Southwick Priory
Encyclopedia
Southwick Priory was a priory
of Augustinian canons originally founded in Portchester Castle
and later transferred to Southwick, Hampshire
, England.
founded a priory of Austin canons in the church of St. Mary, Portchester
, within the walls of Portchester Castle
. The foundation charter gave to the canons the church of Portchester, timber for fencing, building and fuel, common pasture in the wood of Hingsdon; the manor of Candover
; and a hide of land in each of Southwick
and Applestead. By the early part of the thirteenth century the priory is referred to in charters as Southwick Priory and it is believed to have moved to the site in Southwick c.1145-1153.
. In September, 1510 Henry VIII
passed through Southwick and made an offering of 6s. 8d. at Our Lady of Southwick. In 1538, shortly before the suppression, John Husee, a solicitor and servant of the Lisles, wrote to Lord Lisle
that Pilgrimage saints goeth down apace as Our Lady of Southwick, the Blood of Hales, St. Saviour's and others. And Leland mentions the fame of the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Southwick.
By the dissolution, the priory had gained the manors of Southwick
with the rectory, Newland
, Hannington
, Sutton Scotney
, 'Moundesmer'. Preston Candover
, 'Oldfishborne', Farlington with a fishery, Denmead Molens, Clanveld and Aldbourn, Weralles in Dorchester with the rectory, Colmer, Stubbington
, Hoe
, West Boarhunt, Boarhunt
, Harbert and Bury; the rectories of Nutley, Swindon
, Portsea
, Portsmouth
and 'Wanstede,' and lands and rents in Priors Dean
, the city of Winchester
and Andover
.
estimated the annual value of the priory £257 4s. 4d. But one of the canons, James Gunwyn, wrote to Cromwell on 20 January 1536 claiming:
A letter to Lord Lisle of 16 March 1538, stated that the priory was to be suppressed, and that 'Our Lady of Southwick' was taken down. On 7 April 1538 the surrender was signed by the prior, William Norton, and twelve of the canons. James Gunwyn's signature is next to the prior's.
Prior Norton received the large pension of £66 13s. 4d.
. He pulled down the church and converted the prior's lodgings and other parts of the conventual buildings into a private house, known as Southwick Park which became the family seat of one branch of the Norton family. In October 1551, Mary of Guise
Regent of Scotland and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots stayed in the house. On the death of John White in 1567 the manor passed to his son and heir Edward. In 1580 Edward died, leaving a son and heir, John, who, in 1606, settled the manor on his daughter and co-heir Honor on her marriage with Sir Daniel Norton, and they came into possession of the manor on the death of John White in the following year.
. Of the priory itself, one section of wall and some earthworks survive. Some remnants of the priory church may survive, transferred and reset in the parish church of St James.
The church of St Mary at Portchester
survives, inside the Roman
wall of Porchester Castle, returned to parochial use. It is substantially a Norman building, and hence the one the priory originally used. No trace of the conventual buildings survive above ground except for some drain openings and the marks of the abutment of the cloister against the south wall of the nave
.
The priory estates at Southwick are still intact as the Southwick Estate.
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 canons originally founded in Portchester Castle
Portchester Castle
Portchester Castle is a medieval castle built within a former Roman fort at Portchester to the east of Fareham in the English county of Hampshire. Probably founded in the late 11th century, Portchester was a baronial castle that was taken under royal control in 1154. The monarchy controlled...
and later transferred to Southwick, Hampshire
Southwick, Hampshire
Southwick is a village in the English county of Hampshire, situated north of Portsmouth, and is occupied entirely by tenants in the style of the Middle Ages, where the entirety is wholly owned by the Southwick Estate. Oddly, there is one exception to this and that is Church Lodge which is in...
, England.
Foundation
In 1133 Henry IHenry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
founded a priory of Austin canons in the church of St. Mary, Portchester
Portchester
Portchester is a locality and suburb 10km northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton, on the A27 main thoroughfare...
, within the walls of Portchester Castle
Portchester Castle
Portchester Castle is a medieval castle built within a former Roman fort at Portchester to the east of Fareham in the English county of Hampshire. Probably founded in the late 11th century, Portchester was a baronial castle that was taken under royal control in 1154. The monarchy controlled...
. The foundation charter gave to the canons the church of Portchester, timber for fencing, building and fuel, common pasture in the wood of Hingsdon; the manor of Candover
Preston Candover
Preston Candover is a village and large civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has two churches, only one of which is still in use. Its nearest town is Basingstoke, approximately away...
; and a hide of land in each of Southwick
Southwick, Hampshire
Southwick is a village in the English county of Hampshire, situated north of Portsmouth, and is occupied entirely by tenants in the style of the Middle Ages, where the entirety is wholly owned by the Southwick Estate. Oddly, there is one exception to this and that is Church Lodge which is in...
and Applestead. By the early part of the thirteenth century the priory is referred to in charters as Southwick Priory and it is believed to have moved to the site in Southwick c.1145-1153.
12th to 16th centuries
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the priory became a renowned centre of pilgrimagePilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
. In September, 1510 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...
passed through Southwick and made an offering of 6s. 8d. at Our Lady of Southwick. In 1538, shortly before the suppression, John Husee, a solicitor and servant of the Lisles, wrote to Lord Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England, and an important figure at the court of Henry VIII...
that Pilgrimage saints goeth down apace as Our Lady of Southwick, the Blood of Hales, St. Saviour's and others. And Leland mentions the fame of the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Southwick.
By the dissolution, the priory had gained the manors of Southwick
Southwick, Hampshire
Southwick is a village in the English county of Hampshire, situated north of Portsmouth, and is occupied entirely by tenants in the style of the Middle Ages, where the entirety is wholly owned by the Southwick Estate. Oddly, there is one exception to this and that is Church Lodge which is in...
with the rectory, Newland
Newland
-Places:Australia* Electoral district of Newland, a state electoral district in South Australia* Lake Newland Conservation Park, South AustraliaFinland* Uusimaa, a region in Finland, literally meaning "Newland"United Kingdom...
, Hannington
Hannington, Hampshire
Hannington is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It is situated between Basingstoke and Newbury, on the North Hampshire Downs in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Sutton Scotney
Sutton Scotney
Sutton Scotney is a village in Hampshire, England. It is part of the City of Winchester district, and lies north of Winchester proper.It lies alongside the River Dever and is now bypassed by the A34 trunk road. It is notable for having been the site of numerous Spitfire crashes in the Second World...
, 'Moundesmer'. Preston Candover
Preston Candover
Preston Candover is a village and large civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has two churches, only one of which is still in use. Its nearest town is Basingstoke, approximately away...
, 'Oldfishborne', Farlington with a fishery, Denmead Molens, Clanveld and Aldbourn, Weralles in Dorchester with the rectory, Colmer, Stubbington
Stubbington
Stubbington is a large Hampshire village which is located between Southampton and Portsmouth on the south coast of England. It is within the borough of Fareham but is part of the parliamentary constituency of Gosport.-History:...
, Hoe
Hoe
Hoe may refer to:* Hoe , a hand tool used in gardening* Hoe , a Korean dish of raw fish* Plymouth Hoe, a public space in Plymouth, England* Hoe, Norfolk, a village in Norfolk, England* USS Hoe , a World War II US submarine...
, West Boarhunt, Boarhunt
Boarhunt
Boarhunt is a village and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England, about two miles north-east of Fareham....
, Harbert and Bury; the rectories of Nutley, Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Portsea
Portsea
Portsea is an area of the English city of Portsmouth, located on Portsea Island, within the ceremonial county of Hampshire.The area was originally known as the Common and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the nearby Dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the seventeenth...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and 'Wanstede,' and lands and rents in Priors Dean
Priors Dean
Priors Dean is a hamlet in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.2 miles west of the village of Hawkley, 4.2 miles north of Petersfield. Priors Dean is dominated by a Manor House, a 14th century Gothic church and a nearly 2,000 year old tree.The nearest railway station is...
, the city of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
and Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
.
Dissolution
in 1535, the Valor EcclesiasticusValor 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....
estimated the annual value of the priory £257 4s. 4d. But one of the canons, James Gunwyn, wrote to Cromwell on 20 January 1536 claiming:
We are bound by the will of William Wykeham to have daily five masses in our church, which have not been said for more than forty years. On 26 May last the Commissioners sat in our place to ascertain the yearly value of our lands, that a tenth part might be assessed according to Act of Parliament, when my master (the prior) delivered them a book of the yearly rents which was not in all points made truly. Also on 22 September last we had a visitation of our house by Dr. LaytonRichard LaytonRichard Layton was an English churchman, jurist and diplomat, dean of York and a principal agent of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell in the Dissolution of the Monasteries.-Life:...
, when we had certain injunctions given us to be observed, several of which have been neglected hitherto. I send you this information in discharge of my oath of obedience, and would have done it earlier if I could have had a trusty messenger, for if my master knew of my writing he would convey away the plate, money and jewels in his keeping.
A letter to Lord Lisle of 16 March 1538, stated that the priory was to be suppressed, and that 'Our Lady of Southwick' was taken down. On 7 April 1538 the surrender was signed by the prior, William Norton, and twelve of the canons. James Gunwyn's signature is next to the prior's.
Prior Norton received the large pension of £66 13s. 4d.
Post-Dissolution
The priory came into the possession of John White, a servant of Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of SouthamptonThomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, KG , known as The Lord Wriothesley between 1544 and 1547, was a politician of the Tudor period born in London to William Wrythe and Agnes Drayton....
. He pulled down the church and converted the prior's lodgings and other parts of the conventual buildings into a private house, known as Southwick Park which became the family seat of one branch of the Norton family. In October 1551, Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
Regent of Scotland and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots stayed in the house. On the death of John White in 1567 the manor passed to his son and heir Edward. In 1580 Edward died, leaving a son and heir, John, who, in 1606, settled the manor on his daughter and co-heir Honor on her marriage with Sir Daniel Norton, and they came into possession of the manor on the death of John White in the following year.
Present day
The house that replaced the priory was burnt down in 1750, the site is now occupied by Southwick HouseSouthwick House
Southwick House is a manor house of the Southwick Estate located just to the north of Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. The house was built in 1800 in the late Georgian style, to replace Southwick Park house. The house is distinct for its two-story foyer lit from a cupola, and a series of...
. Of the priory itself, one section of wall and some earthworks survive. Some remnants of the priory church may survive, transferred and reset in the parish church of St James.
The church of St Mary at Portchester
Portchester
Portchester is a locality and suburb 10km northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton, on the A27 main thoroughfare...
survives, inside the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
wall of Porchester Castle, returned to parochial use. It is substantially a Norman building, and hence the one the priory originally used. No trace of the conventual buildings survive above ground except for some drain openings and the marks of the abutment of the cloister against the south wall of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
.
The priory estates at Southwick are still intact as the Southwick Estate.
