St. George's Priory, Thetford facts for kids
St. George's Priory, Thetford was an old religious building in Thetford, England. It was a special place where Benedictine nuns lived and prayed. This priory was on the Suffolk side of Thetford. Today, you can find the British Trust for Ornithology building there. It is located south of Nuns Bridges Road.
History of the Priory
The priory was started by a man named Uvius. He was the leader, or Abbot, of a big monastery called Bury St. Edmunds. Uvius was abbot from 1020 to 1044. Some old records also suggest a link to King Cnut around 1016.
Around the year 1160, the priory was in trouble. It had become very poor. Only two people were left living there, Toleard and Andrew. They told Abbot Hugh, who was the abbot of Bury St Edmunds at that time, that they wanted to leave.
Abbot Hugh and the religious community at St. Edmunds decided to help. They got permission from important people like the bishop of Norwich. Then, they sent a group of nuns to Thetford. These nuns were Benedictine and had been living in a place called Lyng, Norfolk. Their leader was Prioress Cecilia.
Abbot Hugh also gave the priory some gifts. These included two churches in Thetford, St. Benedict and All Saints. He also gave them rights over some of Bury Abbey's belongings in Thetford.
The priory continued to operate for many years. Usually, about ten nuns and young women training to be nuns lived there. The priory finally closed down in February 1537. This was part of a big change in England called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The last prioress, Elizabeth Hothe, received a payment every year. She lived for at least sixteen more years and reached the age of 100!
Leaders of St. George's Priory
Here is a list of the main leaders, called Prioresses, who looked after St. George's Priory in Thetford:
- Cecilia, around 1160
- Agnes, in 1253
- Ellen de Berdesette, chosen in 1310
- Margaret Bretom, chosen in 1329
- Beatrix de Lystone, chosen in 1330
- Danetta de Wakethorp, chosen in 1339
- Margaret Campleon, chosen in 1396
- Margaret Chykering, chosen in 1418
- Alice Wesenham, chosen in 1420
- Margaret Copynger, chosen in 1466
- Joan Eyton, chosen in 1477
- Elizabeth Mounteneye, chosen in 1498
- Lady Eliz. Gournay, started in 1518
- Sarah Frost, chosen in 1519
- Elizabeth Hothe, started in 1534, and was the last prioress
