Montacute Priory
Encyclopedia
Montacute Priory was a Cluniac priory of the Benedictine
order in Montacute
, Somerset
, England, founded between 1078 and 1102 by William, Count of Mortain
, in face of a threat that if he did not do so, the King would take the land from him. It was the only Somerset dependency of Cluny Abbey
until 1407, when it gained independence from France. It was dissolved
in 1539, though there was a short restoration under the Catholic Queen Mary
.
At its height in 1262 there were 25 monks. In 1539 there were a Prior and 16 monks.
At the time of the Domesday Book
in 1086 there were five manors in Mudford
. The largest of them, which was given with the church to Montacute Priory in 1192, became Mudford Monachorum (Mudford of the monks) and was centred on the present hamlet of Up Mudford. The Church of St Mary
in the village was granted by Montacute Priory to the Bishop of Bath and Wells
in 1339.
The Church of St Michael
in Creech St Michael
came into the ownership of Montacute Priory in 1362.
At one time Tintinhull Court
was amongst the possessions of the Priory, along with land in the village.
All that remains is the Abbey Farmhouse
which incorporates the gateway of Montacute Priory. It was built in the 16th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building. After the dissolution of the monasteries
the property became a farmhouse, but by 1633 it was 'almost desolate'. By 1782 it was a revitalised farm, remaining part of the Phelips estate until 1918. the only other surviving building is the monk's pigeon cote, however there are extensive earthworks to the south of St Catherine's Church which may be the claustral range, and a fishpond
.
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...
order in Montacute
Montacute
Montacute is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 680 . The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute hill dominating the village to the west.The village...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, founded between 1078 and 1102 by William, Count of Mortain
William, Count of Mortain
William de Mortaigne, Count of Mortain, Earl of Cornwall was the son of Robert, Count of Mortain, the half-brother of William I of England...
, in face of a threat that if he did not do so, the King would take the land from him. It was the only Somerset dependency of Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....
until 1407, when it gained independence from France. It was dissolved
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...
in 1539, though there was a short restoration under the Catholic Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
.
At its height in 1262 there were 25 monks. In 1539 there were a Prior and 16 monks.
At the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086 there were five manors in Mudford
Mudford
Mudford is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated from Yeovil in the South Somerset district on the River Yeo. The village has a population of 649...
. The largest of them, which was given with the church to Montacute Priory in 1192, became Mudford Monachorum (Mudford of the monks) and was centred on the present hamlet of Up Mudford. The Church of St Mary
Church of St Mary, Mudford
The Church of St Mary in Mudford, Somerset, England dates from the 14th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.The church was granted by Montacute Priory to the Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1339...
in the village was granted by Montacute Priory to the Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
in 1339.
The Church of St Michael
Church of St Michael, Creech St Michael
The Church of St Michael, which stands next to the River Tone in Creech St Michael, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.The church came into the ownership of Montacute Priory in 1362....
in Creech St Michael
Creech St Michael
Creech St. Michael is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated three miles east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,464...
came into the ownership of Montacute Priory in 1362.
At one time Tintinhull Court
Tintinhull Court
Tintinhull Court in Tintinhull, Somerset, England was built as a medieval parsonage for the Church of St Margaret. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
was amongst the possessions of the Priory, along with land in the village.
All that remains is the Abbey Farmhouse
Abbey Farmhouse, Montacute
Abbey Farmhouse is a detached house in Montacute, Somerset, England, which incorporates the gateway of the medieval Montacute Priory. It was built in the 16th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
which incorporates the gateway of Montacute Priory. It was built in the 16th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building. After 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...
the property became a farmhouse, but by 1633 it was 'almost desolate'. By 1782 it was a revitalised farm, remaining part of the Phelips estate until 1918. the only other surviving building is the monk's pigeon cote, however there are extensive earthworks to the south of St Catherine's Church which may be the claustral range, and a fishpond
Fish pond
A fish pond, or fishpond, is a controlled pond, artificial lake, or reservoir that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, or is used for recreational fishing or for ornamental purposes...
.
External References
- Maxwell Lyte, C.H. (ed.). Two Cartularies of the Augustine Priory of Bruton and the Cluniac Priory of Montacute in the County of Somerset, 1894. http://www.archive.org/details/twocartulariesa00priogoog