Wootton Wawen Priory facts for kids
Wootton Wawen Priory was a special kind of monastery in Wootton Wawen, a village in Warwickshire, England. It was called an "alien priory" because it was controlled by a larger monastery in another country, France.
The Priory's Story
How it Started
After the Norman Conquest (when William the Conqueror took over England in 1066), a powerful person named Robert De Stafford gave some land and the church in Wootton to a French monastery. This was the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter de Castellion in Conches, Normandy. That French abbey had been started in 1035 by Robert's father, Roger de Tonei.
The French monks then set up a small "alien priory" here in Wootton Wawen. It was very small, usually with just a prior (the head monk) and one other monk. The church was given a new name, St Peter in Chains.
Changes Over Time
For a while, the priory belonged to the French abbey. But things changed in 1398 when King Richard II gave the priory to a different group of monks, the Carthusians, in Coventry. However, King Henry IV soon changed this decision, and the original monks came back.
Later, during the time known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries, many monasteries in England were closed down. Wootton Wawen Priory was given to King's College, Cambridge, in 1443. The French Abbey of Conches officially gave up its claim to the priory in 1447. The land and manor still belong to King's College today.
Sadly, there are no buildings left of the priory. They used to stand between the churchyard and an old fishpond near the Henley Road.
A Monkly Disagreement
Even though it was a small place, life at the priory wasn't always quiet. During the early reign of King Edward I, a monk named Peter de Altaribus was the prior. He got into a big disagreement with another monk, Brother Roger.
The local bishop, Bishop Gifford of Worcester, had to get involved. In 1281, an investigation was held in Warwick to figure out what happened. The vicar (a local priest) of Wootton was called to the priory to help stop the conflict. He found the prior, Peter, leaving the hall, and Brother Roger inside with a bleeding nose.
Peter claimed Roger had hurt himself, but Roger said Peter had hit him. Other people agreed with Roger. The argument was about Peter not sharing enough with the poor, not being welcoming to visitors, and not managing the priory's money well. Both monks were found to be in the wrong. They were sent back to their main monastery in Conches, France, to be disciplined by their abbot.
It was unusual for a small "alien priory" like this to be visited by a bishop, but Bishop Giffard visited Wootton Wawen Priory several times, including in 1269, 1284, and 1290.
