Monastery information | |
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Full name | Our Lady of Southwick |
Established | 1133 |
Disestablished | 7 April 1538 |
People | |
Founder(s) | Henry I |
Site | |
Location | Portchester and Southwick, Hampshire, England |
Visible remains | Church at Portchester, one wall and earthworks at Southwick |
Public access | To churches |
Southwick Priory or Our Lady at Southwick (/ˈsʌðᵻk/) was a priory of Augustinian canons founded in Portchester Castle on Portsmouth Harbour and later transferred 2 miles (3.2 km) north to Southwick, Hampshire, England. It ceased at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538.
In 1133 Henry I founded a priory of Austin canons in the church of St. Mary, Portchester, within the walls of Portchester Castle. The foundation charter gave to the canons the church of Portchester, timber for fencing, building and fuel, common pasture in the wood of Hingsdon; the large manor of Candover; and a hide of land in 'each of' Southwick and Applestead. By the early part of the thirteenth century, the priory is referred to in charters (held at Lambeth Palace) as Southwick Priory and it is believed to have moved to the site in Southwick c.1145-1153.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the priory became a renowned centre of pilgrimage. In September, 1510 Henry VIII passed through Southwick and made an offering of 6s. 8d. at Our Lady of Southwick. In 1538, shortly before the suppression, John Husee, a solicitor and servant of the Lisle family wrote to Lord Lisle that Pilgrimage saints goeth down apace as Our Lady of Southwick, the Blood of Hales, St. Saviour's and others. And Leland mentions the fame of the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Southwick.