One of north Cumbria’s most impressive historic sites, Lanercost Priory, near Brampton, celebrated its 850th anniversary this year.

It’s a unique site in that it was built out of stones from Hadrian’s Wall and several of the stones found within the property have Roman inscriptions on them.

Lanercost Priory was founded in 1169 by Robert de Vaux and was built by canons of St Augustine as both a parish church and a religious house.

The priory has had a troubled history. Because of the location on the border between England and Scotland, the site was often used as a convenient military headquarters or a place to be raided for supplies during the border wars. Between 1280 and 1350 Lanercost was regularly visited by both sides, shattering the peaceful lives of the monks.

The priory was visited by Edward I in 1280 when he and Queen Eleanor were in the area hunting. He came two more times after that but the third time had a devastating effect on the priory.

In the autumn of 1306 Edward was headed north again to subdue the Scots. He was taken ill on his journey and when he reached the priory he could go no further. He was carried into Lanercost on a litter and while he only intended to stay a few days, winter came and he was forced to stay five months until spring.

The priory of 12 canons and their servants suddenly had to cope with an influx of over 200 people including builders and carpenters, the king’s bodyguards and the seven yeomen of the chamber. There was a company of foot soldiers and the servants of the king and queen. Lanercost became like a small town! A team of 13 builders and 17 carpenters were employed to build Edward’s rooms, which were made of wood with a lead roof. The queen had rooms made of stone and she had her own wattle and daub chapel and bathhouse. Sadly none of these buildings remain.

The feeding and housing of so many stretched the priory’s resources and they had to scour the surrounding villages for supplies. When Edward left he rewarded the canons by granting them the revenue of two churches in Cumberland and Northumberland, but it took several years for them to receive any benefit from them and they were left virtually bankrupt.

In 1311 a force led by Robert the Bruce stayed for three days, helping itself to the priory stores. In 1346, Robert’s son, David II of Scotland, brought his army to Lanercost. In 1386 the priory was seized by a band of Scots and the canons had to pay a ransom to get it back.

The border wars left their mark on the priory. Today you can see evidence of how the grain stores were secured from within. The rebuilding costs after each raid plunged the priory heavily into debt and they were forced to sell off more and more land to cope.

Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 happened quite peacefully in some places, but in Lincolnshire and in Yorkshire an armed rebellion called the Pilgrimage of Grace took place. Lanercost was probably not involved but it was named as a rebellious house by Henry anyway.

In 1537, Henry VIII’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, inspected the priory and found it was well run but only had revenue of £80 per year – well below the threshold of £200, so it was ordered to be closed. The priory was officially dissolved in March 1537.

The priory buildings were passed to the Dacre family and they converted part of the priory into a grand hall -The Dacre Hall which they lived in.

Today Dacre Hall serves as Lanercost village hall. This is not open to the public but does host events. The nave of the monastic church was given to the community and is still in use today as the magnificent church of St Mary Magdalene, which is open to visitors daily. The ruins were given into the care of the Ministry of Works in 1929. It is now run by English Heritage.

Lanercost if a very peaceful site and beautifully situated close to Hadrian’s Wall and the River Irthing. In the ruins of the priory you can see the magnificent tombs of the local Dacre and Howard families, as well as the ruins of the monastic buildings.

Lanercost Priory is a beautiful place to sit and soak up the peaceful atmosphere. In the spring there are nesting swifts and in the summer it is an idyllic spot for a picnic.

  • Lanercost Priory is open on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 4pm.
  • Lanercost Priory: Lanercost, near Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 2HQ. Call 01697 73030. Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/lanercost-priory.