The Priory Church of All Saints, in Lapley, Staffordshire, England
The story of Lapley Priory began in 1061 when Burchard, son of Alfgar, Earl of Mercia, died in Rheims on a journey home, and was buried there in the Abbey of St. Remi (today, incidentally, a UNESCO World Heritage Site). His father granted the abbey land in Lapley and the surrounding area, and they established a small priory there to care for their new possessions. 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 Lapley, had their mother house in France, came under a great deal of pressure. Lapley seems to have suffered particular problems in this regard, especially as an examination of the prior in 1402 shows that Lapley was only a minor cell, to look after the estate, rather than a fully conventional priory. In any case, the alien priories were suppressed in 1414, and although some of the more important were allowed to continue as independent houses, Lapley Priory came to an end the following year, when its lands were transferred to the new collegiate foundation in nearby Tong. The church, however, continues to serve the parish – the chancel is 12th c., and the nave 13th c., though the two are oddly aligned, whilst the massive tower contains much 15th c. work, although all of it is much restored.
Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: Lapley, Staffordshire, England
Photo credit: © David Knighton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: alien, benedictine, britain, british, church, country, england, english, exterior, kingdom, lapley, monks, parish, priories, priory, scene, september, staffordshire, summer, topographical, uk, united
