| Summary : The ruins of the Priory of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, an Augustinian monastery founded in or soon after 1139 and dissolved in 1536. Underlying the priory are buried remains relating to the pre-Conquest town of Thetford. After the Dissolution the nave of the church survived as a barn. The nave of the church is rectangular, without aisles, and measures circa 24 metres east-west by 10 metres. Limited excavations carried out to the east and the north of the nave in 1969, showed the church as a whole was originally circa 53 metres in length and cruciform in plan. The walls of the nave of the church, which are constructed of mortared flint rubble with ashlar dressings, stand to a height of circa 6 metres. The arched opening of the west door of the church survives in the west wall, below the blocked opening of part of a large window. The excavations to the north of the nave revealed traces of the south cloister walk alongside. The conventual buildings would have been grouped around the cloister, and it is possible that a stub of wall which extends northwards from the north west angle of the nave is a remnant of part of the west range. Features which date from the period when the nave was used as a barn include a large cart entrance cut through the south wall in the third bay, and a smaller doorway in the north wall opposite. Both are now blocked. The remains of a grotto from a 19th century ornamental garden can be seen in the east end of the nave. The excavations to the east of the nave revealed fragmentary remains of chalk foundations and robbed trenches which are evidence for a building predating the church and perhaps relating to the original foundation of the priory or to the period before the Conquest. Below these were found various buried features dated to the late Saxon period, including infilled pits and ditches and evidence for timber structures indicative of intensive occupation. These relate to the late Saxon town of Thetford. |
More information : [TL 86488306] PRIORY [G.T.] (Remains of) (1)
Remains of the Augustinian priory of St. Sepulchre, founded c.1139 and dissolved 1536 (2). Aisleless nave, the W. wall stands high up and the chancel has disappeared. (2,3)
The sole remains of the Priory is the Nave which stands roofless with its walls up to 6.5m in height.
To the S.W. of the nave is a post Dissolution Tithe Barn now used as a garage.
Published 1/2500 revised. See AO/SER/67/5/10 (4)
(TL 86488305) Remains of (NAT) Priory of St Sepulchre (NR) (Augustinian) (NAT) (5)
The priory of the Holy Sepulchre was founded by William de Warenne soon after 1139, for canons of the Holy Sepulchre. The convent came under the Augustinian general chapter by circa 1260.
(TL 86488305). The site of the priory lies south of the river Ouse and north of the road from Thetford to Brandon. All that now survives of the priory buildings is the heavily disturbed remains of the aisless nave of the priory church. This stands to a height of circa 6m and is built of flint rubble with ashlar dressings.
A rescue excavation in 1969 showed that much of both monastic levels, and its destruction levels, had been destroyed by 18th or 19th century gardening. East of the nave, excavations located the east end of the church, and the west wall of the south transept, where the latter was represented by flint and mortar remains in trench B, (see illustration card). Inside the area of the church twelve graves were located in trenches B and G. The choir and claustral areas were also located.
Below the monastic levels in an area east and north of the nave, evidence was found of extensive late Saxon occupation, consisting of a series of pits, ditches, scoops and post-holes.
An earlier building phase on the site was also discovered. This was represented by some substantial chalk footings in trenches A and H.
These footings pre-date the present priory church, and post-date the Saxon pits. The scale of the footings and their alignment with the south walls of the nave and choir suggest the presence of an earlier church building. (7)
Additional bibliography. (8)
1.
1720 BRANDON ROAD
Remains of Priory of St Sepulchre
(The Canons)
TL 8683 3/6 3.4.51.
2.
Ruined remains of domestic buildings. Flint, clunch and ashlar dressings. Mainly C14. (9)
TL 865831. Priory of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, scheduled. (10)
TL 86498305. The roofless nave of the priory church is all that remains above ground. A new housing estate under construction immediately N. and E. of the nave will effectively have completed the destruction of the other priory remains, already badly damaged by C18/C19th land use (auth 7). The post-dissolution barn (auth 4) SW of the nave is roofless and in use as a garage/car park. (11)
The ruins of the Priory of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, an Augustinian monastery founded in or soon after 1139 and dissolved in 1536. Underlying the priory are buried remains relating to the pre-Conquest town of Thetford. After the Dissolution the nave of the church survived as a barn. The nave of the church is rectangular, without aisles, and measures circa 24 metres east-west by 10 metres. Limited excavations carried out to the east and the north of the nave in 1969, showed the church as a whole was originally circa 53 metres in length and cruciform in plan. The walls of the nave of the church, which are constructed of mortared flint rubble with ashlar dressings, stand to a height of circa 6 metres. The arched opening of the west door of the church survives in the west wall, below the blocked opening of part of a large window. The excavations to the north of the nave revealed traces of the south cloister walk alongside. The conventual buildings would have been grouped around the cloister, and it is possible that a stub of wall which extends northwards from the north west angle of the nave is a remnant of part of the west range. Features which date from the period when the nave was used as a barn include a large cart entrance cut through the south wall in the third bay, and a smaller doorway in the north wall opposite. Both are now blocked. The remains of a grotto from a 19th century ornamental garden can be seen in the east end of the nave. The excavations to the east of the nave revealed fragmentary remains of chalk foundations and robbed trenches which are evidence for a building predating the church and perhaps relating to the original foundation of the priory or to the period before the Conquest. Below these were found various buried features dated to the late Saxon period, including infilled pits and ditches and evidence for timber structures indicative of intensive occupation. These relate to the late Saxon town of Thetford. (12)
Founded before 1148 by William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey. See source for further information. (13)
At the time it was founded, the Priory of the Holy Sepulchre was one of only six such houses in the country. Today, its ruins are the only standing remains to have survived in England of this particular order. The house was never a wealthy one, despite being endowed with the land, churches, thithes and manorial rights held by William de Warenne, the priory¿s founder. The number of canons varied by the later medieval period, ranging from eight to just three. See source for further details. (14) |