St Leonard's Priory, London facts for kids
St Leonard's Priory was an old building where a group of Christian women called Benedictine nuns lived and prayed. It was in east London, and the area around it, Bromley-by-Bow, got its name from the priory.
History of St Leonard's Priory
Early Years and Medieval Times
The priory was first mentioned in records in 1122. At that time, it was home to nine nuns and their leader, a prioress. People weren't entirely sure who founded it. Some thought it was started by Maurice or Richard de Belmeis I, who were important church leaders. Others believed it was a joint effort by William of London and William Roscelin.
Important people were buried there. This included some Earls of Hereford and Earls of Essex. A daughter of William, Earl of Henault, was also buried at the priory.
The land where the priory stood first belonged to Geoffrey, Earl of Essex. By 1292, it was owned by the prior and canons of Holy Trinity Priory.
The priory became well-known because of Geoffrey Chaucer's famous book, The Canterbury Tales. In the General Prologue to the book, Chaucer describes a character called the Nun Prioress. She was the leader of a group of nuns, just like the prioress at St Leonard's.
Chaucer wrote about her:
- Ther was also a nonne, a prioresse,
- That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy;
- Hire gretteste ooth was but by seinte loy;
- And she was cleped madame eglentyne.
- Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne,
- Entuned in hir nose ful semely,
- And frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly,
- After the scole of stratford atte bowe,
- For frenssh of parys was to hire unknowe.
This part of the poem was a bit of a joke. It suggested that the Prioress learned her French from the Benedictine nuns at a local school in Bow. This was a different kind of French, called Anglo-Norman. By Chaucer's time, this type of French was not seen as fancy or proper. It was often made fun of as being not as good as the French spoken in Paris.
The Priory's End and What Happened Next
St Leonard's Priory was destroyed in 1536. This happened during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. King Henry VIII closed down many smaller religious houses across England.
When the priory closed, its books were moved to Westminster Abbey. They became part of the library for the new Diocese of Westminster. The priory's church building was kept and became a new local church, St Mary's Church.
Sybil Kirke was the last prioress of St Leonard's. She was given a yearly payment of £15. She was also allowed to keep some of the priory's goods. She lived until at least 1553.
Most of the other things from the priory, like its cattle and corn, were sold. The king's officials sold them to Sir Ralph Sadleir. He was an important advisor to King Henry VIII. Some items were also sold to Mr. More, who worked for the Lord Chancellor.
In 1539, the king gave Sir Sadleir the priory's land and buildings. This included the manor of Bromley. Today, almost nothing remains of the original priory grounds. Only the small, old churchyard of St Mary's Church is left.
