St Andrews Cathedral Priory, Rochester

In the civil parish of Rochester. In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Medway, 1974 county of Kent).

The Cathedral Priory was close to but distinct from the Bishop's Palace. The prior obtain a complex licence, in 1344, to to fill in the existing ditch, to make profit, providing the priory built a wall and ditch on its own land. In 1345 a licence to crenellate was granted for the building of a wall. There does not seem to be any remains of this wall and very little remains of the priory buildings other than the Cathedral itself. The priory was retained for the use of Henry VIII after it's suppression in 1540, and considerable building work was done.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ74216847

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 416281
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is MKE29964; TQ 76 NW 97 [cathedral] 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press) p50, 56-7, 115-118, 163
    Page, Wm (ed), 1926, 'Houses of Benedictine monks: The cathedral priory of St Andrew, Rochester' VCH Kent Vol2 p121-26 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=38190
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p414
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, Charles, 2007-8, 'On Crenellating, in Kent and Beyond - A Retrospection' The Castle Studies Group Journal Vol21 p189-201 esp p196
    Coulson, C., 1982, 'Hierarchism in Conventual Crenellation: An Essay in the Sociology and Metaphysics of Medieval Fortification' Medieval Archaeology Vol26 p69-100 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1343-45) p262
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1343-45) p539
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Thurley, Simon, 1991, English Royal Palaces, 1450-1550 (unpub PhD thesis; London) p212-3 [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]