Woodkirk Priory
Woodkirk Priory was a cell of Augustinian Canons in West Yorkshire, England. William, second earl of Warenne (d. 1138), had granted the land for its foundation in 1135.[1] It was a cell of Nostell Priory.[2] Woodkirk became the site of a fair, granted by King Henry I and confirmed by King Stephen,[3] which was particularly famous during the reign of King Edward II.[4] The cell was dissolved in 1539, and the property later passed to the Savile family.[5]
The priory was situated just east of the main road between Leeds and Dewsbury, now the A653 road, at the southern edge of Woodkirk. The church dedicated to St. Mary, a Grade II listed building, is still standing and was partly rebuilt after storm damage in 1832,[5] while the other buildings have been demolished since the closure of the priory. Archaeological excavations of the grounds took place in 1962 and 1966.[6]
References
- John A. Nichols (1991). "Why found a Medieval Cistercian Nunnery?". Medieval Proposography. 12 (1): 1–28. JSTOR 44946117.
- 'Houses of Austin canons: Priory of Nostell', in A History of the County of York: Volume 3, ed. William Page (London, 1974), pp. 231-235. British History Online (accessed 20 August 2019)
- Judith Anne Frost (2005). An Edition of the Nostell Priory Cartulary. London, British Library, Cotton Vespasian E XIX (PhD thesis) (PDF). Vol. 1. University of York.
- "History of St Mary's". St Mary's Woodkirk. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Church Building". St Mary's Woodkirk. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Churches – Overview". Morley Community Archives. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2019.