| Summary : A small Cistercian nunnery dedicated to St. Mary, and founded in around 1200. The priory was surrendered in 1536 and formally dissolved in 1537. Following the Dissolution, the site became part of the manor of Ellerton. The site is dominated now by the remains of the church, parts of which survive as ruins and are Listed Grade II. Recent surveys have indicated that the site had the usual layout of a monastic house, with the church forming the north range of a cloister, the whole enclosed within an inner court with the precinct beyond. The church now includes a rectangular, aisleless nave, chancel and west tower. The earliest parts date to the 13th century, but the majority belongs to the 15th, with some remodelling carried out in the 19th century. As well as remains representing the cloister and the inner court, the remains of a small complex of structures identified as a small farmstead have been noted within the precinct. Evidence of ridge and furrow cultivation and a number of fishponds have also been recorded. Scheduled. The monument is also known as Ellerton Abbey although this is not the correct name. |
More information : SE0795297385 Site of (NAT) Ellerton Priory (NR) (NAT). (1)
SE 07959738 Chapel (NR) (remains of) (NAT). (2)
Ellerton (in Swaledale) Priory of Cistercian Nuns dedicated to
St Mary. Founded in the reign of Henry II and dissolved in 1537. (3)
Ruins of a Medieval church, consisting of a 15th century west
tower and remains of the nave walls. Listed. For the designation record of this site please see The National Heritage List for England. (4-4a)
Centred at SE 07959734 is an area, about 100.0 m square of
undulating hummocky disturbed ground which marks the published
site of Ellerton Priory. There are no visible surface remains. The
ruins of the chapel consist of west tower (2.7 m square
internally between a buttressed wall 1.0 m thick) still standing
to full height and accessible by a stairway in the south east wall.
To the east, the remains of the nave are 29.0 m long by 5.4 m wide
internally between a wall 1.0 m thick averaging about 1.3 m high
except for the south wall which is reduced almost to ground
level. Published survey (1:2500) Revised. (5)
SE 079 974. Ellerton Priory. Scheduled No 1019154 (was NY 116 also known as NR 116 and legacy number 31353) (6)
Ellerton Priory was a small Cistercian nunnery dedicated to St. Mary. The Eaglescliffe family, possibly lords of Ellerton, have been suggested as the founders in around 1200. It was a small site, at its height probably housing only 13 nuns. It was surrendered to the crown on the 18th August 1536 and formally dissolved in 1537. After the Dissolution, the site was bought by a member of the royal household and in 1568 it became part of the manor of Ellerton. In the early 17th century, the manor passed to the Drax family.
The remains of Ellerton Priory are dominated by the church, parts of which survive as upstanding ruins and are Listed Grade II. Recent surveys indicate that the priory demonstrates the typical layout of a monastic house, with the church forming the north range of a cloister, the whole enclosed within an inner court, with a precinct beyond. The church measures 34.5 metres by 8 metres and includes a rectangular, aisleless nave, chancel and west tower. The tower stands to a height of 14.7 metres and the interior is open to the rood, which was replaced in the 1980s. The east end of the church survives to a height of 5.5 metres. The earliest parts of the church date to the 13th century, but the majority belongs to the 15th. The church was partly remodelled in the 19th century to turn it into a romantic Gothic ruin to be viewed from the nearby Ellerton Abbey house. The cloister lies south of the church and measures around 25 metres by 20 metres. The inner court, surrounding the cloister, measures about 120 metres by 150 metres. At the north-west corner are the remains of a gatehouse. On the southern side is a further entrance way, giving access to the precinct to the south. West of the gatehouse are the remains of a small complex of structures, identified as a small farmstead within the precinct. Further remains within the precinct include a block of ridge and furrow. A series of earthworks representing a complex of fishponds lie west of the priory, south of the village and next to the modern road. These include the footings for a small building, possibly a fish curing house. Scheduled. (7)
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