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Belvoir Priory

{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox monastery

| name = Belvoir Priory

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| full =

| order = Benedictine

| established = 1076

| disestablished = 1539

| mother = St Albans Abbey

| dedication =

| diocese = Diocese of Lincoln

| churches =

| founder = Robert de Todeni

| abbot =

| prior =

| people =

| location = Belvoir, Leicestershire, England

| map_type = Leicestershire

| coordinates = {{coord|52.898541|-0.781701|region:GB|display=inline,title}}

| oscoor =

| remains =

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}}

Belvoir Priory (pronounced Beaver) was a Benedictine priory near to Belvoir Castle.{{cite book|series=Victoria County History|title=A History of the County of Lincoln|volume=2|editor-first=William|editor-last=Page|year=1906|pages=124–127 'Houses of Benedictine monks: The priory of Belvoir'|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=37996|access-date=6 February 2011}} Although once described as within Lincolnshire, it is currently located in Leicestershire,{{Cite web|url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=323855&resourceID=19191|title=Heritage Gateway - Results|website=www.heritagegateway.org.uk|accessdate=21 February 2024}} near the present Belvoir Lodge.{{cite map |publisher=OSGB |series=OS Explorer Map |title=247 Grantham: Bottesford & Colsterworth|scale=1:25 000 |isbn=978-0-319-23833-2 |url=http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/paper-maps/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain-os-explorer-map/grantham/pid-9780319238332}} {{Gbmappingsmall|SK820341}}

History

The priory was established in 1076 by Robert de Todeni, Lord of Belvoir, on land near to the castle. Unable to complete the building work due to his "secular employments", following the advice of Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, he handed the priory to the Abbot of St Albans Abbey. Belvoir priory was then developed as a cell (a small establishment dependent upon a motherhouse) for the abbey. In return for his gift, Robert de Todeni was buried within the priory's chapter house and the monks were to pray for his soul.

File:St Peters Redmile.JPG church, formerly controlled by the priory]]

The priory was fairly small, housing only four monks. It did, however, attract gifts and patronage; many of those making donations were, similar to its founder, buried within the priory's church or chapter house. Among these gifts were the advowsons of the churches at Redmile, gifted by William d'Albini; and of Woolsthorpe, gifted in 1308 by William de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros.

The priory's small size meant it struggled to support itself and was frequently in debt and facing poverty. As the dissolution approached the priory was no longer in debt but did not have the revenues to support any monks; the prior lived alone, visited intermittently by monks from St Albans Abbey.

At the dissolution of the monasteries, Belvoir Priory was dissolved with its motherhouse in 1539. Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland preserved "the monumental remains of his ancestors, by transferring them chiefly to Bottesford", from Belvoir and Croxton Abbey.{{Cite book |title=The History of Belvoir Castle |first=Irvin |last=Eller |year=1841 |publisher=R. Tyas |ol=6590343M|pp=41,44}}{{Clear}}

Other burials

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Monasteries in Leicestershire |state=collapsed}}

Category:Monasteries in Leicestershire

Category:1076 establishments in England

Category:1539 disestablishments in England

Category:Christian monasteries established in the 1070s

Category:Benedictine monasteries in England

Category:Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation