Lavenham Priory facts for kids
Lavenham Priory is a very old and important building in Lavenham, Suffolk, England. It was built in the 1200s, which is the 13th century. Today, it is a Grade I listed building, meaning it is one of the most important historic buildings in the country.
The Priory's Long History
Lavenham Priory has a fascinating past, changing hands many times over the centuries.
Early Beginnings
Long ago, in 1086, a powerful person named Aubrey de Vere I was the Lord of the Manor here. This means he owned a lot of land and had great power in the area. We know this from the Domesday Book, a famous record made by William the Conqueror.
Later, in the early 1200s, Aubrey de Vere I gave this property to a group of monks called the Benedictines. These monks lived and worked together in a monastery, which is a special religious house. Lavenham Priory was a monastic house for many years.
A New Owner and a Royal Visit
Around the early 1400s, the monks left. The Priory was then bought by a man named Roger Ruggles. He became very rich from the cloth industry, which was a big business in Lavenham at that time.
There's a story that a royal official, someone who worked for King Henry VIII, visited Lavenham Priory. This official was called the Comptroller. It's said that the owner of the Priory was fined a huge amount of money, like £1 million today! This was supposedly because their home looked too fancy and showed off too much wealth. This might explain why the front of the building has special decorations called "Tudor pargeting." These are decorative plaster designs from the Tudor period.
Modern Day Use
For the last 20 years, Lavenham Priory has been used as a special guest house. It's a place where people can stay and experience a piece of history.
