The Priory Church of St. Edith, in Monks Kirby, Warwickshire, England
Monks Kirby Priory was founded in 1077, when Geoffrey de Wirche granted lands to the Abbey of St. Nicholas in Angiers. For a long time this arrangement worked reasonably well, but as time went on, and especially after the start of the Hundred Years War, the ‘alien’ priories, who, like Monks Kirby, had their mother house in France, came under a great deal of pressure, although it seems to have had problems of its own making; a visitation by the bishop of leaves an unflattering picture of life there, especially regarding the conduct of the steward and four of the servants, who were all to be expelled, the prior and the vicar; it seems in particular that through the mismanagement of the priory’s finances, they were failing in their duty to care for the poor. Nevertheless, despite the injunctions of the bishop, affairs at Monks Kirby evidently continued to decline, not helped by the war with France, and the mother house choose to get what it could for its doubtful asset, agreeing in 1396 to sell it to the Earl of Nottingham, who wanted the lands to endow a Carthusian priory he was founding at Epworth on the Isle of Axholme. However, Henry IV’s accession in 1399 resulted in a relaxation in the rules relating to the alien priories, so ownership was returned to the abbey, and the prior reinstated, only for the policy to change again with the accession of Henry V; in 1414 the alien priories were seized, and monastic life at Monks Kirby came to an end with a second and final transfer of the property to Axholme Priory (itself obliged to surrender in June 1538). The church, however, continues to serve the parish – the chancel is 13th c., but much of the rest of the church dates to extensive renovations the monks carried out in the 14th The massive tower contains much 15th c. work, although the very top was reconstructed after the fall of the spire in 1701. The church, which was restored in 1869, contains many monuments to the Fielding family, Earls of Denbigh.
Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: Monks Kirby, Warwickshire, England
Photo credit: © David Knighton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: alien, benedictine, britain, british, church, country, england, english, exterior, kingdom, kirby, monks, parish, priories, priory, scene, spring, topographical, uk, united, warwickshire
