List of monastic houses in County Durham

Barnard Castle Friary (poss. site)

Baxterwood Priory (traditional site)

Bradbury Cell (site)

Durham Cathedral Priory

St Antony's Priory, Durham

Ebchester Nunnery (poss. site)

Egglestone Abbey

Finchale Priory

Hartlepool — St Hilda's Monastery

Hartlepool Greyfriars

Haswell Grange

Neasham Priory

Locations of monastic houses in County Durham

The following is a list of monastic houses in County Durham, England.

In this article alien houses are included, as are smaller establishments such as cells and notable monastic granges (particularly those with resident monks), and also camerae of the military orders of monks (Templars and Hospitallers). The numerous monastic hospitals per se are not included here unless at some time the foundation had, or was purported to have the status or function of an abbey, priory, friary or preceptory/commandery.

The name of the county is given where there is reference to an establishment in another county. Where the county has changed since the foundation's dissolution the modern county is given in parentheses, and in instances where the referenced foundation ceased to exist before the unification of England, the kingdom is given, followed by the modern county in parentheses.

The geographical co-ordinates provided are sourced from the details provided by Historic England PastScape and Ordnance Survey publications.

A Monastic Glossary follows the listing, which provides links to articles on the particular monastic orders as well as other terms which appear in the listing.

Abbreviations and key

Alphabetical listing of establishments

Foundation	Image	Communities & Provenance	Formal Name or Dedication & Alternative Names	Online References & Location
Barnard Castle Friary (?)		Augustinian Friars (under the Limit of York) founded 1381: licensed by Neville, Archbishop of York, land granted by Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick; possibly not established, but if so failed before 1387?		[1] 54°32′25″N 1°55′28″W / 54.5404026°N 1.9243187°W / 54.5404026; -1.9243187 (Barnard Castle Friary (poss. site)) (possible)
Baxterwood Priory		Augustinian Canons Regular — possibly from Gisborough, Yorkshire via Haswell founded 1180; transferred from Haswell after 1180 (possibly before Haswell was built); dissolved 1196; lands appropriated by Finchale Priory	Priory Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baxterwood ____________________ Bactanesford Priory	[2][3] 54°46′35″N 1°36′15″W / 54.7763066°N 1.604138°W / 54.7763066; -1.604138 (Baxterwood Priory (traditional site))
Bradbury Cell		Benedictine monks chapel and cell dependent on Nun Monkton, Yorkshire founded 12th century		[4] 54°39′19″N 1°31′16″W / 54.6551581°N 1.5209815°W / 54.6551581; -1.5209815 (Bradbury Cell (site))
Clare Abbey, Darlington		Franciscan nuns — from Scorton Hall founded 1857, property granted by Sir Caranby Haggerston; transferred to Herefordshire, amalgamating with the house at Much Birch; Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God	The Abbey Church of Saint Clare, Darlington	[5]
Durham Cathedral Priory +		secular canons episcopal diocesan cathedral founded 997 (995); extant; founded 995 (997), built by Bishop Aldhun; Benedictine monks founded 1093 (or 1083) by Bishop William of St Carileph, who expelled the seculars; dissolved 1539	The Abbey Church of Saint Mary and Saint Cuthbert at Durham The Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, Durham	[6][7][8] 54°46′24″N 1°34′33″W / 54.7732882°N 1.5759587°W / 54.7732882; -1.5759587 (Durham Cathedral Priory)
Durham Greyfriars		Franciscan Friars Minor, Conventual (under the Custody of Newcastle) founded before 1239; dissolved before 1240(?), friars apparently settled at the chapel of St Mary, but on meeting with opposition transferred to Hartlepool	Hartlepool Friary	[9]
Durham — St Anthony's Priory *		Minoresses founded at the former vicarage of St Nicholas Parish Church; Society of the Sacred Mission; extant	St Antony's Priory, Durham	54°46′42″N 1°34′19″W / 54.778257°N 1.572027°W / 54.778257; -1.572027 (St Antony's Priory, Durham)
Ebchester Nunnery		nuns founded before 660 by St Ebba (purportedly daughter of King Ethelfrid); destroyed in raids by the Danes c.875; reference to hermitage or chapel mid-12th century and 1241 (Chapel of St Mary, Yareshale (Yareshaugh)) possibly on site, private chapel of Bishops of Durham before mid-15th century	St Ebbas Nunnery	[10][11] 54°53′23″N 1°50′45″W / 54.8896722°N 1.8457353°W / 54.8896722; -1.8457353 (Ebchester Nunnery (possible site)) (possible)
Egglestone Abbey		Premonstratensian Canons — from Easby, Yorkshire daughter of Easby; founded between c.1190 and c.1195, probably by Ralph Moulton: land granted by Ralph de Moulton, sub-tenant of Ralph de Lenham, who ratified the grant 1198; refounded 1537; dissolved 5 January 1540; granted to Robert Shelley 1548/9; converted into a house 1548, then labourers cottages; (EH)	The Blessed Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist ____________________ Egleston Abbey	[12] 54°31′53″N 1°54′19″W / 54.5314762°N 1.9051623°W / 54.5314762; -1.9051623 (Egglestone Abbey)
Finchale Priory		Benedictine monks cell dependent on Durham; 1115 (or 1128) by Ranulf, Bishop of Durham who permitted St Godrick to establish his hermitage before 1170; becoming priory dependent on Durham 1196; confirmed to Durham by Hugh Pudsey, Bishop of Durham; dissolved 1538; granted to the Dean and Chapter of Durham 1534/5; (EH)	The Blessed Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist St John the Baptist and St Godric	[13][14] 54°49′05″N 1°32′25″W / 54.818137°N 1.540213°W / 54.818137; -1.540213 (Finchale Priory)
Gateshead House		monks founded before 653; apparently abandoned when monks left for Ireland		[15]
Hartlepool — St Hilda's Monastery		probably monks and nuns founded c.640 by Hieu, an Irishwoman (possibly St Bega) placed in charge by St Aidan destroyed 800?	St Hilda's Monastery	[16][17] 54°41′44″N 1°10′51″W / 54.6955677°N 1.1807352°W / 54.6955677; -1.1807352 (Hartlepool — St Hilda's Monastery)
Hartlepool Greyfriars		Franciscan Friars Minor, Conventual (under the Custody of Newcastle) transferred from Durham, before 1240; dissolved 1538		[9][18] 54°41′48″N 1°10′47″W / 54.6967225°N 1.1797898°W / 54.6967225; -1.1797898 (Hartlepool Greyfriars)
Hartlepool Friary?		Dominican Friars probably copyist's error ref. to Franciscan Friary (see immediately above)		[19]
Haswell Grange		Benedictine monks endowment — possibly from Gisborough, Yorkshire; transferred to Baxterwood after 1180, probably prior to any buildings being erected; becoming a grange under Finchale		[20] 54°47′16″N 1°27′20″W / 54.7878194°N 1.4554739°W / 54.7878194; -1.4554739 (Haswell Grange)
Jarrow Priory	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Tyne and Wear
Jarrow Friary?	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Tyne and Wear
Neasham Priory		Benedictine nuns founded before 1156 (before 1163) purportedly by Lord Dacres; dissolved 1539-40; granted to James Lawson 1540/1; house named 'Neasham Abbey' built near site 19th century	St Mary ____________________ Nesham Priory; Nesseham Priory	[21][22] 54°29′06″N 1°30′13″W / 54.4851107°N 1.5036356°W / 54.4851107; -1.5036356 (Neasham Priory)
Norton Monastery?		St Mary's Church incorporates remnants of a church built c.1000 — no reference of pre-Conquest community, but size suggests more than a parochial church; granted to St Cuthbert's, then to Chester-le-Street Cathedral
Owton Priory		Gilbertine Canons charter confirming founded 1204 by Alan de Wilton, probably never established (though possibly a grange at Owton Grange nr Brierton)	St Mary ____________________ Oveton in Hartness Priory;Owton in Harness Priory
Samford Priory?		Benedictine monks probably confused for Stamford Priory, Lincolnshire[note 1]
South Shields Monastery		Saxon monks and nuns founded 648 by St Aidan for St Hilda; Benedictine? nuns refounded? c.686; destroyed ? 865-75	Wherhale Monastery?; Wyrale Monastery	[23]
Wearmouth Abbey	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Tyne and Wear

Glossary

Map link to lists of monastic houses in England by county

Northumberland Durham Lancashire Cheshire Derbs. Notts. Lincolnshire Leics. Staffs. Shropshire Warks. Northants. Norfolk Suffolk Essex Herts. Beds. Bucks. Oxon. Glos. Somerset Wiltshire Berkshire Kent Surrey Hampshire Dorset Devon Cornwall Heref. Worcs. Bristol East Riding of Yorkshire Rutland Cambs. Greater London Tyne & Wear Cumbria North Yorkshire South Yorks. West Yorkshire Greater Manc. Merseyside East Sussex West Sussex Isle of Wight West Midlands

Bedfordshire Berkshire Bristol Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cheshire Cornwall Cumbria Derbyshire Devon Dorset County Durham Essex Gloucestershire Greater Manchester Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Isle of Wight Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire London Merseyside Norfolk Northamptonshire Northumberland Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Rutland Shropshire Somerset Staffordshire Suffolk Surrey Sussex, East Sussex, West Tyne and Wear Warwickshire West Midlands Wiltshire Worcestershire Yorkshire, East Riding Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West

See also

• List of monastic houses in England

Notes

References

• Binns, Alison (1989) Studies in the History of Medieval Religion 1: Dedications of Monastic Houses in England and Wales 1066–1216, Boydell
• Cobbett, William (1868) List of Abbeys, Priories, Nunneries, Hospitals, And Other Religious Foundations in England and Wales and in Ireland, Confiscated, Seized On, or Alienated by the Protestant "Reformation" Sovereigns and Parliaments
• Knowles, David & Hadcock, R. Neville (1971) Medieval Religious Houses England & Wales. Longman
• Morris, Richard (1979) Cathedrals and Abbeys of England and Wales, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
• Thorold, Henry (1986) Collins Guide to Cathedrals, Abbeys and Priories of England and Wales, Collins
• Thorold, Henry (1993) Collins Guide to the Ruined Abbeys of England, Wales and Scotland, Collins
• Wright, Geoffrey N., (2004) Discovering Abbeys and Priories, Shire Publications Ltd.
• English Cathedrals and Abbeys, Illustrated, Odhams Press Ltd.
• Map of Monastic Britain, South Sheet, Ordnance Survey, 2nd edition, 1954