More information : (TF 36789131) Priory (NR) (Remains of)
Alvingham Gilbertine Priory was founded between 1148 and 1154 on a site north of the present (Alvingham) churchyard. A dual house, its numbers were limited to 80 nuns and lay Sisters and 40 canons and lay brothers. In the monastery a high wall and moat surrounded the nuns' quarters and the doors were kept by guards. The Black Death of 1348 much reduced the House which gradually declined until being surrendered on the 28th September 1538 after which the Priory church was stripped of its roof, the chancel demolished and the Conventual buildings left to decay (2). The site is still marked by mounds and moats a little to the west of the church. (1-3)
Extensive earthworks include a perimeter moat, fishponds, and an internal moat. The whole has been mutilated by agriculture, their partial use as a mill race/stream (see TF 39 SE 9) and canal construction. No building foundations can now be identified but a greatly disturbed area doubtless marks the church and Conventual buildings.
Surveyed/Annotated at 1:2500. (4)
The Monastic site, described by the previous authorities, was visible as earthworks and mapped from good quality air photographs. To the west of the church, centred at TF 3665 9130, an inner precinct is enclosed by a moat on three sides, forming a 180m wide enclosure, with a possible entrance on its eastern side.
This entrance leads to an outer precinct, enclosed by a more substantial double ditched and embanked moat. Only the north and part of the east sides survive, forming a 100m wide enclosure, centred at TF 3678 9138, lying to the north of the church.
Within the inner precinct two fishponds survive at TF 3669 9125 and TF 3673 9125, the latter is attached to the precinct moat. Other structures identified within the inner precinct are two parallel banks adjacent to an extractive pit, centred at TF 3662 9130. These
features may represent the foundations of a building and a robber trench.
(Morph No. LI.365.1.1-6)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database.
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