St Bees Priory

54°29′38″N 3°35′36″W / 54.493777°N 3.593461°W / 54.493777; -3.593461

St Bees Priory
West Door of St Bees Priory Church
St Bees Priory is located in the former Borough of Copeland
St Bees Priory
Location in Copeland Borough
St Bees Priory is located in Cumbria
St Bees Priory
Location in Cumbria
Monastery information
Full nameThe Priory Church of Saint Mary and Saint Bega
Other namesPriory Church of SS Mary and Bega
OrderBenedictine
EstablishedCa. 1130
Disestablished1539
Mother houseSt Mary's Abbey, York
DioceseCarlisle
People
Founder(s)William Meschin
Site
LocationSt Bees, Cumbria, England
Visible remainsNave, tower crossing and transepts; still used as the parish church. Monastic chancel; formerly the theological college, now used as parish rooms
Public accessYes

St Bees Priory is the parish church of St Bees, Cumbria, in England. There is evidence for a pre-Norman religious site, and on this a Benedictine priory was founded by the first Norman Lord of Egremont William Meschin, and was dedicated by Archbishop Thurstan[1] of York, sometime between 1120 and 1135.[2]

From sculptural and charter evidence, the site was a principal centre of religious influence in the west of the county, and an extensive parish grew up with detached portions covering much of the Western Lakes.[note 1]

The Priory was dissolved in 1539, and since then, the buildings have been the Anglican church of St Bees parish, and is now a Grade I listed building.[3]

  1. ^ Wilson, Rev J, The Registers of St Bees Priory, The Surtees Society 1915.
  2. ^ Todd J M, Chronological outline of village history St Bees History project newsletter 15th Jan 1977
  3. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary and St Bega (1336027)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 July 2015.


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