Guisborough Priory
The Priory of two spellings, Guisborough and Gisborough. Unfortunately, it had shut for the winter the very morning we had arrived (don't trust google when it says you can still access the grounds year round- you can't), so we could only see the ruins from outside the wall. We were going to wait until we'd actually been within the grounds to post this, but decided to share it anyway as we had learnt a lot thanks to the church and the ruins we would see from outside.
Guisborough Priory was an Augustinian priory founded by Robert de Brus, an ancestor of Robert the Bruce. Founded in 1119 it quickly became one of the richest monasteries in England. Robert made his younger brother, William, the first Prior of Guisborough and so the family contined to influence the priory even though it was the 'Black Canons' who went on to run the place. It had become known for its strict Augustinian rule and often canons were sent there for correction as well as some canons being send elsewhere like Kirkham to enforce correct practice.
The majority of the original priory, built in the Romanesque Norman style, was destroyed in a fire during 1289. A plumber had forgotten to put out his fire when soldering the roof and the timbers caught dire. According to Walter of Guisborough, the molten lead ran down into the church and much of the interior and of course the building itself was lost. A petition was raised to get funds to rebuild and replace the artefacts within. A grant from the king came and the de Brus family heavily contributed to repairs, but it was rebuilt in the chosen style of the time, Gothic, and made grander as its financial band would allow for it. Due to their help the de Brus family crest was then displayed within the church as was proper during this period. Take an example seen in Pluckley with the Dering family influence.
It's estimated that the rebuild took around a century before completion due to Scottish raids and various financial factors including the Archbishop of York tapping into the funds to make up his own losses in 1319. As a consequence of this and having to take in refugees from monastic houses in 1320, the priory petitioned the king so that they didn't have to pay the clerical tenth tax. Money was running out for the richest priory and little did they know their days were numbered.
The Yorkshire de Brus died out when Peter IV died in 1272 childless, but local nobility were still funding it the best they could. In turn their dead were buried within the priory including Robert the Bruce's grandfather.
The Priory continued to get by until the Big Bully King came along with his Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540. A survey was taken a little before this time and Guisborough Priory was deemed the fourth wealthiest monastic house in Yorkshire so it escaped the first round of suppression by the king. However, a second survey took place and it was made very clear by the locals that the dissolution was not welcome as they relied on the priory to survive. This outrage inspired the Pilgrimage of Grace but sadly this resulted in Prior Cockerell being hung at Tyburn with the Prior of Bridlington, the Abbot of Jervaulx, and the former Abbot of Fountains Abbey.
The priory managed to survive another four years before it was surrendered to the kings men in 1440 and so the priory was demolished and the stone reused. The east end of the church was left standing as it was a landmark for Guisborough and thus stood as its symbol. It was then acquired by the Chaloner family as part of their estate in 1550 and they preserved the east window as part of their seat at Old Gisborough Hall which is why the priory ended up adopting the alternative spelling. This was then demolished in 1825 in favour of a new mansion house, Gisborough Hall half a mile to the east. The priory was then given to the Office of Works and then to English Heritage after changing hands a few times. All that is left is a few outer buildings rubble which we didnt see and that eastern bit of the church with its numerous burials. The gardens are said to be beautiful and there is a Monk's Pond within the grounds, although a sewage leak caused the death of over 5,000 fish.
We were delighted to find out that the site is haunted, and not just by the fish. According to local folklore the site is haunted by one of the 'Black Monks' who comes annually to check that his buried treasure had not been disturbed. They say he returns at midnight on the years first new moon to lower a drawbridge over the moat that no longer exists. This event was apparently witnessed in 1966 and 1967 by over 100 people but those who visited in 1968 saw nothing.
We also saw nothing aside from the peak of the ruins over the wall. It was a nice site from the churchyard next door, but we look forward to one day being able to see the site properly and be within the gates.
DISCLAIMER: Now for the official bit. This blog does not receive any paid promotions from the places mentioned above. We have not been approached to promote or act as spokespersons for any attraction mentioned within this post and this is simply a post intended to act as a day in the life of a couple on a cute date. All photos included are taken by ourselves and as such the rights for these images our ours, no links, brands, or companies mentioned otherwise belong or are associated with Phantom Adventures UK. We are responsible only for this blog. Opinions are our own and not influenced by any third party source..
If you have any recommendations on places to visit or somewhere you would like to see on the blog, please feel free to drop us a message on instagram under @phantomadventuresuk or email us at phantomadventuresuk@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment