St Martins Priory, Richmond
More Articles in the Richmond to Danby Wiske subsection
St Martins Priory and St Martins Farm, Richmond
St Martins Priory, Richmond, Coast to Coast
The remains of St Martins Priory are located at the eastern side of St Martins Farm on the southern border of Richmond, a little south of Mercury Bridge and a little south of the Old Station Yard. The remains are close to the west bank of the River Swale, and the Coast to Coast path passes alongside the northern side of the Priory. Easby Abbey is located on the opposite riverbank of the Swale a half mile further south, and St Mary's Church is on the opposite side of Mercury Bridge.
St Martins is a Grade I Listed Building. The Priory was a Benedictine Priory. Benedictines are of the Order of Saint Benedict, a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church and follow the rule of Saint Benedict. As they used to wear black habits they are often referred to as the Black Monks.
The order was founded by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th century monk who organised the Benedictine monasticism through the formulation of his Rule of Saint Benedict.
St Martins Priory
St Martins Priory was a medieval monastic house founded about 1100 for 9 to 10 monks. The Priory was dependant on St Mary's Abbey in York and was regarded as one of the lesser monastic houses. It was dissolved in 1539 and thereafter became ruinous.
Western Church Structure
The standing structure comprising the western aspect of the Priory is most likely the church section. It is divided by a wall from the gatehouse. The structure of this section is of coursed rubble. This part of the Priory dates to the 12th century although the window mullions were replaced in the 19th century.
Gatehouse to St Martins Priory
The gatehouse has three storeys and one bay and the corners to the tower have quoins. Quoins are large rectangular stones built into the corners of a wall, which provide added strength, in additiion to enhancing its appearance.
Monastic House Ruin St Martins
The remains of a small medieval monastic house lie within the Priory grounds. Parts of this date to the 12th century and others to the 15th century. The structure of this building is of sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. Ashlar dressings are finely dressed or cut stone, that are worked until it is squared.
St Martins Priory Dividing Wall
The wall between the church and the gatehouse contains a segmental-arched doorway.
Coast to Coast Trail Guide
Hiking the Coast to Coast
"Hiking the Coast to Coast" is a digitally enhanced eBook available from Apple Books for all people who have either a Mac, an iPhone or an iPad, and is designed to accompany you on your walk of the Coast to Coast path. The trail guide contains Ordnance Survey maps and other advanced mapping features, step by step directions, hundreds of colour photographs, details of the route, its conditions in different weather and research snippets relating to places of interest along the way.
