Edington Priory

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Edyndon

In the civil parish of Edington. In the historic county of Wiltshire (Modern Authority of Wiltshire, 1974 county of Wiltshire).

Founded in 1351 by William of Edington, Bishop of Winchester, as a collegiate chantry. It was converted into a Bonhommes monastery in 1358 by the founder. It was badly damaged in Jack Cade's rebellion of 1450, when the Bishop of Winchester was dragged from the church and murdered. It surrendered in 1539, and most of the buildings were destroyed by 1579. Several features are still visible, these including fishponds, fragments surviving in the Priory, monastic gardens, the Conduit House, and the church. (PastScape)
The rector and friars, at the request of Bishop Edington, were issued a pardon for crenellating without licence in 1360. (A pardon does not mean the building was built without permission.) It is possibly Bishop Edington was intending part of the Priory to be a residence for himself.
Although several of C15 bishops did sign documents and perform ordinations at Edington does not seem to have been a residential manor of the bishop of Salisbury as implied by Thompson and as stated by Morewood.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 313797; 313780; 313796)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST92605335

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 211929
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is ST95SW452 '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.

• Web site links
  • http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/smr/getsmr.php?id=4342
• Books
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p167, 184
    Knowles, David and Hadcock, R. Neville, 1971, Medieval religious houses in England and Wales (Longmans) p203
    Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, Elizabeth (eds), 1956, 'House of Bonhommes: Edington' VCH Wiltshire Vol3 p320-24 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=36545
    Morewood, Caroline C., 1910, 'Introductory Chapter' in Rait, R.S. (ed), English Episcopal Palaces (Province of Canterbury) (London; Constable & Co) p25 http://www.archive.org/details/engepiscopalaces00raituoft
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p416
• Journal Articles
  • 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]
    Brakspear, H., 1935-7, Wiltshire archaeological and natural history magazine Vol47 p7-19
    Jackson, S.E., 1881-2, Wiltshire archaeological and natural history magazine Vol20 p241-306
• 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 (1358-61) p290, 297-8
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) p28-9 [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]