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NEWNHAM PRIORY

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Augustinian priory, founded circa 1165 by Simon de Beauchamp to replace, and with the endowments of, St Paul's collegiate church in Bedford. It was located in the church of St Paul at first, but moved to Newnham circa 1180. It was dissolved in 1540. Excavations in the 1980s and 1990s recovered the plan of the church with the claustral buildings to the south, but the excavations are unpublished. Several outbuildings, at least 13 in number, were also discovered in a courtyard to the West of the priory, dating to the 12th-14th centuries.

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[Name TL 06694943] Site of Newnham Priory [GT]
(Augustinian, Founded c.AD 1165). [Name TL 06814924] Fish Ponds [GT] (1)

Newnham was a large Augustinion Priory founded c.1165 dissolved in 1540. It was formerly the collegiate establishment of St Paul in Bedford (2).

Newnham Priory was enclosed by a rampart and moat on three sides and the Ouse on the fourth, enclosing an area of 35 acres. Two `closes', on the east of the main enclosure, were also defended by a bank and moat, there are remains of large fishponds on the south near the river (3). Scheduled (4). (2-4)

The priory site has been largely destroyed by modern developments. The fishpond complex and extant remains of the `closes' of authority 3 have been surveyed at 1/2500. (5)

At TL 06634942 in the Corporation Yard are recently discovered portions of the precinct wall. Built of brick, probably Late C15th/Early C16th, the remains attain a maximum height of 2.0m and include a buttressed doorway and corner. Generally in poor condition and often covered by disused street furniture and other council scrap. A concrete coping of some age is also breaking up. The remains are subject to a preservation order. See GP's AO/66/188/1,2,3. (6)

TL 069495. Excavation in advance of road widening was carried out in 1971. A small earthwork near the northern limit of the Priory was probably originally circular, but elongated on a north-south axis by recent dumping. Little dating or constructional evidence was found; the mound was probably the last visible part, north of the River Ouse.

New Cut, of the monastic complex of ditches, banks, mounds and fishponds. Excavation report (8). (7,8)

The priory of St Paul Bedford was founded by Simon de Beauchamp to replace and with endowments of the collegiate establishment of St Paul in Bedford in about 1165 (a) or about 1166 (b). It was at this church in Bedford, and was moved to Newnham about 1180. (9)

A linear ditch forming part of the remaining earthworks at Newnham Priory was sectioned during gravel extraction operations (sited from plan at TL 06904930). It was shown to be a continuous boundary ditch of 13th-14th century date. (10)

Remains of medieval fishponds are visible as earthworks on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data and were mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located at Priory Marina and centred at TL 06731 49274, the fishpond earthworks were part of the former Newnham Priory. The earthworks were bissected by the construction of the London & North Western Railway (Cambridge & Bletchley branch) in the 19th century. The features are not visible on aerial photographs taken in 2009 due to heavy canopy cover. (11-12)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1960

( 2) by David Knowles and R Neville Hadcock 1953 Medieval religious houses : England and Wales

Page(s)147

( 3) edited by H Arthur Doubleday and William Page 1904 The Victoria History of the county of Bedford, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)303-5,377-81

( 4) General reference

Ancient Monuments Eng and Wales, 1958, p.15 (M.O.W.)

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 BHS 01-JUN-62

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 BHS 22-DEC-66

( 7) General reference

CBA Gp 9 NL 2 1972 18 (W Annan and D Baker)

( 8) Bedfordshire Archaeological Society Bedfordshire archaeological journal

Annan and Baker 6, 1971 Page(s)77-80

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

Page(s)142,167

( 9a) General reference

The Prebends of Bedford 19030 (GH Fowler)

( 9b) edited by H Arthur Doubleday and William Page 1904 The Victoria History of the county of Bedford, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)303-5,377-81

(10) Bedfordshire Archaeological Society Bedfordshire archaeological journal

A Simco 11, 1976 Page(s)80,81

(11) Light detection and ranging (lidar) airborne survey

LIDAR TL0649 Environment Agency 1m DTM Jan 1998–Sep 2014

(12) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

Next Perspectives APGB Imagery TL 0649 02-JUN-2009

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