Guisborough and Priory 7th June 2008
Gisborough Priory was founded somewhere between 1119 and 1124 by Robert de Brus of Skelton. It was held by Augustinian Canons, whose role was to go out into the local area and provide Christian teaching and perform religious services. The area around Gisborough Priory had been disrupted by decades of warfare preventing regular teaching of Christianity.
In 1289, the wealth of the house was badly affected by a disastrous fire in the church. In addition, Scottish raids during the 1300s reduced the value of its lands and led it to take in refugees from monastic houses further north, who were more badly affected by
raiders.Eventually Gisborough became one of the most popular and wealthy religious houses in Yorkshire and it controlled large amounts of land in the area.The house was dissolved in 1540 as part of Henry VIII’s Reformation of the Monasteries and the buildings became the property of the Chaloner family, who still hold them today.
In 1289, the wealth of the house was badly affected by a disastrous fire in the church. In addition, Scottish raids during the 1300s reduced the value of its lands and led it to take in refugees from monastic houses further north, who were more badly affected by
raiders.Eventually Gisborough became one of the most popular and wealthy religious houses in Yorkshire and it controlled large amounts of land in the area.The house was dissolved in 1540 as part of Henry VIII’s Reformation of the Monasteries and the buildings became the property of the Chaloner family, who still hold them today.(Excerpt from Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council Museums Site.)
Saturday 7th June 2008 - took Lesley and Emily and the Mother in Law to Guisborough for some shopping (It was market day.) Decided to pay a visit to a monument I'd not been to since I was a child - namely Guisborough Priory.
Although not much remains of the priory, it is still easy to imagine its scale based on the surrounding land. What a magnificent set of buildings they must have been, and it's still clear to see the workmanship and skill involved in its construction almost nine hundred years ago. Even Emily was impressed!! (Lesley is much harder to inspire when it comes to ancient architecture - but that doesn't stop me trying!)
I have always been fascinated by 'reconstructions' of ancient ruins - imagining how they must
have looked when first built - to the right is an artist's impression of how the priory might have looked in the early fourteenth century. The trancept still standing faces the hills on this picture so it's difficult to guage a perspective though you can still see how impressive the building was - it would be nice to find an impression using the remaining ruins as a focal point though.
have looked when first built - to the right is an artist's impression of how the priory might have looked in the early fourteenth century. The trancept still standing faces the hills on this picture so it's difficult to guage a perspective though you can still see how impressive the building was - it would be nice to find an impression using the remaining ruins as a focal point though.All in all a nice day - bit of shopping, bit of sightseeing, bit of history, what could be better?
1 comment:
I like history and especially photos.
Nicely done,
Troy
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