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CATLEY PRIORY

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Gilbertine Priory of St Mary, Catley, a double house for nuns and canons founded between 1146 and 1154 and dissolved in 1538. The remains take the form of a series of earthworks and buried deposits. The monument is bounded on the south and west sides by two arms, now dry, of the original moated boundary of the inner court of the priory. Running parallel to the western arm of the moat are the remains of a second moat which bounded the entrance to the inner court. The moat encloses the earthwork remains of the main conventual buildings and ranges of ancillary servive buildings and associated enclosures. The northernmost building platforms include the remains of the church, which was excavated in 1775. To the south of these are two groups of earthworks which are believed to represent the two claustral complexes occupied by the canons and nuns respectively. There is evidence of two groupings of rectangular and sub-rectangular buildings each arranged around a cloister. To the south of these features are further earthworks representing the moats, fishponds and associated water channels of the priory which also lay within the precinct. Adjacent to the east of this area of earthwoks are further buried remains of the priory precinct. Soil marks recorded by aerial photography demonstrate the below ground survival of several features including the service buildings, guest housing, an infirmary and the remains of the northern and eastern precinct boundaries. Scheduled.

DETAIL

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(TF 11875556) (site of) Catley Abbey (GT) (Gilbertine, founded AD 1148-54). (1)

The Gilbertine priory of St Mary, Catley, was founded as a double house between 1148 and 1154, and dissolved in 1538. Traces remain of what appears to be the cloister garth with church to the north (topographical description agreeing with OS siting) with robber trenches outlining a smaller building to the west. In the SW corner of the partly filled precinct moat is an irregular system of channels, one of which was probably a fishpond. (4)

(See AO/LP/63/228-9 - St Joseph's APs).
(See TF 15 NW/2 for possible associated grange). (2-5)

Extensive earthworks under permanent pasture mark the site of this priory. Much robbery has taken place and two stone cottages to the north doubtless owe their fabric to the priory although no decorated material was seen in the facade. The precincts were originally marked by a ditch, the major portion of which is still extant, a fishpond complex is also evident; the situation is very low lying and the ponds and ditch are utilised for drainage. Much building material and fragmentary encaustic tile is evident both throughout the site and in the adjacent plough.
AM survey of 11 2 64 revised. (6)

Roof and floor tiles and kiln material found in field S of main site. (7)

TF 119 556. Catley Abbey. Scheduled no. LI/251. (8-9)

The priory earthworks were drawn at a scale of 1:10,000 from air photographs. The early photography shows the eastern precinct boundary banks and ditch surviving as earthworks, but later photos show them levelled and visible as soilmarks. Adjacent to the precinct boundary (TF 1192 5559) is an area of disturbance, showing as a light mark, possibly representing the remains of buildings. A rectangular enclosure centred at TF 1201 5548, lies at the south-eastern corner of the precinct complex.
(10-11)

In March 2004, English Heritage's Archaeological Survey and Investigation Team carried out an investigation and Level 3 analytical field survey at 1:1 000 scale of the site of Catley Priory, Lincolnshire. The project was carried out as part of a wider English Heritage contribution to archaeological work in the Witham Valley. In addition to the analytical field survey, the project also comprised documentary research. The earthwork survey was carried out using a combination of survey-grade GPS and traditional taped survey techniques. The environs of Catley Priory were mapped from aerial photography as part of the Witham Valley NMP project by English Heritage's Aerial Survey and Investigation Team (Event UID: 1399754). A full report, part of the Archaeological Investigation Report Series, is available from the NMR, reference AI/11/2005. (12)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

6" 1956

( 2) edited by William Page 1906 The Victoria history of the county of Lincoln, volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)196-7

( 3) by David Knowles and R Neville Hadcock 1971 Medieval religious houses in England and Wales

Page(s)195

( 4) by David Knowles and J K S St. Joseph 1952 Monastic sites from the air

Cambridge air surveys Page(s)250-1

( 5) Aerial photograph

(J K S St Joseph E A 044 FO 10 Udated)

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 FDC 01-APR-75

(7) Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology Lincolnshire history and archaeology

12 (1977) Page(s)71

(8) English Heritage 1995 County list of Scheduled Monuments : March 1994

Lincolnshire Page(s)12

(9) Scheduled Monument Notification

16-JAN-1998

(10) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

CUCAP PH3 29-MAR-1955

(11) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

CUCAP RC8 BF25 02-MAY-1976

(12) Field Investigators Comments

ENGLISH HERITAGE: CATLEY PRIORY SURVEY

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