Sheen Priory
Encyclopedia
Sheen Priory in Sheen, now Richmond, London was a former Carthusian
monastery founded in 1414 within the royal manor of Sheen, on the south bank of the Thames, upstream and approximately 9 miles southwest of the Palace of Westminster
. It was built on a site approximately half a mile to the north of Sheen Palace, which itself also occupied a riverside site, that today lies between Richmond Green and the River Thames. All above-ground traces of the priory have disappeared, yet it is known that the foundations of the priory church lie to the immediate southwest of Kew Observatory
, under the fairway of the 14th hole of the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Course, in Richmond Old Deer Park
. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Richmond Priory, due to the subsequent renaming of Sheen Manor in 1501, which confusion merits early examination.
(renamed Richmond Palace in 1501). The royal manor of Sheen lay on the right (south), Surrey, bank of the River Thames, opposite the parish of Twickenham
and the royal manor of Isleworth on the left, Middlesex, bank. Sheen had been a favourite residence of the last Plantagenet
king Richard II
(1377-1399) and his beloved wife Anne of Bohemia
. When Anne died there of plague in 1394, Richard cursed the place where they had found great happiness and razed the palace to the ground. His throne was usurped by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, who ruled as Henry IV(1399-1413). Henry IV had been involved in the murder of Richard in 1400, and in that of Archbishop Richard le Scrope
, and made a vow to expiate his guilt by founding 3 monasteries, which vow he died before fulfilling. Whilst Henry IV had shown little interest in the ruined Sheen, his son Henry V(1413-1422) saw its reconstruction as a means of emphasising the dynastic link between his own House of Lancaster
and that of Plantagenet, of unquestioned legitimacy, and decided at the same time to found the 3 monasteries pledged by his father all within one great building scheme, known as “The King's Great Work”. Thus the “Great Work” commenced in the winter of 1413-14, comprising the new Sheen Palace, and nearby the following 3 monasteries:
" in honour of Henry VII. The name of the manor itself was likewise changed from "Sheen" to "Richmond". The name of Henry's earldom derived from his former stronghold, Richmond Castle
in Yorkshire, itself named after Riche Mont (Rich Mountain) in France. The Priory of Sheen, although it then found itself within the newly renamed manor of Richmond, nevertheless retained its ancient appellation of "Sheen", being a religious establishment, the function of which was ostensibly the glorification of God not, as in the case of the new secular palace, of the new King and Tudor dynasty, victorious after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. In 1500, at the command of Henry VII, the town of Sheen, which had grown up around the royal manor, was renamed Richmond, whereupon the entire ancient manor too, in which the new palace stood, became known as Richmond rather than Sheen. The ancient Manor of Sheen is now situated within today's London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
.
It is therefore accurate today to say that the vestiges of Sheen Priory are situated in today's Borough of Richmond. The matter is however today even more confused since the ancient manor of Mortlake
which stood to the north and east of the ancient manor of Sheen, has in modern times been split into 2 new districts, named North Sheen
and East Sheen
, although the area of neither was ever historically in Sheen Manor. Both are now under the administrative Borough of Richmond, which can therefore be seen to have absorbed the lands of the ancient Manor of Mortlake in addition to that of Sheen. It would have been more accurate to have called the 2 new districts "New Borough North (of) Old Sheen" and "New Borough East (of) Old Sheen, but the impracticalities of such pedantry, whilst befitting an Encyclopaedic Entry, are obvious when translated to Civic Government. The matter of nomenclature is however academic since Sheen Priory was dissolved within 4 decades of the erection of the new palace.
by King Henry VIII. Its buildings and assets became Crown property and were disposed of in accordance with the King's wishes.
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monastery founded in 1414 within the royal manor of Sheen, on the south bank of the Thames, upstream and approximately 9 miles southwest of the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. It was built on a site approximately half a mile to the north of Sheen Palace, which itself also occupied a riverside site, that today lies between Richmond Green and the River Thames. All above-ground traces of the priory have disappeared, yet it is known that the foundations of the priory church lie to the immediate southwest of Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory was an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatoryfounded by King George III , located within the Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace in Richmond, Surrey, now within Greater London. The former royal manor of Kew lies to the immediate north...
, under the fairway of the 14th hole of the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Course, in Richmond Old Deer Park
Old Deer Park
Old Deer Park is an area of open space within Richmond-upon-Thames, England, and is in extent. The park is bounded generally by the River Thames to the west, Kew Gardens to the north, and urban areas of Richmond town to the east and south. Owned by the Crown Estate, the park forms part of a larger...
. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Richmond Priory, due to the subsequent renaming of Sheen Manor in 1501, which confusion merits early examination.
Background
Sheen Priory was built as part of King Henry V's “The King's Great Work” centred on Sheen PalaceRichmond Palace
Richmond Palace was a Thameside royal residence on the right bank of the river, upstream of the Palace of Westminster, to which it lay 9 miles SW of as the crow flies. It it was erected c. 1501 within the royal manor of Sheen, by Henry VII of England, formerly known by his title Earl of Richmond,...
(renamed Richmond Palace in 1501). The royal manor of Sheen lay on the right (south), Surrey, bank of the River Thames, opposite the parish of Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
and the royal manor of Isleworth on the left, Middlesex, bank. Sheen had been a favourite residence of the last Plantagenet
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
king Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
(1377-1399) and his beloved wife Anne of Bohemia
Anne of Bohemia
Anne of Bohemia was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Elizabeth of Pomerania....
. When Anne died there of plague in 1394, Richard cursed the place where they had found great happiness and razed the palace to the ground. His throne was usurped by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, who ruled as Henry IV(1399-1413). Henry IV had been involved in the murder of Richard in 1400, and in that of Archbishop Richard le Scrope
Richard le Scrope
Richard le Scrope was Bishop of Lichfield then Archbishop of York.Scrope earned a Doctorate in canon law. He was provided to the see of Coventry and Lichfield on 18 August 1386, and consecrated on 19 August 1386. He was given the temporalities of the see on 15 November 1386. He was consecrated at...
, and made a vow to expiate his guilt by founding 3 monasteries, which vow he died before fulfilling. Whilst Henry IV had shown little interest in the ruined Sheen, his son Henry V(1413-1422) saw its reconstruction as a means of emphasising the dynastic link between his own House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
and that of Plantagenet, of unquestioned legitimacy, and decided at the same time to found the 3 monasteries pledged by his father all within one great building scheme, known as “The King's Great Work”. Thus the “Great Work” commenced in the winter of 1413-14, comprising the new Sheen Palace, and nearby the following 3 monasteries:
- A Monastery of the Celestine Order. Established probably in Isleworth Manor. This monastery was of French monks, who refused to pray for Henry V following his warring with France, probably at AgincourtBattle of AgincourtThe Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
in 1415, and was therefore dissolved by the King almost immediately after its foundation. This monastery probably occupied the site in Isleworth to which Syon Monastery moved in 1431. - The Monastery of St Saviour and St Bridget of Syon, of the Order of St AugustineAugustiniansThe term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
(1415) Syon Monastery, sometimes called Syon Abbey. The first and original site of this monastery was probably almost due west of Sheen Palace, across the river, on the left bank of the Thames in Twickenham Parish. - The House of Jesus of Bethlehem of Sheen, of the Order of CarthusianCarthusianThe Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
s (1414) Sheen Priory, the subject of the present article, built within Sheen Manor, to the north of the new palace.
Establishment of the Priory
In 1414, Henry V established the Priory, designated "The House of Jesus of Bethlehem at Sheen", for 40 monks of the Carthusian order. It was built approximately 1/2 a mile to the north of the existing royal manor house or palace. It comprised 30 cells, round a great court or cloister.Nomenclature
During the reign of King Henry VII (1485–1509), formerly styled "Earl of Richmond", the former royal manor house or palace of Sheen built by King Henry V was replaced in 1501 by a royal palace which was renamed "Richmond PalaceRichmond Palace
Richmond Palace was a Thameside royal residence on the right bank of the river, upstream of the Palace of Westminster, to which it lay 9 miles SW of as the crow flies. It it was erected c. 1501 within the royal manor of Sheen, by Henry VII of England, formerly known by his title Earl of Richmond,...
" in honour of Henry VII. The name of the manor itself was likewise changed from "Sheen" to "Richmond". The name of Henry's earldom derived from his former stronghold, Richmond Castle
Richmond Castle
Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, stands in a commanding position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'...
in Yorkshire, itself named after Riche Mont (Rich Mountain) in France. The Priory of Sheen, although it then found itself within the newly renamed manor of Richmond, nevertheless retained its ancient appellation of "Sheen", being a religious establishment, the function of which was ostensibly the glorification of God not, as in the case of the new secular palace, of the new King and Tudor dynasty, victorious after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. In 1500, at the command of Henry VII, the town of Sheen, which had grown up around the royal manor, was renamed Richmond, whereupon the entire ancient manor too, in which the new palace stood, became known as Richmond rather than Sheen. The ancient Manor of Sheen is now situated within today's London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South West London, UK, which forms part of Outer London. It is unique because it is the only London borough situated both north and south of the River Thames.-Settlement:...
.
It is therefore accurate today to say that the vestiges of Sheen Priory are situated in today's Borough of Richmond. The matter is however today even more confused since the ancient manor of Mortlake
Mortlake
Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes with East Sheen inland to the south. Mortlake was part of Surrey until 1965.-History:...
which stood to the north and east of the ancient manor of Sheen, has in modern times been split into 2 new districts, named North Sheen
North Sheen
North Sheen, an area of London, England in the former Municipal Borough of Richmond ,was incorporated into Kew in 1965 when the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was created....
and East Sheen
East Sheen
East Sheen, also known as 'Sheen', is an affluent suburb of London, England in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It forms part of the London post town in the SW postcode area....
, although the area of neither was ever historically in Sheen Manor. Both are now under the administrative Borough of Richmond, which can therefore be seen to have absorbed the lands of the ancient Manor of Mortlake in addition to that of Sheen. It would have been more accurate to have called the 2 new districts "New Borough North (of) Old Sheen" and "New Borough East (of) Old Sheen, but the impracticalities of such pedantry, whilst befitting an Encyclopaedic Entry, are obvious when translated to Civic Government. The matter of nomenclature is however academic since Sheen Priory was dissolved within 4 decades of the erection of the new palace.
Notable Clerics Trained at Sheen
The establishment is celebrated as having been the nursery of Cardinal Pole and many other distinguished churchmen in the early 16th.c.Dissolution of the Priory
Sheen Priory was dissolved in 1539 following 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...
by King Henry VIII. Its buildings and assets became Crown property and were disposed of in accordance with the King's wishes.
Remains of the Priory in 21st. century
The former Priory gardens remain as a public recreation area.Sources
- Cloake, John. Richmond's Great Monastery, The Charterhouse of Jesus of Bethlehem of Shene. Richmond Local History Society, Paper no.6, London, 1990.
- Victoria County History, Surrey, vol.2 (1967) ed. Malden, H.E. pp.89–94. (Available at: www.British-history.ac.uk)