St Mary Magdalen Nunnery, Bristol
Encyclopedia
St Mary Magdalen Nunnery was a priory
of Augustinian
canonesses in Kingsdown, Bristol
, England
. It was founded c. 1173 and dissolved in 1536. St Mary Magdalen is remembered in the name of Maudlin Street; the nunnery was located near to the corner of Maudlin Street and St Michael's Hill, which was later the site of the King David Inn.
and became its first prioress. Her ancestry is not known. She was the widow of Robert Fitzharding
, a wealthy burgess of Bristol who had risen to become the Lord of Berkeley
. He had founded St Augustine's Abbey, which later became Bristol Cathedral
, and he too ended his days as a canon of the religious house he had founded.
, within whose diocese the nunnery was. In 1480 when William Worcester
was measuring out Bristol's religious buildings, there were only three nuns. He paced out their church as being just 27 steps long. His steps have been estimated at around 21 inches (53 cm) on average. Some remains of the nunnery, Perpendicular in style, have been found on the site of the King David Inn.
In 1535 when the net annual incomes of the Bristol religious houses were assessed in the Valor Ecclesiasticus
, St Mary Magdalen had a complement of 2 nuns and an income of £21, compared to the figures of 19 and £670 for St Augustine's Abbey.
, St Mary Magdalen was the only "lesser" religious house in Bristol to be seized by the Crown
's commissioners under the Act for the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries, which was passed in 1536. They found the nunnery to be without debt and the building in good condition, but its possessions to be worth only a few pounds. The two dispossessed nuns were Eleanor Graunt, an old woman who had been prioress since around 1521, and a young novice. They were not given pensions and what happened to them afterwards is not known. The house then became a private residence.
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...
of Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
canonesses in Kingsdown, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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...
. It was founded c. 1173 and dissolved in 1536. St Mary Magdalen is remembered in the name of Maudlin Street; the nunnery was located near to the corner of Maudlin Street and St Michael's Hill, which was later the site of the King David Inn.
Foundation
The nunnery was founded by Eva Fitzharding, who endowed it with lands in SouthmeadSouthmead
Southmead is a northern suburb and council ward of Bristol, in the southwest of England. The town of Filton , and the Bristol suburbs of Monks Park, Horfield, Henleaze and Westbury on Trym lie on its boundaries....
and became its first prioress. Her ancestry is not known. She was the widow of Robert Fitzharding
Robert Fitzharding
Robert Fitzharding was an Englishman from Bristol who rose to the feudal barony of Berkeley and founded the family which still holds Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, the castle whose construction he started...
, a wealthy burgess of Bristol who had risen to become the Lord of Berkeley
Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Berkeley is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Vale of Berkeley between the east bank of the River Severn and the M5 motorway within the Stroud administrative district. The town is noted for Berkeley Castle where the imprisoned Edward II was murdered.- Geography...
. He had founded St Augustine's Abbey, which later became Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
, and he too ended his days as a canon of the religious house he had founded.
Later history
From the 13th century onwards the nunnery was very poor, and for that reason exempt from taxation and procuration payments to the Bishop of WorcesterBishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
, within whose diocese the nunnery was. In 1480 when William Worcester
William Worcester
William Worcester , was an English chronicler and antiquary.-Life:He was a son of William of Worcester, a Bristol citizen, and is sometimes called William Botoner, his mother being a daughter of Thomas Botoner from Catalonia....
was measuring out Bristol's religious buildings, there were only three nuns. He paced out their church as being just 27 steps long. His steps have been estimated at around 21 inches (53 cm) on average. Some remains of the nunnery, Perpendicular in style, have been found on the site of the King David Inn.
In 1535 when the net annual incomes of the Bristol religious houses were assessed in the Valor Ecclesiasticus
Valor Ecclesiasticus
The Valor Ecclesiasticus was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII....
, St Mary Magdalen had a complement of 2 nuns and an income of £21, compared to the figures of 19 and £670 for St Augustine's Abbey.
Dissolution
In the Dissolution of the MonasteriesDissolution 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...
, St Mary Magdalen was the only "lesser" religious house in Bristol to be seized by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
's commissioners under the Act for the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries, which was passed in 1536. They found the nunnery to be without debt and the building in good condition, but its possessions to be worth only a few pounds. The two dispossessed nuns were Eleanor Graunt, an old woman who had been prioress since around 1521, and a young novice. They were not given pensions and what happened to them afterwards is not known. The house then became a private residence.