Atherstone Priory facts for kids
Atherstone Priory was a special religious building in Warwickshire, England. It was home to groups of monks or nuns who lived, worked, and prayed there. Over time, there were actually two different priories in Atherstone.
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What Was the First Atherstone Priory?
The very first religious site in Atherstone was an Augustinian friary. It was founded in the middle of the town in 1374. A nobleman named Ralph, Lord Bassett of Drayton, started it.
A Royal Visitor
An important person visited this priory. It was Henry VII, who later became King of England. He took part in a religious service there. This happened just before a famous battle called the Battle of Bosworth.
What Happened to the First Priory?
In 1538, a big event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries happened in England. This is when King Henry VIII closed down many religious houses. The Atherstone Priory was also closed.
After it closed, the main part of the building became the town's local church, St Mary's. Another part became a grammar school. The rest of the land was rented out to a person named Mr Cartwright.
The Second Atherstone Priory
Much later, in the 1800s, a new priory was built. This one was for Dominican nuns and was known as the Convent of the Rosary. It was built between 1837 and 1841 in the east part of Atherstone. A famous architect named Joseph Hansom designed it.
New Owners for the Priory
After some years, the Dominican nuns faced money problems. In 1857, they had to sell the priory. It was bought by Benedictine nuns from St. Benedict's Priory, Colwich.
In 1859, a group of 19 nuns moved from Colwich to Atherstone. They started a new priory convent there, which they named St Scholastica. The priory building was made bigger in 1873, and Joseph Hansom designed the additions again.
The Priory Closes Again
Over time, the number of nuns at St Scholastica's started to decrease. Also, a big meeting in the Catholic Church called the Vatican Council encouraged religious groups to work together more.
Because of this, the nuns at St Scholastica's decided in 1966 to rejoin the main group at Colwich. On July 31, 1967, the eighteen nuns from Atherstone moved back to Colwich. The Atherstone property was then sold.
The graves of the nuns were carefully moved to St Mary's churchyard. The priory building itself was taken down. Today, the site where the second priory once stood is now a housing estate.
