St Mary's Priory Church, Malton, North Yorkshire

Photograph taken 06 February 2001 © Mr John Turner. Source Historic England Archive ref: 389556

St. Mary's was the church of the Gilbertine priory founded in Malton. The Priory was founded in 1147-1154 by Eustace Fitz-John for the canons of the Gilbertine order. There were 26 houses of this order in England of which 5 were in Yorkshire. It is the only church of the Gilbertine Order still in regular use.

Location

North Yorkshire Malton

Period

Medieval (Middle Ages) (1066 - 1484)

Themes

A nunnery was first documented here in 603. A monastery was founded during the abbacy of Aldhelm (c675-705). It became Benedictine in the reign of Edgar (959–975) and remained so until dissolved in 1539. The final Abbey Church was built circa 1160-70 and had 13th/14th and 15th century additions. The 431 feet (131 m) tall spire, collapsed in a storm around 1500. The west tower fell around 1550. As a result of these two collapses, less than half of the original building stands today. The abbey was closed at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 by Henry VIII. It was sold, with all its lands, to William Stumpe, a rich merchant. He gave the abbey church to the town for continuing use as a parish church, and filled the abbey buildings with twenty looms for his cloth-weaving enterprise.
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St Mary's Priory Church, Malton, North Yorkshire

Location

Period

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