Trentham Priory facts for kids

Trentham Priory was a Christian priory in North Staffordshire, England. A priory is a type of monastery, which is a place where monks or nuns live together. This priory was located near where the River Trent meets two smaller streams. Today, the famous Trentham Estate stands on this very spot.

The Story of Trentham Priory

An Early Start: The Mercian Nunnery?

Some stories say that a nunnery, a home for nuns, was built here around the 600s. It is believed that Saint Werburgh, a princess and daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia, founded it. However, historians are not completely sure if this nunnery truly existed. They also debate if Saint Werburgh was really connected to it.

Today, in the churchyard at St. Mary and All Saints in Trentham, you can see what looks like the base of an old stone cross. People say it's from the Saxon period, a very long time ago. But it's hard to know for sure if it's truly ancient, or if it was brought there later, or even if it was made much more recently to look old.

The Augustinian Priory Takes Shape

How the Priory Began

The priory itself, in the 1100s, claimed it was founded much earlier, around the time of King William Rufus. They said their founder was Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester. However, most modern historians don't think this is true. An old document from the 1100s does mention "the restoration of an abbey of canons." The word "abbey" could mean a place for a group of priests, not necessarily monks.

Trentham officially became an Augustinian monastery around the 1150s. This happened with the support of Ranulph, Earl of Chester. After Ranulph died, the land of Trentham went to King Henry II. The King then became the main supporter of the priory.

King Henry gave the priory more official documents and land. By 1155, the priory was well-established. Even pope Alexander III confirmed its religious rights in 1162.

Growing and Gaining Land

During this time, Trentham Priory received gifts of land in Staffordshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire. Still, it remained a fairly small and humble priory compared to some others. Important people like Gundred, who was married to Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick, and the Earls of Chester were among those who helped the priory.

By the 1200s, Trentham Priory was considered one of the richer priories in Staffordshire. It was valued at about 2 marks, which was a good amount of money back then. Its wealth came from farming. Throughout the 1200s, 1300s, and early 1400s, the priory gathered a lot of land for growing crops and raising animals. This included land near Stone from Hulton Abbey.

Challenges and Changes

In the late 1200s, there was a disagreement about who controlled the priory. The Earls of Lancaster, who were important landowners in Newcastle-under-Lyme, argued with the King. In 1322, the new leader of the priory promised loyalty to the Earl of Lancaster. Because of this, the King fined the priory 40 marks.

A court case in 1327 decided that King Henry III had given control of the priory and the land of Newcastle-under-Lyme to his son, Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster. After many arguments between the two sides, the King finally took full control of Trentham Priory in 1344. By this time, the priory was not as wealthy as it used to be. It also had to take on extra duties, like looking after retired royal servants and soldiers, which made its financial problems even worse.

The End of the Priory

King Henry VIII decided to separate the Church of England from the Pope in Rome in 1534. In 1535, he ordered a survey called the Valor Ecclesiasticus. This survey checked how much money all the churches and monasteries in England, Wales, and parts of Ireland had.

The survey showed that Trentham Priory owned things worth about £122. Its yearly income was about £75. This made it one of the wealthier Augustinian priories in the country. However, the priory was closed down in 1537. The prior, or head of the priory, was given a pension of £16 a year.

The King then sold the priory's land to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk in 1538. He then sold it to Sir Thomas Pope. Pope later sold it to James Leveson. The Dukes of Sutherland eventually built Trentham Hall on the site. They lived there until 1912.

Trentham Priory's small square tower is still preserved today at Dalbury Lees in nearby Derbyshire. This shows a connection, as Dalbury was known to support Trentham Priory from the late 1290s onwards.