Wallingwells Priory facts for kids
Wallingwells Priory was a small home for Benedictine nuns. It was started in the 1140s by a man named Ralph de Chevrolcourt. He gave land for the priory near Wallingwells in Nottinghamshire, England.
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History of Wallingwells Priory
Wallingwells Priory was a place where nuns lived and prayed. They followed the rules of Saint Benedict. The priory was a quiet and religious community.
The Priory Closes Down
In 1539, the priory had to close. This was part of a big event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. During this time, King Henry VIII closed many monasteries and priories across England.
On December 14, 1539, Wallingwells Priory was given to the King. The last leader, or prioress, was Margaret Goldsmith. She and the other nuns received a small payment each year. This payment was like a pension to help them after the priory closed.
What Happened Next
When the priory closed, it was valued at about £59. This was a good amount of money back then. Later, Queen Elizabeth I gave the land to Richard Pype and Francis Bowyer. Over time, different families, like the Taylor and White families, owned the land.
A large country house called Wallingwells Hall was built on the same spot. Workers used some of the old stones and materials from the priory to build the new house.
Leaders of Wallingwells Priory
The prioress was the head of the priory. Here are some of the women who led Wallingwells Priory over the years:
- Margery Dourant (around the time of King Richard I)
- Emma de Stockwell, started in November 1295
- Dionysia, left her role in 1325
- Alice de Sheffield, left her role in 1353
- Helen de Bolsover, left her role in 1402
- Isabel de Durham, started in 1402
- Joan Hewet, died in 1465
- Elizabeth Wilcocks, started in 1465
- Elizabeth Kirkby, started in 1504
- Isabel Croft, from 1508 to 1511
- Anne Goldsmith, started in 1516
- Margaret Goldsmith, started in 1521 (the last prioress)
