Chacombe Priory facts for kids
House on the site of Chacombe Priory
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 Location in Northamptonshire
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| Monastery information | |
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| Order | Augustinian |
| Established | 12th century |
| Disestablished | 1536 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Hugh de Chacombe |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Designated date | 11 September 1953 |
| Site | |
| Location | Chacombe, Northamptonshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°05′28″N 1°17′18″W / 52.0911°N 1.2884°W |
| Visible remains | core of building incorporated into country house; also chapel and medieval fishponds |
Chacombe Priory (also known as Chalcombe Priory) was an old priory in Chacombe, Northamptonshire, England. A priory is a type of monastery, which is a place where religious people, like monks or canons, live and work together. This priory was home to Augustinian canons.
Contents
The Priory's History
How Chacombe Priory Started
The priory was founded by a man named Hugh of Chalcombe. He was the lord of the local area, called the manor of Chacombe. He started the priory during the time of King Henry II, which was between 1154 and 1189.
The priory was built on low land, just west of the village, close to a stream. Hugh gave the priory gifts of land and other things to help it get started.
What the Priory Owned
Over time, Chacombe Priory gained more property.
- Around 1225, the priory owned eight tenements in Banbury. A tenement is a building or a piece of land that is rented out.
- They kept seven of these tenements until the priory was closed down.
- By 1279, the priory also owned a tenement in Warwick.
- They continued to buy more land and buildings in Warwick, owning many by the time the priory closed.
Life at the Priory
In 1535, a man named Sir John Tregonwell visited the priory. He wrote a report to Thomas Cromwell, an important person in the government. Sir John said that the new prior (the head of the priory) was "competently well learned," meaning he was quite knowledgeable. He was trying to bring order to his canons, who were described as "rude and unlearned." Sir John worried that the prior was "too familiar and easy" with them.
The End of the Priory
The Dissolution of Monasteries
Chacombe Priory was closed down in 1536. This was part of a big event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. During this time, King Henry VIII closed many monasteries across England.
When the priory was closed, it owned land in several places:
- Boddington, Northamptonshire
- Rotherby, Leicestershire
- Wardington, Oxfordshire
- A tenement in Thorpe Mandeville
What Remains Today
Today, you can still see some parts of the old priory.
- There is a small chapel that seems to have been built in the 13th century.
- You can also see a set of medieval fishponds. These were ponds where the canons would have raised fish for food.
- Stone coffin slabs from the medieval period have also been found in the priory grounds.
Part of the priory site is now home to a house, which is also called Chacombe Priory. This house has:
- A large porch from the Elizabethan period.
- A staircase from the late 17th century.
- It was changed and updated during the Georgian era.
This house is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historic building.
Important Burials
Some important people were buried at Chacombe Priory:
- Nicholas de Segrave, 1st Baron Segrave and his wife Maud
- John Segrave, 2nd Baron Segrave
- Stephen de Segrave, 3rd Baron Segrave (who died in 1325)
