The Priory Trust

The Priory Trust is a registered charity that is split into three sections.

The First Section is a Heritage Centre which is a restored Victorian building which opened as a Wesleyan church in 1888 and is now known as "St Katherine's - 900 years of history". The building stands on the side of a medieval hospital and priory alongside a road which has been a major route for two thousand years or more. The site has a rich cultural heritage and a wealth of stories.

The Romans arrived in Lincoln c. AD 50–60. The road which passed outside St Katherine's was known as the Fosse Way. It was a Roman military road that linked Lincoln (Lindum Colonia) with Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) and Leicester (Ratae Coritanorum). Lincoln was an important meeting place as the Fosse Way joined Ermine Street not far from St Katherine's. Thousands of Roman legionaries, traders and citizens must have passed this site travelling in and out of the city which replaced the fortress in the late 1st century with the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain.

Following the collapse of the Roman settlement, Germanic Anglo Saxons settled in the region. Many were farmers and lived in small settlements throughout the area. It was following the invasion of the Vikings from across the north sea in the late 9th century that Lincoln flourished as an urban centre.

The Vikings developed Lincoln into an important trading centre with national and international trading links. Craftspeople settled along the route from what is now St Catherine's into the city. This area became known as Wigford. It has continued to be an important trading centre to the present day.

Following the Norman conquest in 1066, Lincoln entered a period of construction in stone on a large scale. Building work on Lincoln Castle began in 1068, followed by the Cathedral from 1072 to 1075. The city continued to thrive with its increased administrative and ecclesiastical importance. Lincoln was the regional capital and one of the five most important cities in the realm of King William I. Historic and archaeological evidence indicate the Lincoln continued to prosper during the high medieval period. The Southern boundary to the city was established during the 11th century and was later provided with a stone wall linking two gateways, Great Bargate and Little Bargate.

The hospital of the Holy Sepulchre was constructed outside the city walls by c.1100. The Gilbertine Order was charged with caring for the sick and for orphans and the hospital later became part of the Gilbertine Priory of St Katherine. In the early 12th century, the hospital of the Holy Innocents or the Malandry was developed. This was as hospital for lepers located south of Little Bargate.

In the Bargate area there was a market area (Swine Green) that would have been a hive of activity with people and goods entering and leaving medieval Lincoln. This is the setting where the Gilbertine Priory of St Katherine stood and where our story takes place.

St Gilbert and the Gilbertines

St Gilbert of Sempringham is one of Lincolnshire's greatest saints. He was the son of Sir Joscelin, a Norman knight mentioned in the Domesday book, who married a Saxon Lady. Joscelin was awarded Sempringham in return for undertaking military service to his king.

It is believed Gilbert was born at Sempringham around 1083. He was deformed and despised by his father as he could not carry arms. The young Gilbert was sent abroad to study, where he excelled as a scholar and was subsequently accepted by his father. On his return to Sempringham, Gilbert taught local children to read and write.

He subsequently became a member of the household of Richard Bolet, Bishop of Lincoln and was ordained a year later, aged forty. In 1131, after the death of his father, Gilbert returned to Sempringham as a parish priest and lord of the manor. Gilbert was keen to follow new ways of thinking that included setting up monasteries based on the principle of poverty. Gilbert provided a small convent and the cloister on the north side St Andrew's Parish church at Sempringham for seven local girls educated and guided by him to follow the Cistercian rule. This was the foundation of the Gilbertine Order which grew rapidly in popularity.

The Gilbertines were the only purely English Monastic Order and welcomed both men and women, although the nuns and canons were kept apart. In 1147, Pope Eugenius III made Gilbert master of the Order of Sempringham, which meant the Gilbertines were recognised by the church as a religious order. Canons followed the Augustinian rule.

The growth and popularity of the order was not without problems. In 1164, the Gilbertines were drawn into the dispute between Henry II and Thomas Becket. They were accused of harbouring the fugitive Thomas on his escape from the king and Gilbert was called to account. Gilbert maintained his innocence and the admiration the king had for him led to the charges being dropped. In 1170, another calamity occurred when the lay brethren claimed they could not accept the demands of the Gilbertine Rule and took their dispute to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope. Furthermore, they wanted less work, more food and choice in clothing. There was a national scandal and even the king was drawn into the dispute. Eventually the pope accepted the advice of the king and a ruling was made in Gilbert's favour. Gilbert is reputed to have died at the great age of a hundred and six. In his lifetime and after his death, he was popular, honoured by royalty and loved by the people. In 1202, Gilbert was declared a Saint and his Feast Day is 4 February.

The medieval village and priory of Sempringham in Lincolnshire have all but vanished. The only building left standing is the evocative and beautiful parish church of St Andrews, built around 1160 and standing alone in a field set back from the road. Yet aerial photographs give tantalizing glimpses of what was once a complex and very important medieval settlement.

St Katherine's Priory without Lincoln

The Gilbertine Priory of St Katherine's without Bargate was founded in 1148 by Robert de Chesney, fourth Bishop of Lincoln. The Priory was dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of secular learning from which the name of the Katherine Wheel firework was derived. St Katherine's was founded for canons only but lay sisters cared for the sick and the poor in the adjacent hospital.

The Bishop endowed The Priory with the prebend of canwick, the church of St Mary Magdalene at Newark, the chapel in Newark Castle, houses and lands and a tenth of the toll of the borough except during fairs, and the churches of Norton Disney, Marton, Newton on Trent, and Bracebridge. He also handed over to the Gilbertines the hospital of the Holy Sepulchre and its property.

St Katherine's attracted endowments from leading citizens and held substantial lands throughout Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Compared to other houses of the order, St Katherine's was well endowed. Expenditure would have been high due to its location on a major road into the city and also because it was used by royalty.

The thirteenth century was a time of activity and development. In 1285, the prior was granted a licence to build a windmill to the east of The Priory gate. A few years later, St Katherine's Priory was the centre of a national mourning when the body of Queen Eleanor rested within its walls. In 1291, The Priory was granted a papal indulgence for visitors on the feast days of St Gilbert, St Katherine and St James. It continued to develop, and in 1294, the prior was allowed to enclose an adjacent plot of land to enlarge the whole of The Priory. In 1356, permission was granted to construct a new aqueduct for The Priory water supply. This indicates the prestigious standing of St Katherine's, as only religious houses and royal palaces were usually given permission to have water conveyed by pipes. Parts of a conduit with ceramic pipes were uncovered during recent archaeological excavations.

The fortunes of St Katherine's began to change after reckless speculation and a series of assaults which resulted in damage and loss to the property. The Black Death had a devastating effect on The Priory. By 1391, St Katherine's was poor and in debt. Looking after the sick and poor was proving expensive, labour was scarce and wages and taxes were high. The situation was not improved by two unworthy priors. Prior Robert Holgate apparently robbed St Katherine's of a valuable chalice and censers and escaped to London. He did, however, later become Master of the Order and Archbishop of York. His successor Prior William Griffiths, was said to be a 'turbulent' person and was denounced for promoting the rebellion in Lincolnshire. He entered St Katherine's by force, ejected the new prior, reinstated himself and remained in post until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Despite his behaviour, he secured a pension of £40 a year, whilst the lay sisters got nothing.

The Eleanor Cross story

Eleanor was a Spanish princess. King Henry III of England negotiated a marriage between Eleanor and his son Edward, who later became King Edward I of England. Although the marriage was arranged, the couple became inseparable.

The Queen’s body was bought to St Katherine’s Priory. As she had requested, the heart was removed and taken to Blackfriars and her viscera were taken to Lincoln Cathedral, where they were buried. Her body lay in state at St Katherine’s for several days before being transported to Westminster Abbey. The cortège set off for the journey to London and Eleanor’s final resting place was at Westminster. The journey took twelve days, and at every place the cortège rested overnight, the king ordered that a stone cross should be built. The very first Eleanor Cross was erected on Swine Green opposite St Katherine’s Priory. The Lincoln cross was destroyed during the Civil War and only a fragment remains. Other crosses were built at Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Northampton, Stony Stratford, Wodburn, Dunstable, St Alban’s, Waltham, West Cheap and Charing. Only three crosses are still standing: Geddington, Northampton and Waltham. Fragment of the crosses and references to the other nine crosses are all that remain of the monuments created to mark this well-known tragic story.

The Dissolution

For centuries, the church had been a major influence in the daily lives of rich and poor and influenced the governance of the country. King Henry VIII sought approval to divorce Catherine of Aragon which was not allowed. He also wanted to seize the wealth of the monasteries to add to his own riches. The refusal of many nuns and monks to support his divorce contributed to the breakdown of religious communities.

In 1534, King Henry VIII made himself Supreme Head of the church in England. All men and women serving in religious orders were required to sign an oath swearing allegiance to the act of supremacy. The act upheld the validity of the marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn and rejected the authority of the Pope. Those who did not sign were threatened with being hanged, drawn and quartered under the treason act of 1534.

The Suppression act of 1536 was worded to infer that the endowments of the suppressed houses would be ‘used and converted to better uses’. All houses with an income of less than £200 a year were to be closed. In 1536 there were rebellions known as ‘The Lincolnshire Rising’ and ‘The Pilgrimage of Grace’. They were not just about the dissolution, but restoration of suppressed religious houses was high on the agenda. Opposition to the Act was unsuccessful and the dissolution went ahead.

Peter William Griffiths surrendered St Katherine’s to the crown in July 1538. The canons received pensions but the lay sisters were awarded nothing.

After the Dissolution

All the valuables, including jewels, altar plate, and bells were removed for the crown and all the furniture and fittings sold. Farm stock and tools, timber and lead would be sold to the highest bidder and the walls left to perish in the weather or sold as building materials.

In 1539, St Katherine’s priory was granted to Charles Brandon the Duke of Suffolk, who was not only one of the king’s closest friends, but also his brother-in-law. In 1540, Brandon obtained permission to sell it to Vincent Grantham and his son, Thomas. The family built themselves a magnificent mansion known as St Katherine’s hall over the ruins of The Priory and partly reusing it.

In 1617, James I stayed at St Katherine’s Hall as the guest of Sir Thomas Grantham, MP for Lincoln who was described as "a gentleman of great repute in his country who kept up all his life the old hospitality of England, having a great retinue and a noble table". He died in 1630.

The Grantham family sold St Katherine’s Hall to a Francis Manby who lived there until his death in 1699. The estate passed to his nephew Sir Thomas Manby but the family did not reside at St Katherine’s. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the building was described as ‘four or five storeys high, built of wrought stone, with mullioned windows, the roof was flat and guttered around. The chief staircase was very spacious, of timber square. The stables were large and stately. A pair of gates opened to the road near the forking of the Newark and Sleafor roads…’ By the nineteenth century, no visible signs of The Priory or hall remained.

New beginnings

In the early nineteenth century The Priory estate would have been a rural scene, stretching to the river to the west and almost entirely undeveloped. The land was about to enter a new phase of development.

The Methodist movement was founded in Lincolnshire by John Wesley, who was born in Epworth in 1703. Wesley believed that caring for the community as a whole was an important part of the bible, children were taught reading, writing and arithmetic. Methodism began to gain popularity in Lincoln after 1806 when John Hannah hired a room in a house and began teaching.

The Methodist movement quickly became well established and the Hannah Memorial Church, dedicated to John Hannah, and located on the High Street, flourished. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the city was extending southwards at a rapid rate and the need for a new centre became obvious. In 1854, The Priory estate was still known as St Katherine’s and was jointly owned by Major William Colegrave (formerly William Manby), George Winter, Thomas Pears and Thomas Winn. Over the next thirty years or so, the land changed hands and was sold to the Methodists for £650.00. Around this time the ‘K’ of St Katherine’s was dropped and substituted with a ‘C’ and the area became known as St Catherine’s.

The Victorian chapel and church

The construction of St Katherine's was a development arising from the expansion of the Lincoln Methodist Circuit. It followed the construction of the Big Wesley, built as a memorial chapel to the much loved Dr. Hannah.

In April 1879, a group of leading Methodists met and resolved to form a trust in order that a new school chapel could be built. On 18 June 1879, the new Board of Trustees agreed to build a new Wesleyan school chapel to cost no more than £3,500.

An advert was placed in the local press to applicants to submit plans. The winner was to receive a prize of £15. A total of twenty seven plans were submitted and the architect appointed was a Mr Ball who presented a plan entitled 'The world is my Parish'. The proposal outlined the development of the whole site and included the school chapel, vestries and the church.

The school chapel was constructed and in 1883, two vestries and an infant school were added. In May 1887, it was proposed that the second phase of the project should proceed and the impressive St Catherine's Wesleyan church was opened on 4 October 1888. The final plans included the construction of additional school buildings to the rear of the chapel. A new manual organ was provided by Mr George Bainbridge and opened in 1890. A new pulpit with decorative columns was opened on Sunday 12 July 1903 at a cost of £93. The church did not originally have a tower but at a meeting in 1908, it was decided to proceed. A problem was encountered whilst building the spire and it was not completed until March 1910. Over subsequent years, various problems occurred in the building, notably with the heating and lighting but also with damp. In spite of these the church continued to function.

At a meeting on 10 July 1919, Alderman Wallis agreed to provide a font in memory of his old friend George Bainbridge. After Alderman Wallis died in 1930, his daughter was given permission to erect oak panelling behind the altar in memory of her father. He was the last of the original trustees. By all accounts, for many years the church complex was a lively focal point for the local community. The school building and chapel were used for a myriad of uses, including worship, Sunday school, clubs, societies, talks, plays, parties, lectures and concerts.

Archaeology and St Katherine’s

Apart from chance discoveries of architectural fragments from the medieval priory, including those removed from the site and formed into an arch at a house on Drury Lane, no remains of The Priory came to light before the 1980s. It was only from 2004, however, that formal excavations took place in this area, as three sites were scheduled for development. At 21-25 St Catherine’s remains of the northern part of a burial ground were discovered, along with a section of the ceramic water-pipe that served The Priory. (A further section of this pipe was excavated in 2008 and is on display within this building.)

Further south at 37-39 St Catherine’s, another area of graves was revealed to the south of a substantial east-west wall, now considered to have represented the south wall of The Priory church. Even further south, redevelopment of 45-47 St Catherine’s allowed more graves to be investigated, along with part of a building with an apsidal eastern end – probably the chapel of the medieval hospital adjacent to The Priory. Investigations at all three sites have also produced evidence of occupation by hunter-gatherer groups moving around this area, adjacent to the river, in the Mesolithic – Early Neolithic periods (c. 6000 – 5000 BC). Only in the area of the university campus, close to Brayford Pool, has similar evidence been uncovered in Lincoln.

The 20th century and beyond

The Victorian church continued in use as a place of worship until 1977, when the Methodist church resolved to close it and sell the site. The closing service was held on 28 August 1977.

The church was subsequently used as an antiques centre and then as a wholesale ironmongers. The buildings slowly fell into a poor state of repair and were placed on the City of Lincoln's Buildings at Risk Register. In 2001 following the death of her husband,Turgut Ozbek, Stella Ozbek generously gave the complex to Canon Ian Gray who had visited the site in January 1999. The buildings were in an advanced state of decay. A complex feasibility study was undertaken, and as a result of this work a detailed report produced. The document referred to the physical layout of the complex, the condition of the fabric, and included a comprehensive history of the site and potential vision for the future.

The feasibility study supported a successful planning application to restore the Historic Landmark Gateway Grade Two Listed Buildings. Canon Gray donated the buildings to the traditional Anglican Church who then placed the complex into The Priory Trust Limited, a Charitable Trust founded by Canon Gray in 2001 to restore the complex in line with the feasibility document.

The Priory trust opened The Priory access community centre in 2005, which has proved very successful, as it is based at the heart of the local community. The centre provides a range of formal and informal learning opportunities. The small chapel within the south side of the church was partially refurbished and opened as a place of worship for the Traditional Anglican Church. This chapel is known as the Lady Chapel and its use is part of the evolving story of this intriguing site. Most of the church building remained in need of extensive restoration work. The importance of the history and heritage of the site was acknowledged and The Priory Trust decided to seek funding to fully restore the church building and provide an attractive and accessible community venue in which to tell the story of the site of St Katherine's. The building staff, and the site on which it stands, have an important history and heritage and a wealth of stories to tell. From early times, the site has served the local community in addition to welcoming famous characters, including King Edward I, King James I, and in more recent times HRH Prince Charles.

Recent archaeological excavations in the nave of the church have confirmed the presence of medieval foundations, including a ceramic water supply pipe.

Once restored, the building will be developed as a community resource for the local area, the city, the region and beyond. Our vision is to develop a vibrant cultural heritage centre that offers innovative learning opportunities inspired by the rich history and heritage of the site, and to play an active part in the regeneration of what is a very important area of the city of Lincoln.

The restoration and future

Restoration work on the building began in October 2008. The site on which St Katherine's stands is part of a continually evolving story which we plan to develop as more information becomes available.

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