New Romney Priory, or the Priory of St John the Baptist was a 13th-century monastic grange in New Romney, Kent, England. Remains of the priory survive in the town.

New Romney Priory
Looking south along Ashford Road towards High Street, showing the building and wall of the priory
LocationNew Romney, Kent
Coordinates50°59′8.880″N 0°56′23.788″E / 50.98580000°N 0.93994111°E / 50.98580000; 0.93994111
OS grid referenceTR 064 248
Built13th century
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated28 August 1951
Reference no.1025316
Designated3 July 1995
Reference no.1011803
New Romney Priory is located in Kent
New Romney Priory
Location of New Romney Priory in Kent

History edit

Boniface, Archbishop of Canterbury, granted in 1264 the advowson of the Church of St Nicholas in New Romney to Pontigny Abbey in France, making Romney a cell of the abbey. It is thought that the "priory" was a monastic grange.[1]

During the 14th and 15th centuries there were wars with France; the possessions of Pontigny Abbey were taken into the King's custody, and were finally confiscated about 1414. In 1439 Henry VI granted the priory to All Souls College, Oxford.[1]

Description edit

St John's Priory House, an 18th-century building on the corner of High Street and Ashford Road, together with an small two-storey medieval building on Ashford Road next to the house, and an adjoining wall along the road, are Grade II* listed.[2] Remains of the priory west of the wall are a scheduled monument.[1]

The small medieval building, of which the original purpose in not known, is of stone rubble. It has two pointed doorways, one of which is bricked up; there are three windows each with two lights, with a corbel-head in the spandrel between the lights. The adjacent wall is thought to be reconstructed from medieval stones; it has various windows and a bricked-up archway.[2][3] The remains of the priory in the large garden west of the wall include a wall and archway, of brick and medieval stone; further remains are preserved below ground. [1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Part of a Cistercian grange, north of New Romney High Street, also known as Romney Priory (1011803)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Historic England. "St John's Priory, including the ruins of the priory (1025316)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ "St John's Priory" theromneymarsh.net. Retrieved 19 November 2021.