# Cardigan Priory > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cardigan_Priory > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cardigan_Priory.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardigan_Priory > Source revision: 1321587362 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Benedictine priory in Cardigan, Wales (–1538) **Cardigan Priory** (formally: **The Priory Church of Our Lady of Cardigan**; alternative: **Cardigan Cell**) was a Benedictine [priory](/source/Priory) located in [Cardigan](/source/Cardigan%2C_Ceredigion), [Ceredigion](/source/Ceredigion), mid-west Wales. Its church survives as a parish church, [St. Mary's Church, Cardigan](/source/St._Mary's_Church%2C_Cardigan), whereas the priory itself was a separate building. ## History Documents preserved at [Gloucester Cathedral](/source/Gloucester_Cathedral) state that [Chertsey Abbey](/source/Chertsey_Abbey) misappropriated, and was later compelled to yield up, the Church of the Holy Trinity at Cardigan which had been granted to [Gloucester](/source/Gloucester) by [Gilbert de Clare](/source/Gilbert_Fitz_Richard) previous to the establishment of the [priory](/source/Priory).[1] The *[Brut y Tywysogion](/source/Brut_y_Tywysogion)* states that De Clare granted Cardigan Priory to the [Gloucester Abbey](/source/Gloucester_Abbey) prior to his death in or before 1117. Around 1164, [Rhys ap Gruffydd](/source/Rhys_ap_Gruffydd), Prince of [South Wales](/source/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](/source/Benedictines) of [Chertsey Abbey](/source/Chertsey_Abbey) in Surrey. During the Clares' time, it was dedicated to the Trinity; in Rhys's time, it was dedicated to St. Mary.[2] The priory was dissolved in 1538 after which time it was converted into a mansion[3] and granted to [Bisham](/source/Bisham), [Berkshire](/source/Berkshire), and subsequently to William and Mary Cavendish (1539/40). In the mid 17th century Cardigan Priory was the favoured[4] home of [Katherine Philips](/source/Katherine_Philips), known as "The Matchless Orinda".[1] In 1922 it was re-opened by Dame [Margaret Lloyd George](/source/Margaret_Lloyd_George) as the Cardigan District and Memorial Hospital.[5] ## Grounds The priory was set on 200 acres which adjoined [Cardigan Castle](/source/Cardigan_Castle). The grounds and buildings extended along the [River Teifi](/source/River_Teifi). The [Bishops of St Davids](/source/Bishop_of_St_Davids) lived in one of the buildings when they visited Cardigan, which may have coincided with problems noted by the [abbot](/source/Abbot) of Chertsey in 1433/4.[6] 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](/source/Chantry) chapel of Sir John ap Jevan.[2] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Athenæum1906_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Athenæum1906_1-1) [*The Athenæum: a journal of literature, science, the fine arts, music, and the drama*](https://books.google.com/books?id=sF0vAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA476) (Public domain ed.). J. Francis. 1906. p. 476. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Pritchard1904_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Pritchard1904_2-1) Pritchard, Emily M (1904). [*Cardigan Priory in the olden days*](https://archive.org/details/cardiganprioryi00pritgoog) (Public domain ed.). Heinemann. pp. [7](https://archive.org/details/cardiganprioryi00pritgoog/page/n29), 15, 1 43, 44. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["The Priory"](http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/35163/details). *Coflein Database Record*. [Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales](/source/Royal_Commission_on_the_Ancient_and_Historical_Monuments_of_Wales). Retrieved 28 November 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Thomas1822_4-0)** Thomas, Thomas (1822). [*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*](https://books.google.com/books?id=WJjRAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA198) (Public domain ed.). Printed for the author (rector of Aberporth, Wales.) by J. Potter. p. 198. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-welshabbey.org.uk_5-0)** ["Cardigan Timeline"](http://www.welshabbey.org.uk/en/heritage-a-history/history-of-the-area/13-cardigan-timeline.html). *welshabbey.org.uk*. Retrieved 19 March 2012.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Heale2004_6-0)** Heale, Martin (2004). [*The dependent priories of medieval English monasteries*](https://books.google.com/books?id=un2WjBfo9-MC&pg=PA76). Boydell & Brewer. p. 76. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-84383-054-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84383-054-2). Retrieved 18 March 2012. [52°04′58″N 4°39′21″W / 52.082724°N 4.655797°W / 52.082724; -4.655797 (Cardigan Priory)](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Cardigan_Priory¶ms=52.082724_N_4.655797_W_&title=Cardigan+Priory) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cardigan Priory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardigan_Priory) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardigan_Priory?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.