Shared description
Priory of St Pancras, Lewes
The Priory of St Pancras is located to the south of the town of Lewes, the county town of East Sussex. The priory was founded soon after 1077 by William de Warenne and his wife, Gundrada, but there is evidence that it was built on an earlier Saxon site, probably also religious. The Norman priory was a Cluniac foundation, one of about 50 in Britain, of which 38 remained at the time of the Dissolution.
The Cluniacs were an offshoot of the Benedictine Order and lived by the Rule of St Benedict. The name of the order comes from their first monastery which was founded at Cluny in 910 AD by William I, Count of Auvergne.
Lewes Priory stands on the Southover ridge which in the C11th when the Priory was founded, formed the shore of the tidal Ouse estuary. This ridge runs parallel and south of a higher chalk spur on which the town of Lewes lies.
The remains of the priory are extensive though almost entirely ruinous. Its decline began with its surrender to the Crown on 16th November 1537. It was granted to Thomas Cromwell who built a substantial house here. On his execution, the entire manor was passed to Henry VIII's divorced fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. ( see Link )
For more information about the priory's history and details of the remains, both architectural and historical see:
English Heritage Grade I listing Link
Ancient Monument listing Link
Wikipedia article Link
British History Online Link
and in particular the website of the Lewes Priory Trust Link
The Cluniacs were an offshoot of the Benedictine Order and lived by the Rule of St Benedict. The name of the order comes from their first monastery which was founded at Cluny in 910 AD by William I, Count of Auvergne.
Lewes Priory stands on the Southover ridge which in the C11th when the Priory was founded, formed the shore of the tidal Ouse estuary. This ridge runs parallel and south of a higher chalk spur on which the town of Lewes lies.
The remains of the priory are extensive though almost entirely ruinous. Its decline began with its surrender to the Crown on 16th November 1537. It was granted to Thomas Cromwell who built a substantial house here. On his execution, the entire manor was passed to Henry VIII's divorced fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. ( see Link )
For more information about the priory's history and details of the remains, both architectural and historical see:
English Heritage Grade I listing Link
Ancient Monument listing Link
Wikipedia article Link
British History Online Link
and in particular the website of the Lewes Priory Trust Link
by Rob Farrow
Created: Mon, 19 Oct 2015, Updated: Thu, 22 Oct 2015
7 images use this description: (all images taken in 2015)
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