Print of Dunstable Priory.
Published 24 December 1819.
Longman & Lackington & Co
and Joseph Harding, London.
Illustration: THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY
Text from Wikipedia — the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Bishop Grey's injunctions are the only notice that we have of the internal history of the Priory during the 15th-Century. They do not indicate any special laxity, and only repeat the usual orders as to silence, singing of the Divine Office, the unlawfulness of eating and drinking after Compline, going to Dunstable, or having visitors without permission.
And so again at the very end, just before the Dissolution, the silence of Bishop Longland, and the King’s choice of the Priory for the Solemn announcement of his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, constitute indirect evidence in favour of the Priory.
On the whole, the Priory of Dunstable shows a very good record in the matter of discipline and order, with only a few lapses.[6]
The Priory Church of Saint Peter, with its Monastery, was Founded by Augustinian Canons (Monks), under the patronage of King Henry I, in 1132. King Henry I gave the Priory control of Dunstable.
The Norman-Style Church was built in the form of a Cross, with a Great Tower at the Crossing and with two smaller Towers at the West End.
Progress was slow and it was some seventy-eighty years before the Church was complete. Ten years later, a violent storm destroyed much of the frontage of the Church. The damaged part was rebuilt, but in a different Style (Early English-Style).
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The Monastic buildings consisted of a dormitory for the monks, an infirmary, stables, workshops, bakehouse, brewhouse and buttery.
There was also a hostel for Pilgrims and travellers, the remains of which is known today as Priory House. Opposite the Priory, was one of the Royal Palaces belonging to King Henry I, known as Kingsbury. Today, it is the site of the Old Palace Lodge Hotel and the Norman King pub.
In 1290, the funeral cortege of Queen Eleanor, wife of King Edward I, was housed overnight at the Priory and, in 1533, the annulment of the marriage of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon took place in the Priory Lady Chapel.
In 1290, the funeral cortege of Queen Eleanor, wife of King Edward I, was housed overnight at the Priory and, in 1533, the annulment of the marriage of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon took place in the Priory Lady Chapel.
about Dunstable Priory.
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Until the close of the 14th-Century, local Parishioners used the North Aisle as their Parish Church. However, as the Town grew, they began to spill out into the Nave.
The Canons did not welcome this, but an agreement was reached that the local people should be responsible for the upkeep of the Nave.
This they did as cheaply as possible, resulting in the Nave Roof changing to a Flat Roof and the Western Tower to a Bell Tower.
The closure of Religious Houses began in 1536 and the Church and Monastery were finally closed down in January 1540.
The closure of Religious Houses began in 1536 and the Church and Monastery were finally closed down in January 1540.
A turbulent period followed with many of the Priory buildings being pulled down. However, the part used by the local Parishioners was saved, and is still in use today as the Priory Church of Saint Peter.
This concludes the Article on Dunstable Priory.
This concludes the Article on Dunstable Priory.
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