More information : [NX 9689 1210] PRIORY [G.T.] (Remains of) St. Bees Church [T.U.] (1)
'St. Bees. Benedictine Priory. Founded 1120; dissolved 1538. Dependent on St. Mary's York. An early nunnery, established here c.650 was destroyed by the Danes'. (2)
St. Bees....
Priory, St. Bega's, Benedictine, founded c.1125; part forms the present Priory Church; quire, transepts and tower c.1200; nave 1150-1250; S. aisle of Lady Chapel 15th Cent. The fabric refitted as parish church 1611; restored 1662, c.1810, 1817, 1855, 1858, 1867, 1873. Fragments of two effigies 13th and 14th cent. Seventeen graveslabs and fragments, one to Johanna Lucy, 14th Cent. Graveslab to prior Cotyngham, 1300 at the College. Resting cross, medieval, from Chapel How [67 SW 10] in churchyard'. (3)
The 7th or 8th Century stone fragments [NX 91 SE 3] found in the Norman walls of the priory church 'were all clearly brought from the neighbouring ruins of the Irish nunnery, which stood to the north of our church and church-yard, and traces of the road which have been discovered in digging graves'. (4)
'During 1951 and 1952 digging has been done at St. Bees... The 1951 work was alongside the piece of ruined wall which extends eastwards from the south wall of the South Transept... A corbel stone.. carved with a monk's face, dated c.1200, was discovered... A wall was discovered which must be either the west wall of the Chapter House or of its vestibule. In the course of uncovering the wall we came upon the entrance with the bases of two columns on each side. ... The doorway was a comparatively narrow one, 3 ft. 9 in... which suggests a date in the early Norman period. Also this doorway was built up to cover the bases which are now uncovered, so that it is, likely that a wider and more imposing doorway was superimposed, perhaps c.1200 when the present church was built and improvements made in the Priory buildings. A feature of the wall is that it is not at a right angle to the church. (5)
Further reference. (6)
The only visible remains of the Priory are indicated in the... diagram. Those at 'A' still form a part of the wall of the church. Those at 'B' vary between 8 ft. and 15 ft. in height, are fully exposed and rapidly deteriorating. (7)
After the dissolution of the monasteries, the church of the old priory was retained for the parish. A cruciform structure of red sandstone it consists of a choir of 6 bays, transepts, central tower, and clerestoried nave of 6 bays. The tower was raised to over 100' during the restorations of 1855-8. The west front has a fine Norman doorway with chevron and beakhead mouldings. (8)
The church is dedicated to St. Mary and St. Bega. The priory is known as St. Bees Priory. The recorded information is correct. (9)
The remains of St. Bees Priory consist of the original Chancel, the west doorway to the Priory church, and some fragments of walling. A portion of walling extends eastwards from the south wall of the south transept of the present church and probably represents the north wall of the original slype. It is 6.7mm in length, 1 m wide and 3.3 m high, built of red sandstone blocks, regularly coursed. It stands detached from the present church and bears evidence at its west end of a former doorway, with lower jambs and steps still in situ. A row of stones on the S. side and near the foot of this wall jut out, and possibly formed the basis for the springing of the arches forming the slype or passage. The former chancel is in good condition though extensively restored. It is no longer used for ecclesiastical purposes and is divided from the church by a wall extending N-S, 5.5m E of the present transepts. On its S. side it has four Early English arches, now blocked, but with modern windows and door inserted within the blocking. On the N. side are five lancets. The existence of these arches suggests a possible aisle between the chancel and slype, with the extant walling, previously described, being its S. wall with a doorway leading to the slype or passage. A further portion of walling extends 4 m S. from the SE corner of the former chancel and contains the remains of an Early English pointed window. The W. end of the church is accurately described by Authy. 8. No other traces of the former monastic buildings which must have extended southwards from the church, are now visible. The area is covered by gardens and playing fields and is ecclesiastical property. Fragments of masonry found within the gardens of the Priory are displayed near the W. front of the church. A well, situated at wet, and is thought by the vicar, the Rev. V.A. Callow, to have had monastic buildings, apart from this well, would be served by the Pow Beck, which flows in a southerly direction approx. 170m south of the church. The extant portions of the former church and priory, have been marked on the 25" A.M.
GP AO/59/295/7 Remns. of Priory from S
GP AO/59/295/8 Chancel from N.
NX 96851210. The Resting Cross is now situated opposite the W. door of St. Mary and St. Bega's Church. It is set into the centre of the second of three steps built within a semi-circular recess to a boundary wall. It is made from local red sandstone and consists of a shaft surmounted by a wheel head cross. The shaft is 0.3m wide 0.2m in breadth, and is 0.6m high. The wheel head is 0.4m in diameter with a cross in relief. The W. face of the cross is almost obliterated by a lamination that has removed the outer face of the cross and shaft. The cross has been surveyed on the 25" AM GP AO/59/295/6. (10)
Church of St Mary & St Bega
GV I
Benedictine Priory, now Parish Church. Present building dates from re-foundation c1120. Unroofed at Dissolution, re-roofed 1611 for use as Parish Church; further restoration 1622. Extensively remodelled and restored by Butterfield in C19: 1855, transepts re-roofed; 1858, tower repaired; 1881 aisles re-roofed. Sandstone blocks on plinth (moulded in places); buttresses added at west end. North transept arm retains parts of original arched corbel table, and string below windows. Welsh slate roofs. Nave with aisles, transept, crossing tower, and chort chancel. Original Romanesque westdoor of 4 semi-circular orders (under hoodmould) carried between ornamentally carved cushion capitals. 3 outer orders carved with chevron interspersed with heads; only one of original jamb shafts survives; inner order plain, with compound respond. Late C20 fittings to doors. C19 lancet to end of each aisle and 3 above door. C19 two- and three-light aisle windows, restored two- and three-light C17 clerestory windows. Traceried C19 chancel windows. Interior: 6-bay nave arcade carried on alternating cylindrical/octagonal piers (except central north, clustered kneeled shafts); pointed, moulded arches with continuous hoodmould. Clerestory windows over spandrels. Pointed, moulded crossing arches carried on keeled responds. C19 walls, pierced with large cinquefoils, separate aisles from transept. Chancel extends into crossing. Polychromed blind arcading to east wall, Minton floor tiles. Painted cast-iron altar tail; ornate 1886 painted cast-wrought iron chancel screen. Medieval bracket piscina in north transept arm. Numerous inscribed/carved medieval grave slabs in north transept arm and east end of south aisle. Stone set in south wall at west end of aisle inscribed and dated 1611, said to commemorate repairs carried out by churchwardens. Old and New Testament cycles in C19 stained-glass windows, Octagonal marble font in south aisle given by contractor in 1858. C19 octagonal wooden pulpit.
St Bees School Music room in former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega
GV I
Chancel to Priory Church, now music room for St Bees School. Rebuilt late C12; south aisle added late C13/early C14. Unroofed at Dissolution; re-roofed and south arcade walled up when converted for use as lecture room in early C10. Wooden floor inserted. Sandstone blocks. North side and east end have moulded plinth, string, decoratively carved cavetto eaves moulding, and pilaster buttresses between windows. 5-bay north side has tall lancets with waterleaf capitals (to nook-shafts, now lost). East end has 3 lancets of equal height with water leaf capitals; some en-delit nook-shafts survive. Remains of (stepped?? lancets in gable. 4-bay south arcade has windows inserted in blocking walls; steps up to door. Fragmentary remains of south and east walls to aisle. Internally, removal of rubbish below wooden floor in 1981 uncovered medieval flagged floor with steps up to altar platform; (c14?) effigy or woman against north wall. In music room, east wall retains ornate 2-tier late C12 blind arcading between windows.
Cross in churchyard to north of Priory Church nave (formerly listed as part of Church of St Mary and St Bega
G.V.I
Cross, probably C10/C11. 2 steps; lower of sandstone slabs and rectangular socket. Shaft has interlace decoration on all 4 sides; part of lower arm to cross-head survives.
Wall, to west of Priory Church nave, incorporating medieval cross & lintel (formerly listed as part of Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega)
G.V. I
Wall; C19 incorporating medieval fragments. Snecked rubble c7 ft high; flat coping. Full-height semicircular niche to centre with monolithic stone wheel-head cross c3 ft high of (early?) medieval date, probably removed to present position from Chapel How, c1 mile to north-east of St Bees on B5345 where it served as resting, (or corpse) cross. Lintel spanning niche placed there in 1868 following its discovery embedded in late C12 south aisle wall. Various sources give dates from C10 to C12; shape and decoration suggest Irish/Norse influence and possible pre-Conquest date. Single stone with triangular upper surface. Interlace and knots to either side of central scene showing wyvern (no hind legs and 2nd, smaller head to end of tail) with head turned over shoulder, confronting warrior armed with sword, shield, and conical helm; said to depict St George, or St Michael (latter proposed as it was once thought to have come from St Michael's chapel, Rottington although little is known of this site), but the scene may be from Norse mythology rather than Christian. (11)
Additional references - 1980s excavations (12-14)
Description of the crosses at St Bees. (15)
Listed. (16)
There is not enough documentary evidence to support the tentative circumstantial evidence that St Bees may have been a minster. There is no clear documentary evidence that there was a church here at all before circa 900. (17)
Earthworks of uncertain date to the south west of the present church and graveyard are visible on air photographs. The area, covering approximately 0.4 hectares, has both bank and ditch elements. At its southern extent the area has three ditch elements almost forming three sides of a sub-square feature. To the north of this are two parallel ditch features approximately 25m in length with two larger and one smaller banked linear features to their west running north-south and east-west. These banked features appear to create or join around a sub-square ditched feature and a smaller ditched curvilinear feature to their north. It is assumed that these elements relate to the priory. The area was mapped as part of the North West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey and is still visible on the latest 1990 Ordnance Survey vertical photography.
(18-19)
For a very detailed record please see the Wikipedia article on St Bees Priory. (20) |