Apologies for all the monastery posts; one last one! :) The newly restored Pentney Priory in Norfolk has a fascinating history. When William of Normandy became King of England in 1066, he was quick to reward the Norman Nobles who had supported him. One of these was Robert Bigod, whose family later became the Earls of Norfolk, with their stronghold at Thetford, and would put Robert de Vaux in charge of the Manor of Pentney; and it was he who founded the Augustinian Priory there in approx 1130.c, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Blessed Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, and to pray for the souls of de Vaux and his family. A number of aristocratic families are known to be buried here, the de Vauxs and Nerfords, including Maud de Vaux, wife of William de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros of Helmsley, whose family inherited Belvoir through their de Tosnei and dAlbini ancestry. From small beginnings the Priory grew and flourished, eventually establishing new groups. One of these was at West Acre, but there were others, much further afield, such as at Lanercost in Cumbria. And Pentney Priory became the centre of a religious and political controversy in the 1160s when Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, took the opportunity during the anarchic reign of King Stephen to seize its considerable lands, claiming the right under a weakness in the details of a property agreement between his father and Roger de Vaux. However, the Prior of Pentney took the case to the Pope, and when it finally was dealt with, in the reign of Henry II, Bigod was excommunicated by the Pope, who imposed an interdict on the earldom. This created a tension between Henry, who opposed the interdict, and the Bishops of London and Norwich, who with the support of Thomas Becket were expected to enforce it.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 13:19:47 +0000
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