Remains of St. Thomas' Priory, Stafford

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Date:1948

Description:The priory dedicated to St. Thomas Becket was built on the banks of the River Sow in 1180.

During the Dissolution Henry VIII delayed the closure of St. Thomas' on payment of £133 6s 8d (the annual revenue of the priory in this year was £198). In 1539 the Bishop of Lichfield persuaded Henry to give him the priory. On his death the estate was divided amongst his nephews, and the family resided at what was now called St. Thomas' Hall for several generations.

In 1765 the property passed to the ancestors of the Earl of Talbot and formed part of the Shrewsbury Estate. The buildings were used for several years by cotton spinners, followed by a corn milling business.

Today the site is occupied by a farm. Existing fragments of the old priory include sections of walling, the lower courses of the cloisters, part of the kitchen and the site of the burial ground. The old stonework was so well constructed it was incorporated into the farm buildings, thereby preserving the remains of the medieval priory.

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Donor ref:P97.040.0340 (18/1886)

Source: Staffordshire Museum Service

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