son of a local magistrate, William Wright Luard J.P., D.L. of Witham Lodge, Witham, Essex and Anne Garnham, only child of Thomas Garnham of...
), occupied and expanded the property considerably, which remained in the family until 1928 when it was sold.