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The misericords and history of Christchurch Priory,
Christchurch Priory has 39 misericords ranging in date from the mid 13th to the early 16th century.
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History of Christchurch Priory, Dorset.
Although there may have been a foundation as early as 634 AD, there is no written proof of a foundation until sometime about 800 AD. By the time of the Doomsday book , there was a priory supporting 24 secular canons., which the records show was in existence from sometime during Edward the Confessor’s reign (1042 - 1066).
In 1094, Ranulf Flambard, one of King William II’s chief ministers had the old priory and 9 other buildings (probably monastic cells) demolished, and over the next 60 years or so, the new priory was built. The legend of the “miraculous beam” probably originated during the second quarter of the 12th century, this legend led to the renaming of the Saxon town of Thuinam to Christchurch.
In 1150, as the secular canons where getting a nasty reputation for being drunken and dissolute, the priory was dissolved (all good things have to end), are re-formed with ordained canons, as an Augustinian order. Peculiarly, at this point the freehold of the land on which the Priory was built was given to the Earl of Devon, who although good landlords, eventually sold the land to the crown - this meant that the Priory was officially a Royal Manor. This meant that the Priory had to provide and man a ship to aid the king’s campaign against the Scots in 1303.
The next 300 years brought more building, including the vaulting of the North and South nave aisles, the clerestory. By 1350, the nave’s height had been increased to that of today. A spire may have been added during this period to the Norman central crossing tower.. As per usual, the addition of a spire had unwanted effects, and by 1415 the Norman tower had either collapsed or been demolished, this also severely damaged the choir. The choir was re-built, and extended to join up with the lady chapel, which although late 14th century in design, had only just been completed, and the ambulatory. Between 1470 and 1480 a new tower was constructed at the west end of the church to replace the collapsed central tower.
The dissolution of the priory occurred in 1539. On October 23rd, 1540, Henry VIII granted the priory church to the townsfolk and church wardens as their parish church.
The Official Christchurch Priory website.
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Birmingham RC Cathedral (St Chad's) |
Blackburn Cathedral |
Bristol Cathedral (Holy & Undivided Trinity) |
Canterbury Cathedral (St Saviors) |
Carlisle Cathedral |
Chester Cathedral |
Chichester Cathedral |
Durham Cathedral |
Ely Cathedral |
Exeter Cathedral |
Gloucester Cathedral |
Hereford Cathedral |
Manchesrter Cathedral |
Newcastle upon Tyne Cathedral |
Norwich Cathedral |
Peterborough Cathedral |
Ripon Cathedral |
St Asaph's Cathedral |
Wells Cathedral (St Andrews) |
Winchester Cathedral |
Worcester Cathedral |
York Minster |
Bristol_designs |
Chester Design |
Ely Design |
Exeter Design |
Gloucester Design |
Manchester Other Carvings |
Manchester Design |
Norwich Design |
Ripon Design |
Wells Design |
Worcester Design |
East Anglian Misericords |
Midlands Misericords |
Northern Misericords |
Scotland |
South East Misericords |
South West Misericords |
Wales |
Alpheton (St Peter and St Paul) |
Balsham (Holy Trinity) |
Bildeston (St Mary Magdalene) |
Boston Stump (St Botolphs) |
Brundish (St Lawence) |
Cambridge - Jesus College |
Cambridge - St John's College |
Caston (Holy Cross) |
Cawston (St Agnes) |
Ely Cathedral |
Framsden (St Mary) |
Godmanchester |
Great Eversden (St Mary) |
Ipswich (St Mary-le-Tower) |
Kings Lynn Museum |
Kings Lynn (St Margarets) |
Lavenham (St Peter & St Paul) |
Norton (St Andrews) |
Norwich Cathedral |
Norwich (St Gregory) |
Orwell (St Andrew's) |
Peterborough Cathedral |
Salle (St Peter and St Paul) |
Soham (St Andrew) |
Stowlangtoft (St George) |
Sudbury (St Gregory) |
Wingfield (St Andrews) |
Balsham Other Carvings |
Norwich Design |
Wingfield(Other_Carvings) |
Bakewell (All Saints) |
Bebington (St Andrews) |
Birmingham RC Cathedral (St Chad) |
Chester Cathedral |
Church Gresley |
Cockayne Hatley (St John The Baptist) |
Dronfield (St John the Baptist) |
Enville (St Mary) |
Gayton (St Mary's) |
Great Doddington (St Nicholas) |
Great Malvern Priory |
Hereford Cathedral |
Hereford Judges Seats |
Higham Ferrers (St Mary The Virgin) |
Holdenby (All Saints) |
Ledbury |
Leighton Buzzard (All Saints) |
Ludlow (St Laurence) |
Malpas (St Oswald) |
Nantwich (St Mary) |
Ripple (St Mary) |
Rothwell (Holy Trinity) |
Stratford-upon-Avon (Holy Trinity) |
Tideswell (St John the Baptist) |
Wellingborough, All Hallows |
Worcester Cathedral |
Bakewell Design |
Great Malvern Design |
Ludlow Design |
Ripple Design |
Stratford-Upon-Avon designs |
Tideswell - Other Carvings |
Worcester Design |
Beverley Minster |
Beverley (St Mary's) |
Bishop Auckland (St Andrew) |
Blackburn Cathedral |
Bolton (St Peters) |
Carlisle Cathedral |
Cartmel Priory |
Durham Cathedral |
Greystoke (St Andrews) |
Holme-in-Cliviger |
Lancaster Priory |
Manchester Cathedral |
Middleton-by-Pickering |
Newcastle upon Tyne Cathedral |
Old Malton (St Mary's Priory Church) |
Richmond (St Mary the Virgin) |
Ripon Minster |
Rotherham Minster (All Saints) |
Scarisbrick Hall |
Sprotborough (St Mary) |
Swine in Holderness (St Mary) |
Whalley (St Mary) |
York All Saints |
York Minster |
Beverley Minster's Other Carvings |
Edinburgh National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland |
Alton (St Lawrence) |
Arundel (Castle, FitzAlan Chapel) |
Bishop's Stortford (St Michael) |
Canterbury Cathedral |
Castle Hedington (St Nicholas) |
Chichester Cathedral |
Chichester St Mary's Hospital |
Cliffe-at-Hoo (St Helen) |
East Lavant (St Mary) |
Edlesborough (St Mary the Virgin) |
Faverham - (St Mary of Charity) |
Graffham (St Giles) |
Maidstone All Saints |
Minster-In-Thanet (St Mary The Virgin) |
Oxford (All Souls College) |
Oxford, New College (of St Mary's) |
Sutton Courtenay (All Saints) |
Swinbrook (St Mary) |
V and A |
Wantage (SS Peter and Paul) |
Westminster Abbey (St Peter's) |
West Tarring (St Andrew) |
Winchester Cathedral |
New College Design |
Bodmin (St Petroc) |
Bovey Tracey, St Peter, St Paul and St Thomas of Canterbury |
Bristol Cathedral |
Christchurch Priory, Dorset |
Exeter Cathedral |
Exeter Museum |
Fairford (St Mary) |
Gloucester Cathedral |
Highworth (St Michael's) |
Mere (St Michael the Archangel) |
Ottery St Mary |
Sherborne Abbey |
Southam de la Bere (Church of the Ascension) |
St Buryan |
Tewkesbury Abbey |
Wells Cathedral |
Weston in Gordano (St Peter and St Paul) |
Bristol Design |
Exeter Design |
Fairford Design |
Gloucester Design |
Sherborne Abbey Other Carvings |
Wells Design |
Abererch (St Cawrdaf) |
Beaumaris (St Mary and St Nicholas) |
Gresford (All Saints) |
St Asaph's Cathedral |
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France |
Germany |
Ireland |
Netherlands |
Portugal |
Spain |
Switzerland |
Bruges (St Annes) |
Hoogstraten (St Catharina) |
Leuven St Gertrude |
Liege St Jacques |
Amiens Cathedral |
Basilique Saint-Denis |
Paris, St Gervais and St Protais |
Ammiens Design |
St Denis Other Items |
Cologne Cathedral |
Lübeck St Jacob |
Magdeburg |
Ulm Münster |
Limerick Cathedral (St Mary) |
Amsterdam Oude Kerk |
Breda, Grote Kirk |
Haarlem, Bavokerk |
Breda Design |
Vila Real (Sao Domingos) |
Barcelona Cathedral |
Basel Minster |
Moudon, St Etienne |
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