Historic Description of St Mary's Abbey (Kenilworth Abbey). Remains of
An historic description of St Mary's Abbey (Kenilworth Abbey). Remains of, a Place of Historic Interest in Kenilworth, England.
Kenilworth Abbey
The chief attraction of this place is, of course, the Castle, but the Priory ought not to be forgotten by visitors. It was founded in 1122 by Geoffrey de Clinton, the Chamberlain of Henry I, who, besides lands, granted to the Austin Canons, whom he established here,
“the full tithe of all things that shall come, whatsoever and whensoever, to my castle, whether to the cellar, kitchen, larder, granary or hall-garth . . . . in corn and hay, pigs and beasts, muttons and bacons, game, cheese, fish, wine, honey, wax, lard, pepper and cummin . . . even if I tithed them elsewhere as well. Also I have granted them, for the pelisses of the brethren, all the lamb-skins from all my manors, both of lambs that are eaten and that die naturally.”The Priory was made an Abbey in the time of Henry VI. At the Suppression the clear annual value was £539.
The buildings were immediately to the south of the parish church. At the west are the only relics other than foundations, namely, the fourteenth-century gatehouse and the porter’s lodge, and a detached building within, of two stories, the upper completed in brick. This has a good circular dial incised on its south wall.
Foundations were exposed in connection with the enlargement of the churchyard in 1890. The north side of the church is obscure and the south side of the cloister is gone. An inscribed tombstone “FRATRIS THOME DE OCKLE CUIUS (A NIME PROPICIETUR DEUS)” is to be seen, and two bits of images, one a sepulchral effigy, the other a statue of a seated man in armour with his left elbow on his knee – a rather puzzling and unusual fragment.
The chapter house was apsidal. The foundations extended some way towards the south-east, where the infirmary may have been. But there is no trace of the frater.
The western door of the parish church is a good piece of Norman work. It had been conjectured that it was the chancel arch of an older church, transferred to this position in the course of later rebuilding, for the church has undergone a great deal of that.
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