Guildford Black Friary facts for kids
Guildford's largest covered shopping centre, The Friary Centre lies on the site of the friary
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Dominican |
| Established | after 1274 |
| Disestablished | 1538 |
| Diocese | Diocese of Guildford |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Queen Eleanor of Provence |
| Important associated figures | Richard Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel and Surrey; Henry VIII |
| Site | |
| Location | Guildford, Surrey, England |
| Coordinates | 51°14′21.08″N 0°35′12.57″W / 51.2391889°N 0.5868250°W |
| Visible remains | No |
| Public access | Not applicable |
The Guildford Black Friary was a special kind of religious house in Guildford, Surrey, England. It was home to Dominican friars during the Middle Ages. Friars were like monks, but they lived among people in towns and cities, helping the poor and teaching.
Contents
History of Guildford Friary
Building the Friary (1274-1538)
The Guildford Friary was started by Queen Eleanor of Provence, who was the wife of King Henry III. She began the friary sometime after her husband passed away in 1272. The friars received lots of wood and money to build their home. This helped them create a large building using both wood and stone. The friary was located on the east side of the River Wey, near where Friary Street is today.
In 1275, King Edward I gave the Dominican friars a special gift. He allowed them to enclose a road that led from Guildford to the royal park. This helped them make their friary grounds much bigger.
The Friary and King Henry VIII
Later, King Henry VIII decided to close down many religious houses in England, including the Guildford Friary. This happened in 1538. Instead of the friary, he had a hunting lodge built on the land for his own use. He sometimes used the old friary building as a royal home.
King Henry VIII even gave money to the friars in 1530 and 1531. Some people think these gifts were because the friars were very good at gardening. They might have helped design the royal gardens in Guildford.
However, King Henry VIII eventually separated the Church of England from the main church in Rome. This led to the friary being officially closed on October 10, 1538. The building stayed standing until 1606. Then, a man named Sir George More had parts of it taken down. He might have used the materials to build a new part of his home, Loseley Park.
In 1630, the land was given to the Earl of Annandale. He had a new house built on the site by a famous architect named Inigo Jones. This house later became army barracks in 1794 and was pulled down in 1818.
Over time, the site changed a lot. From 1873 to 1969, a brewery called Friary Brewery was built there. Today, the site is home to The Friary Shopping Centre.
Earlier Discoveries at the Site
The Crutched Friars
Before the shopping centre was built, archaeologists dug up the site in 1974 and 1978. They found signs of an even older building underneath the Dominican friary. This older building had pottery from after 1250.
It is thought that this was the home of a different group of friars. They were called the 'Friars de Ordine Martyrum' or 'Crutched Friars'. This was a smaller religious group that came to Britain in 1244. They were allowed to live on land they bought in Guildford in 1260.
The Crutched Friars were a short-lived group. Their order was closed down in 1274 by the Council of Lyons. The discoveries from the digs, along with old records, suggest that this was the original friary on the site. The Crutched Friars were part of a larger group known as the Crutched Friars or Crossed Friars. They followed the Augustinian tradition and came to England from Italy in the 1200s.
Some people have also suggested that this group might have reappeared later. However, only a few old books mention them in Guildford. Most historical documents do not.
