List of monastic houses in Hertfordshire facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Hertfordshire, a county in England, was once home to many monastic houses. These were special places where groups of people, like monks, nuns, or friars, lived together under religious rules. They dedicated their lives to prayer, study, and often helped their local communities. These houses were important centers for learning, healing, and farming in medieval times.

This article lists some of the most important monastic houses that existed in Hertfordshire. Many of these were closed down in the 1500s during a time known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Types of Monastic Houses

There were different kinds of monastic houses, each with their own rules and traditions:

Abbey: A large and important monastery led by an abbot (for monks) or an abbess (for nuns).
Priory: A smaller monastery, often led by a prior or prioress. Some priories were independent, while others were like branches of a larger abbey.
Friary: A house for friars, who were different from monks because they often traveled and preached, and lived by begging.
Preceptory: A house for military religious orders like the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitaller. These knights combined religious life with military duties.
Cell: A very small monastic house, usually dependent on a larger monastery.

Notable Monastic Houses in Hertfordshire

Ashridge Priory

Ashridge Priory was a monastery for a group of monks called Bonshommes monks. It was founded in 1283 by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall. This priory was dedicated to the Precious Blood. It was closed down on November 16, 1539.

Cathale Priory

This priory was home to Benedictine nuns. It was likely founded around 1200. The priory was closed before 1240, and its land was given to the nuns of Cheshunt. A chapel from Cathale Priory was still standing in the 1830s.

Cheshunt Priory

Cheshunt Priory was another home for Benedictine nuns, founded before 1183. It was dissolved (closed) in 1536, and its property was given to Sir Anthony Deny.

Flamstead Priory

Flamstead Priory was a priory for Benedictine nuns, founded around 1150 during the reign of King Stephen. It was closed in 1537. Today, the site is where Beechwood Park School stands.

Hertford Priory

Hertford Priory housed Benedictine monks. It was founded before 1093 by Ralph de Limesy and was connected to St Albans Cathedral. The priory was closed in 1538, and its church was later torn down. The site is now occupied by a parish church.

Hertford Trinitarian Priory

This site started as a hospital for people with leprosy, founded before 1199. It was later taken over by Trinitarian monks around 1261. This priory was likely abandoned before 1535.

Hitchin Priory

Hitchin had two important monastic houses:

Hitchin Whitefriars: This was a friary for Carmelite Friars, founded around 1317. It was closed on October 17, 1538. Today, the site is occupied by the Hitchin Priory Hotel, and you can still see parts of the old cloister arches.
Hitchin Priory (Gilbertine): This priory was for Gilbertine Canons, founded in 1361-1362. It was closed in 1538.

Hitchin Minster

This was a very old Saxon church, or minster, existing before the 11th century. It became a regular parish church before 1086.

Ivinghoe (Muresley) Priory

Also known as Muresley Priory, this was a home for Benedictine nuns. It was founded between 1107 and 1129. The community was later removed, and the property was given to Sir John Dance around 1537.

King's Langley Priory

King's Langley Priory was a house for Dominican Friars, founded before 1308. It was closed in 1538. Interestingly, it was briefly refounded for Dominican nuns in 1557 but closed again in 1558.

Lannock

This site was associated with the Knights Templar before 1148, though a full preceptory (a knight's house) might not have been built there. Later, it was used by the Knights Hospitaller.

Markyate Priory

Markyate Priory started as a hermitage before 1145 and then became a priory for Benedictine nuns in 1145. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The priory was closed in 1537. Today, a manor house called 'Markyate Cell' stands on the site, and the local church was built nearby.

New Biggin Priory

New Biggin Priory was a smaller cell of a Gilbertine Priory, founded in 1361-1362. It was closed in 1538. A residence was built on the site in 1585, which later became almshouses.

Redbourn Priory

Redbourn Priory was a cell for Benedictine monks, connected to St Albans Abbey. It was founded in 1178 and dedicated to St Amphibalus. The priory was attacked by the French in 1217 and seems to have been abandoned before 1535.

Rowney Priory

This priory was for Benedictine nuns, founded around 1164. It was attacked in the early 15th century and officially closed on September 11, 1457. A 19th-century house now stands on the site, possibly using some of the old priory's materials.

Royston Priory

Royston Priory was home to Augustinian Canons Regular, founded between 1173 and 1179. It was closed on April 9, 1537. The priory church was later converted into the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, which is still in use today.

St Albans Abbey

St Albans Abbey was a very important and large monastery for Benedictine monks. It was founded around 793. Over time, it also housed nuns and secular clergy. From 1140, it was mainly for Benedictine monks. The abbey was dissolved on December 5, 1539, but its church became a parish church and later a cathedral in 1877, which it remains today.

St Albans Nunnery

This was a community of Benedictine nuns connected to St Albans Abbey. It was founded before 940 but later moved to Sopwell in 1140.

St Mary de Pre Priory

St Mary de Pre Priory started as a hospital for lepers in 1194. It later became a priory for Benedictine nuns around 1328. The priory was abandoned in 1528 and its property was given to Ralph Rawlet in 1540-1541.

Sawbridgeworth Priory

Sawbridgeworth Priory was likely a small cell for Benedictine monks connected to Westminster Abbey. It was founded around 1135. Its church is now the Parish Church of St Mary the Great.

Sopwell Priory

Sopwell Priory was a priory for Benedictine nuns, founded in 1140 by Geoffrey, the Abbot of St Albans. It was closed in 1537.

Standon Monastic Houses

Standon had a few different religious sites:

Standon Cell: This was for the Sisters of the Order of St John of Jerusalem but was closed around 1180.
Standon Preceptory: This was a house for the Knights Hospitaller, founded in 1147. It was dissolved before 1443-1444.
Standon Priory: This was a hermitage that became a cell for Benedictine monks around 1173-1178. It was closed around 1306.

Temple Dinsley Preceptory

Temple Dinsley Preceptory was first for the Knights Templar, founded in 1147. When the Templars were dissolved (closed down) between 1308 and 1312, the site was refounded for the Knights Hospitaller in 1324. The original buildings were torn down in 1712, and the Princess Helena College was built on the site in 1714.

Ware Priory

Ware Priory was a priory for Benedictine monks, founded before 1081. It was closed in 1414. The old rectory or manor house was built on the site in the early 17th century. The priory's church is now the parish church of St Mary the Virgin.

Ware Friary

Ware Greyfriars was a house for Franciscan Friars Minor, founded in 1338. It was closed in 1538 and later became a private residence.

Wormley Priory

Wormley Priory was a cell for Augustinian Canons Regular, connected to Waltham Abbey in Essex. It was founded after 1177 and before 1260. The priory was closed around 1510. Its church was restored in the 19th century and is now the parish church of St Laurence.

Wymondley Priory

Wymondley Priory, located near Little Wymondley, started as a hospital before 1218. It soon became a priory for Augustinian Canons Regular. It was closed on April 6, 1537. Today, a Tudor Tithe barn stands on the site.

Images for kids

A view of the former King's Langley Priory site.
The Parish Church of St Mary the Great, Sawbridgeworth, which was once the conventual church of Sawbridgeworth Priory.
St Albans Cathedral, once the grand St Albans Abbey.