Kilburn Priory facts for kids
Kilburn Priory as it appeared in 1722
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 Location in London Borough of Camden
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| Monastery information | |
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| Full name | Primo fundatio monialium de Kylborne per abbatem Westmonasterii Herebertum |
| Order | Augustinian |
| Established | 1130–1134 |
| Disestablished | 1537 |
| Mother house | St Peter at Westminster |
| Dedicated to | St. John the Baptist |
| Site | |
| Location | Kilburn, Middlesex, England |
| Coordinates | 51°32′28″N 0°11′23″W / 51.541°N 0.1896°W |
Kilburn Priory was a small religious community for nuns that existed a long time ago, from about 1130 to 1537. It was located about three miles north-west of the City of London. This area is now known as Kilburn.
The priory was built where an old road called Watling Street (now Kilburn High Road) met a stream. This stream had different names like Cuneburna or Caleburn. These names meant either "royal stream" or "cow's stream." The priory gave its name to the whole area. You can still see its influence in street names like Priory Road and Abbey Road.
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How Kilburn Priory Started
Before the priory was built, the site was used by a hermit named Godwyn until 1130. A hermit is someone who lives alone, often for religious reasons. Godwyn later gave his property to the church of St. Peter, which was part of Westminster Abbey.
The priory itself was officially started between 1130 and 1134. This happened with the permission of Gilbert Universalis, who was the Bishop of London at the time.
From Hermitage to Priory
Kilburn Priory was first connected to Westminster Abbey. The monks at Westminster Abbey followed the Benedictine rule, which is a set of guidelines for monastic life. However, by 1377, Kilburn Priory was described as a community of Augustinian canonesses. This means the nuns followed a different set of rules, similar to those of the Augustinian order.
Some people once thought that a famous old book called the Ancrene Riwle was written for the first three nuns at Kilburn. This book was a guide for women who chose to live a religious life. However, historians now believe this is probably not true.
The First Nuns of Kilburn
A historian named Agnes Strickland wrote about how the priory might have begun. She suggested it was established in 1128. It was supposedly for three kind and religious ladies who worked for Queen Matilda of Scotland. Queen Matilda was the wife of King Henry I.
These ladies were named Emma, Gunilda, and Cristina. After the Queen died in 1118, these women went to live at the hermitage in Kilburn. There was a special well or spring there. The hermitage was then changed into a priory in 1128 to welcome these ladies.
The End of Kilburn Priory
Kilburn Priory did not last forever. It was closed down in 1537. This happened during a time in English history known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries. King Henry VIII ordered many monasteries and priories to be closed.
After the priory was dissolved, its land was given to the Knights of St. John. This was in exchange for some other property. However, the King took the land back from the Knights of St. John just three years later, in 1540.
