Lewes Priory

The Trust will be giving a talk to the Friends of Lewes on 10 November 2011 at 7.45 pm. The subject will be “Lewes Priory: Past, Present & Future” and will be presented by Tony Freeman, Sy Morse-Brown and Kate Hickmott.  The event is open to the public and entry is £2 for non-members of the Friends.

Historical Context

At some time in the fifth century Angles from Southern Jutland settled in north-eastern England. Within perhaps two centuries they had created Northumbria, a powerful kingdom which for a time stretched from the Humber to southern Scotland and across the Pennines to the Irish Sea.

The tour focuses on a tumultuous age in British history. What happened here in the seventh century shaped the history of England forever and figures who were the giants of the age such as Bede, are remembered to this day. The Lindisfarne Gospels (c.700-715 AD) and the Codex Amiatinus (c.690 AD) are testament to the confidence with which a 'Land at the End of the Earth', only recently converted to Christianity, insisted that it was already part of the mainstream of European development. 

At the centre of all this were power houses of religious and artistic endeavour, such as Lindisfarne, Hartlepool, Whitby, Ripon, Hexham and Jarrow-Monkwearmouth. At the forefront were Oswald and Oswiu, Aidan, Benedict Biscop, Wilfred, Cuthbert and Bede. Our tour looks at the essential elements of Celtic and Roman Christianity in Britain and at the tensions which were brought to a head at the Synod of Whitby (664 AD). 

Itinerary

From our base at Longhirst Hall Hotel, set in 75acres of woodland near Morpeth, we shall explore Holy Island (Lindisfarne) (allowing for the tides!) and nearby Bamburgh Castle (where Gerry Twomey, one of the Directors of the Bamburgh Research Project, will introduce us to the excavations there). In Jarrow we shall spend a morning at 'Bede's World' (far more impressive than it sounds), with a brief visit to Benedict Biscop's abbey church of St Paul, founded in 682 AD. The afternoon will be at Durham Cathedral, final resting place of St Bede and St Cuthbert. 

During our stay in Northumbria, Dr Mark Douglas, English Heritage's Property Curator for the North of England, will meet us, to offer us an overview of early Christian sites in Northumbria. Mention has already been made of the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Codex Amiatinus. There will be a short talk about these supremely important manuscripts and an opportunity to examine fascimiles of them. 

The tour is by coach from Lewes, and to take advantage of our journey north on the Monday, two visits, to sites of extreme importance, have been arranged, to Brixworth, in Northamptonshire, and to Ripon Cathedral in Yorkshire. Brixworth, a great hilltop basilica, closely linked to Wilfrid of Northumbria (died c. 709), is an outstanding example of early Anglo-saxon architecture. We will meet Wilfrid again, at Ripon, where, underneath the cathedral, it is still possible to enter the crypt of his church, dedicated in 672 AD. 

The return journey allows us to visit Mount Grace Priory, on the edge of the North Yorkshire moors. Mount Grace, a Carthusian monastery founded in 1398, offers a stark contrast to the life of Lewes Priory, and is best described as a community of hermits. There is an assemblage of hogbacks five miles down the road at Brompton, and if you have never seen a hogback that is reason enough to join this tour! If time permits, we will then stop briefly in York. 

Accommodation and Booking

The tour, is based on half-board and on two people sharing. The cost is £388 and included most entry and guide fees, with a Single Room Supplement of not more than £45. If you think that you are likely to come you are invited to email me. If you wish to reserve a place now, please send a cheque for £75 (payable to Cluny 2000), to me at the address below. Should the tour not be viable your deposit would be refunded. 

With very best wishes, 

Anthony Freeman

email: afreeman@tesco.net

This year the Heritage Open Days were on 8-11 September. On Sunday 11 September between 1 and 5 pm at Priory Park there were guided tours & children's activities and Lewes Priory Trust sold selling publications including the new Guide Book to the Priory. The Gundrada Chapel in Southover Church was also open at that time.

Andy Gammon who designed the wonderful information panels and the new guide book is a member of the Association of Archaeological Illustrators & Surveyors. The association held an exhibition of members work at the Turbine Gallery Reading. The address is:

The Turbine Gallery
Blakes Lock
Gas Works Lane
Reading RG1 3EQ

The gallery is always well worth a detour. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm daily.

On Saturday 18 June at 3pm a dedication was held in the herb garden in memory of Hilary Black.  It was attended by Hilary's husband Mac and many other family members some of whom had travelled from Scotland for the occasion. Dr Helen Poole accompanied the family on a guided tour of Priory Park.
The Mayor of Lewes, Councillor John Stockdale, was predent with members and officers of the Town Council. He spoke of Hilary's outstanding work as a Town Councillor and dedicated a seat given by the Council in her memory.
Dr Anthony Freeman, for Lewes Priory Trust, spoke of Hilary's commitment as a teacher and a trustee and her long involvement with the Herb Garden. The new raised bed with a commemorative plaque was dedicated to Hilary's memory. A book of photographs recording the history of the herb garden was signed by family members and presented to Mac.

The 30th Emil Godfrey Memorial lecture took place on Friday 17 June at 7.45 in the County Suite of the The White Hart Hotel. It was given by John Bleach, the Senior Custodian of the Sussex Archaeological Society (Sussex Past), whose is subject was:

The Anglo-Norman Church in Lewes
Priests of St John or Monks of St Pancras?

Synopsis
Probably by about 1100 St Pancras Priory had acquired the patronage of most of the many churches in Lewes. The aim of my talk is to investigate the church in Lewes and its likely patronage before the foundation of the priory in the late 1070s.

To set the scene for this investigation I shall summarise the development of the church in Sussex during the Anglo-Saxon period, consider in more detail the local church just before the Norman Conquest, and attempt to assess (briefly) the impact of the Conquest on landholding and ecclesiastical organisation and patronage across the county and diocese.

During the second half of the talk I will identify the churches of Lewes in the years immediately
following the Conquest, locate them within the town, consider their patronage, and follow their
progress into the estate of St Pancras Priory.

The talk is divided into the following six sections along with an introduction and conclusion.

Development of Anglo-Saxon church in Sussex
Late A-S church in lower Ouse valley
Norman baronial presence
The churches of Lewes
Patronage before the priory
The charter of 1121

John Bleach (May, 2011)

The Annual General Meeting of the Trust was held on Friday 17 June 2011 at 7 pm in the County Suite of the White Hart Hotel. 

On the Feast of St Pancras on 12 May at 9.30 am Father Richard Biggerstaff and the congregation of St Pancras Catholic Church Lewes celebrated Mass on the site of the Infirmary Chapel in Priory Park.

The new Guide Book entitled The Priory of St Pancras Lewes was officially launched at 11 am on 10 May at a meeting at the Priory Tower to thank those involved in its production. Copies are available from Lewes Tourist Information Centre, Barbican House Museum and Anne of Cleves House.

Kate Hickmott, the Trust's Education & Access Manager, successfully applied to World Book Night and was allocated 48 copies of 'Dissolution' by C. J. Sansom to hand out on Saturday 5 March at 5 pm. An enthusiastic crowd was waiting for Kate and Priory Trustees at Priory Park and all the volumes were given away in a very short time. Each copy was inscribed with a link to the website which allows the recipient and subsequent readers to track its course as it passes from hand to hand. 'Dissolution' is a very appropriate work to be offered as it describes events which marked the final days of Lewes Priory.

Thanks to all who came and for the many complimentary remarks about the recent works at Priory Park. Read the Sussex Express article.

On Friday 14 January 2011 Dr Micheal Turner, Mayor of Lewes, presided over the installation of a new plaque on the Battle of Lewes Monument in Lewes Priory Park.

Lewes Town Council generously gave the money for the plaque which replaces the bronze original stolen some time ago. 

The new black slate plaque with hand cut lettering was made by Derek Tourle of Uckfield.

Priory Trust Members' evening took place on Thursday 9 December from 5.30 until 8 pm in Church End, Southover. There were light refreshments and a display of illustrations by Andy Gammon in the new Chapter House of St John's Church. 

Kier Longley  completed their contract and the site was returned to the Trust on Friday 26 November.  There was a formal handover ceremony and tree planting after which Priory Park was once again opened to the public.