Castle Acre Priory, Eastern England

Just after the Norman Conquest development at Castle Acre began.  The lands were in the possession of William de Warenne, a Norman knight who fought at Hastings. He made Castle Acre his main residence and began the building of the castle and town defenses, as did many other knights like him who had been granted new lands in England.  Once the castle buildings were underway, William de Warenne settled a small band of monks near his home at Castle Acre.  His son later gave the monks new lands in Castle Acre, where they began the building of a Priory at the end of the 11th century.

The Priory was part of a vast monastic network connected to the Abbey of Cluny in France.  Cluny was one of the most prolific monasteries ever established.  It was founded in 910 in Burgundy.  Quite entrepreneurial for its time, by 1100 there were over 700 monasteries which followed Cluniac customs, which was an interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedic

The Priory continued to acquire property in the following years and by 1140 held property in 28 parishes in Norfolk. By 1291 this had increased to over 50 holdings. These lands would provide a large part of the Priory’s income through rents, tithes and gifts. Money was also raised from Pilgrims who came to the sacred relic, what was supposed to be the arm of the Apostle Philip. 

The hierarchy of monastic establishments meant that there was someone to keep an eye on the monks, both to offer financial advice as well as moral authority. In 1265 a visit of the Cluniac officials, who would have been Priors of other houses, reported that the monks were found to be living with propriety and regularity but were rebuked for the habit of journeying and riding about the country, eating and drinking indifferently in the houses of laymen and secular persons.  

Towards the end of the 13th century circumstances changed when war broke out with France. Restrictions were places on alien monasteries with French allegiances.  This affected Castle Acre due to its affiliation with the Cluniac Order based in France.   French monks were now viewed as potential enemy agents and were repatriated to France, although by now most of the monks at the Priory would have been English.

Like all monasteries in England in the 1530’s, Castle Acre Priory was dissolved and its deed of surrender was signed on the 22nd of November in 1537.  The document was signed by Prior Thomas Malling and the 10 monks living there. The lands were later sold to Sir Thomas Gresham in 1558. Most of the buildings having been demolished but the Prior’s lodgings were retained as a house and used into the 16th century.