Wetheral Priory Gatehouse
Encyclopedia
Wetheral Priory Gatehouse is almost all that remains of the Benedictine
Wetheral Priory in Wetheral
, Cumbria
. Wetheral Priory, was founded in 1106 from its motherhouse of St. Mary's Abbey, York. The gatehouse is virtually the only standing remnant of the much grander Priory buildings, and was the main entry into the monastic outer court.
The building as seen today dates from the 15th century. It has a pair of domestic chambers on two floors above the main entrance way. These may have been accommodation for a Priory official or guest rooms for visitors or travellers. Some low ruined walls are still in place behind the farm buildings, but the rest of the priory was destroyed following the dissolution of the monasteries
by Henry VIII
. The gatehouse survived as the vicarage to the local church, and is now in the care of English Heritage
.
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...
Wetheral Priory in Wetheral
Wetheral
Wetheral is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The village serves mostly as a dormitory town for nearby Carlisle. As of the 2001 census, the population of the Wetheral Ward is 4,039. The civil parish of Wetheral is slightly larger, with a population of 5,203...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. Wetheral Priory, was founded in 1106 from its motherhouse of St. Mary's Abbey, York. The gatehouse is virtually the only standing remnant of the much grander Priory buildings, and was the main entry into the monastic outer court.
The building as seen today dates from the 15th century. It has a pair of domestic chambers on two floors above the main entrance way. These may have been accommodation for a Priory official or guest rooms for visitors or travellers. Some low ruined walls are still in place behind the farm buildings, but the rest of the priory was destroyed following 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...
by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. The gatehouse survived as the vicarage to the local church, and is now in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.