Sempringham Priory

Sempringham
Sempringham Priory
Location within Lincolnshire
General information
Location	Sempringham, Lincolnshire
Country	England
Coordinates	52°52′42″N 0°21′27″W / 52.878333°N 0.3575°W / 52.878333; -0.3575
Completed	1140s

Sempringham Priory was a priory in Lincolnshire, England, located in the medieval hamlet of Sempringham, to the northwest of Pointon. Today, all that remains of the priory is a marking on the ground where the walls stood and a square, which are identifiable only in aerial photos of the vicinity. However, the parish church of St Andrew's, built around 1100 AD, is witness to the priory standing alone in a field away from the main road.

The priory was built by Gilbert of Sempringham, the only English saint to have founded a monastic order. The priory's religious accentuation as an important religious pilgrimage site began when St Gilbert established the Gilbertine Order in 1131 by inducting "seven maidens" who were his pupils. Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, helped in establishing the religious buildings to the north of St Andrew's Church as a protected area.

St Gilbert died at Sempringham in 1189 and was buried in the priory church. He was canonised on 13 October 1202, for the many miracles noted at his tomb in the priory. His name is prefixed to the Sempringham Priori, which is known as "St Gilbert Sempringham Priory," and is thus a well-visited pilgrimage centre.

The priory, which functioned as a dual community made up of canons and nuns, was dissolved in 1538. The Clinton family, who took possession of the priory, demolished it completely without leaving any trace of it on the ground. They built a mansion from the building material they extracted from the demolished structure.

Sempringham Priory was spread over an area of 80 acres (0.32 km²) of undulating topography located below the ruins of a major Tudor house skirting the Lincolnshire Fens, which is limestone country. The land of the priory was used for cultivation. It was not known as a former monastery until some archaeological excavations conducted in 1939 by the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire revealed a layout of the buried presence of the medieval monastery and the housing complex surrounded by gardens. The priory measured 350 feet (110 m) lengthwise, and was inferred to have had within its space buildings for monks and nuns built around the 12th century. At the time of its demolition during the reign of Henry VIII, it was said to be the size of Westminster Abbey.