Cardigan Priory

{{Short description|Benedictine priory in Cardigan, Wales (–1538)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Use British English|date=July 2015}}

'''Cardigan Priory''' (formally: '''The Priory Church of Our Lady of Cardigan'''; alternative: '''Cardigan Cell''') was a Benedictine [[priory]] located in [[Cardigan, Ceredigion|Cardigan]], [[Ceredigion]], mid-west Wales.

Its church survives as a parish church, [[St. Mary's Church, Cardigan]], whereas the priory itself was a separate building.

==History== Documents preserved at [[Gloucester Cathedral]] state that [[Chertsey Abbey]] misappropriated, and was later compelled to yield up, the Church of the Holy Trinity at Cardigan which had been granted to [[Gloucester]] by [[Gilbert Fitz Richard|Gilbert de Clare]] previous to the establishment of the [[priory]].<ref name="Athenæum1906">{{cite book|title=The Athenæum: a journal of literature, science, the fine arts, music, and the drama|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sF0vAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA476|accessdate=18 March 2012|edition=Public domain|year=1906|publisher=J. Francis|page=476}}</ref> The ''[[Brut y Tywysogion]]'' states that De Clare granted Cardigan Priory to the [[Gloucester Abbey]] prior to his death in or before 1117.

Around 1164, [[Rhys ap Gruffydd]], Prince of [[South Wales]], conquered Cardigan and brought it again under Welsh rule, and by a grant confirmed the gift of the then existing priory of Cardigan to the [[Benedictines]] of [[Chertsey Abbey]] in Surrey. During the Clares' time, it was dedicated to the Trinity; in Rhys's time, it was dedicated to St. Mary.<ref name="Pritchard1904" />

The priory was dissolved in 1538 after which time it was converted into a mansion<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/35163/details|title=The Priory|work=Coflein Database Record|publisher=[[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales]]|accessdate=28 November 2016}}</ref> and granted to [[Bisham]], [[Berkshire]], and subsequently to William and Mary Cavendish (1539/40). In the mid 17th century Cardigan Priory was the favoured<ref name="Thomas1822">{{cite book|last=Thomas |first=Thomas|title=Memoirs of Owen Glendower, (Owain Glyndwr): with a sketch of the history of the ancient Britons, from the conquest of Wales by Edward the First, to the present time, illustrated with various notes, genealogical & topographical|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJjRAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA198|accessdate=18 March 2012|edition=Public domain|year=1822|publisher=Printed for the author (rector of Aberporth, Wales.) by J. Potter|page=198}}</ref> home of [[Katherine Philips]], known as "The Matchless Orinda".<ref name="Athenæum1906" /> In 1922 it was re-opened by Dame [[Margaret Lloyd George]] as the Cardigan District and Memorial Hospital.<ref name="welshabbey.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.welshabbey.org.uk/en/heritage-a-history/history-of-the-area/13-cardigan-timeline.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224070623/http://www.welshabbey.org.uk/en/heritage-a-history/history-of-the-area/13-cardigan-timeline.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 December 2012 |title=Cardigan Timeline |work=welshabbey.org.uk |accessdate=19 March 2012 }}</ref>

==Grounds== The priory was set on 200 acres which adjoined [[Cardigan Castle]]. The grounds and buildings extended along the [[River Teifi]]. The [[Bishop of St Davids|Bishops of St Davids]] lived in one of the buildings when they visited Cardigan, which may have coincided with problems noted by the [[abbot]] of Chertsey in 1433/4.<ref name="Heale2004">{{cite book|last=Heale|first=Martin|title=The dependent priories of medieval English monasteries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=un2WjBfo9-MC&pg=PA76|accessdate=18 March 2012|year=2004|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-84383-054-2|page=76}}</ref> In a 1599 map, the priory church is represented as cruciform in shape, while in Blaeu's map of 1646, the cruciform includes an adjoined chapel, probably the [[chantry]] chapel of Sir John ap Jevan.<ref name="Pritchard1904">{{cite book|last=Pritchard|first=Emily M|title=Cardigan Priory in the olden days|url=https://archive.org/details/cardiganprioryi00pritgoog|accessdate=18 March 2012|edition=Public domain|year=1904|publisher=Heinemann|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cardiganprioryi00pritgoog/page/n29 7], 15, 1 43, 44}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardigan Priory}} [[Category:1110s establishments in Europe]] [[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 1110s]] [[Category:1538 disestablishments in Europe]] [[Category:Christian monasteries in Wales]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Ceredigion]] [[Category:12th-century establishments in Wales]] [[Category:1530s disestablishments in Wales]] [[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Ceredigion]]