St Mary's Abbey, Kenilworth

Former abbey in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England

The remains of St Mary's Abbey, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England are situated in the grounds of St Nicholas' Church and in an adjacent area of Abbey Fields. Some of its ruins are above ground and some are below ground.

History

A priory for Augustinian canons was built on this site in about 1124 by Geoffrey de Clinton, which is about the same time as he built Kenilworth Castle. Gardens and pools were made near to the priory, and the priory gained additional land as gifts from Geoffrey de Clinton. A barn, a gatehouse, a belltower and an infirmary were subsequently built near to the main buildings of the priory, and St Nicholas's Church was built nearby in about 1291. The priory gradually gained wealth and the Pope upgraded its status to an abbey in 1447. St Mary's Abbey was signed over to King Henry VIII on 15 April 1538 with Abbot Simon Jekys receiving a handsome annual pension of £100 (the prior, John Lister, only received a pension of £8 with the remaining monks receiving between £5 and £7). The abbey was then dismantled at part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. By about 1700 most of the abbey had become ruins except for the gatehouse and the barn. The ruins were excavated in 1840, 1880 and 1922, and most of the ruins were covered in 1967 for their protection.

In the early 21st century, a scheme funded by local councils and the Heritage Lottery Fund led to an exhibition in the Barn Museum and the placing of a number of plaques in the ground and on walls in the area of the site. The text on the plaques explains the historical significance of these portions of the site.

References

Herbert Art Gallery: The Priory Gate at Kenilworth by Thomas Hearne (1784) Watercolour of the Month: November 2007 Archived 2012-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
Victoria County History, History of the County of Warwick: Vol. 2

External links

Media related to St Mary's Abbey, Kenilworth at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Monasteries in Warwickshire
Augustinian	Arbury Priory Atherstone Austin Friary Holywell Cell Kenilworth Abbey Maxstoke Priory Studley Priory Thelsford Priory Warwick St Sepulchre Priory
Benedictine	Alcester Abbey Alvecote Priory Atherstone Priory Bretford Priory Monks Kirby Priory Nuneaton Priory Oldbury Priory Polesworth Abbey Warmington Priory Wolston Priory Wootton Wawen Priory Wroxall Priory
Cistercian	Cawston Grange Coombe Abbey Holywell Cell Merevale Abbey Pinley Priory Stoneleigh Abbey
Dominican	Warwick Blackfriars
Knights Hospitaller	Grafton Preceptory Warwick Preceptory
Knights Templar	Warwick Preceptory
Trinitarian	Thelsford Priory
Independent Houses	Stratford-on-Avon Monastery

v t e Warwick District towns, parishes and settlements
Warwickshire County Council elections District Council elections Warwick and Leamington Constituency
Towns	Kenilworth Abbey End Castle End Crackley Ladyes Hill St John's Whitemoor Windy Arbour Leamington Spa Lillington Milverton Old Town Sydenham Warwick Bridge End Emscote Forbes Heathcote Myton Packmores The Cape Warwick Gates Woodloes Park Whitnash
Parishes, settlements	Ashow Baddesley Clinton Baginton Barford Beausale Bishops Tachbrook Blackdown Bubbenhall Budbrooke Bushwood Cubbington Eathorpe Haseley Hatton Honiley Hunningham Lapworth Leek Wootton Norton Lindsey Offchurch Old Milverton Radford Semele Rowington Sherbourne Shrewley Stoneleigh Wappenbury Wasperton Weston under Wetherley Wroxall
List of parliamentary constituencies in Warwickshire List of places in Warwickshire List of civil parishes in Warwickshire

52°20′55″N 1°35′00″W / 52.348550°N 1.583380°W / 52.348550; -1.583380

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