Sempringham Priory

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Sempringham Priory
Sempringham Parish Church
Location within Lincolnshire
General information
Location	Sempringham, Lincolnshire
Country	England
Coordinates	52°52′42″N 0°21′27″W / 52.878333°N 0.3575°W / 52.878333; -0.3575
Completed	1140s

Sempringham Priory was a priory in Lincolnshire, England, located in the medieval hamlet of Sempringham, to the northwest of Pointon. Today, all that remains of the priory is a marking on the ground where the walls stood and a square, which are identifiable only in aerial photos of the vicinity. However, the parish church of St Andrew's, built around 1100 AD, is witness to the priory standing alone in a field away from the main road.^[1]

The priory was built by Gilbert of Sempringham, the only English saint to have founded a monastic order.^[2][3][4] The priory's religious accentuation as an important religious pilgrimage site began when St Gilbert established the Gilbertine Order in 1131 by inducting "seven maidens" who were his pupils. Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, helped in establishing the religious buildings to the north of St Andrew's Church as a protected area.^[1]

St Gilbert died at Sempringham in 1189 and was buried in the priory church. He was canonised on 13 October 1202, for the many miracles noted at his tomb in the priory. His name is prefixed to the Sempringham Priory, which is known as "St Gilbert Sempringham Priory," and is a centre of pilgrimage.

The priory, which functioned as a dual community made up of canons and nuns, was dissolved in 1538. The Clinton family, who took possession of the priory, demolished it completely without leaving any trace of it on the ground. They built a mansion from the building material they extracted from the demolished structure.^[1]