Shelford Priory facts for kids
Shelford Manor
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 Location in Nottinghamshire
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| Monastery information | |
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| Order | Augustinian |
| Disestablished | 1536 |
| Dedicated to | Virgin Mary |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Roger FitzRalph |
| Site | |
| Location | Shelford, Nottinghamshire |
| Coordinates | 52°58′59″N 0°59′58″W / 52.98306°N 0.9994°W |
| Visible remains | Yes: Shelford Manor, constructed on the site. |
Shelford Priory was once an Augustinian monastery located in the village of Shelford, Nottinghamshire, in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Ralph Haunselyn around 1160–80. The priory was closed down in 1536 during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Not much of the original priory building is left today. After it closed, the land was given to Michael Stanhope. Around 1600, a large house called Shelford Manor was built on the same spot. This manor was made stronger like a fort and then partly destroyed during the English Civil War. The house was rebuilt around 1678, but it was changed again in the 1700s and 1800s. It is still known as Shelford Manor and is a private home.
Contents
The Priory's History
Shelford Priory was a small monastery. It was built on the south side of the River Trent. Ralph Haunselyn (also known as Hauselin) started it during the time of King Henry II (1154-1189). The priory was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Who Founded the Priory?
In 1258, there was a disagreement about who truly founded the priory. William Bardolf and Adam de Everingham went to court to decide. They wanted to know who had the right to be the priory's main supporter. Bardolf said his ancestor, Ralph Haunselyn, founded it. De Everingham claimed his ancestor, Robert de Caus, was the founder.
The head of the priory, called the prior, could not solve the problem. Both Bardolf and de Everingham owned a part of the Shelford area. The prior had different old papers. One paper said Haunselyn founded the priory. Another paper showed de Caus talking about "his monks of Shelford." A third paper showed both Haunselyn and de Caus giving land together. In the end, a group of people decided that Ralph Haunselyn was the founder.
Priory's Wealth and Visitors
In 1291, a record called the Taxation Roll showed the priory earned £37 18s. 3d. This was a good amount of money back then.
King Edward II visited the priory twice, in 1317 and 1319.
By 1534, another record, the Valor Ecclesiasticus, showed the priory's income was £151 14s. 1d. After paying its costs, it had £116 12s. 1¼d. The priory owned several churches. These included churches in Gedling, Burton Joyce, North Muskham, Saxondale, and Shelford in Nottinghamshire. It also owned churches in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. The priory spent money on different things. For example, it paid £10 a year for a special prayer service in the church of Newark. It also gave £2 6s. 8d. to people in need. This was done to remember its founders, Ralph Haunselyn and Robert de Caus.
Just before the monasteries were closed down, there were twelve canons living at Shelford Priory.
The priory was officially closed in 1536. Robert Dyxson, who was the last prior, was given a yearly payment of £16.
Special Items at the Priory
In 1536, when the priory was inspected, some special items were found. These included what was believed to be milk from the Virgin Mary. There was also a belt said to belong to her. Another item was part of a candle she supposedly carried. The priory also had oil from the True Cross and from Saint Katherine. These items were considered very important to people at the time.
Leaders of Shelford Priory
Here are some of the people who were in charge of Shelford Priory over the years:
- Alexander (around 1204)
- William (around 1225)
- John de Nottingham (1271-1289)
- Robert de Tithby (1289)
- Laurence (died around 1310)
- Thomas de Lexinton (around 1310)
- Robert de Mannesfield (1315)
- William de Breton (1320)
- William de Leicester (1340)
- Stephen de Bassyngborn (1349)
- Thomas de Chilwell (1349)
- Roger de Graystock (appointed 1358)
- William de Kynalton (1365)
- Robert Lyndby (1404)
- William de Righton (1408)
- Walter Cutwolfe (died 1459)
- John Bottesford (1459)
- Richard Stokes (1479)
- Robert Helmsley (1491)
- Henry Sharp (1498)
- Robert Dickson (the last prior)
Shelford Manor's Story
Building the First Manor
On March 25, 1536, Archbishop Cranmer wrote a letter. He asked for the Shelford Priory land for his brother-in-law. However, in 1536 or 1537, the King gave most of the priory's lands to Sir Michael Stanhope. He rented it for 60 years at £20 a year. In November 1537, Stanhope and his wife Anne were given the priory site. This included the priory church, its bell tower, and the churchyard. They also received a lot of land.
Michael Stanhope died in 1552. The estate then passed down through his family:
- Sir Thomas Stanhope (1540–1596)
- Sir John Stanhope (1559–1611)
- Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield (1584 – 1656)
Shelford Manor was built on the old priory site around 1600. The architects were likely Robert Smythson or John Smythson.
The Manor During the English Civil War
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield was called to Parliament in 1640. He chose to support King Charles I when the English Civil War began. He and his sons joined the King's army. Around January 1643, Shelford Manor was used as a military base. It was commanded by his son, Philip Stanhope.
The manor was made stronger during the war. You can still see parts of the old defenses today. The manor was described as a strong house. It had a very strong wall and a large ditch around it, partly filled with water. There was also a drawbridge and defensive "half moons" inside the main wall.
On November 1, 1645, soldiers led by Colonel John Hutchinson and Colonel-General Sydnam Poyntz surrounded the house. Philip Stanhope refused to give up.
Lucy Hutchinson, Colonel Hutchinson's wife, wrote about the fighting. She said some of Shelford's soldiers went into the church steeple. From there, they shot at the attacking soldiers. The attackers could not get close. The soldiers in the steeple had blocked the trapdoor and pulled up the ladders. They ignored the warning to come down. So, the attackers had to light straw on fire to smoke them out.
The house was attacked on November 3. The fight started at 4 o'clock and lasted only half an hour. Stanhope was killed. Many of the defenders, about 160 Royalist soldiers, were killed. Another 140 were taken prisoner. Shelford House was robbed of its valuable items and then burned down. The next day, Colonel-General Poyntz moved on to Wiverton Hall in Nottinghamshire, which also suffered the same fate.
Historian David Appleby has suggested that a very violent event happened after the battle. This event may have included women and children. He believes this was later hidden from public records. Appleby thinks the Parliamentarians wanted to forget the violence. The Royalists wanted to hide that there were "European Catholics" from the Queen's Regiment fighting with them, as they had a bad reputation.
Rebuilding Shelford Manor
The house was rebuilt after the civil war, around 1678. It was rebuilt by Arthur Stanhope (1627–1677), another son of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield. This building is still standing today. The Stanhope family no longer lives there.
In 2019, a study from the air by the University of Nottingham looked at the site. It showed the layout of the original Priory. The study also mentioned that the current farmhouse was very likely the monastic 'prior’s lodgings'. It still has a lot of the original medieval building inside it.
The site is now a private home.
