Cartmel Priory

Cartmel Priory church serves as the parish church of Cartmel, Cumbria, England (formerly in Lancashire).

1. Priory


1. = Foundation =

The priory was founded in 1190 by William Marshal, created 1st Earl of Pembroke, intended for a community of the Augustinian Canons regular and was dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Michael. To support the new house, William granted it the whole fief of the district of Cartmel. It was first colonised by a prior and twelve canons sent from Bradenstoke Priory in Wiltshire.

1. = 14th century =

Between 1327 and 1347 a chapel with four traceried windows was provided by John Harington, 1st Baron Harington in the south choir aisle; his tomb, also containing his second wife, is in the building. The stonework on the tomb contains the Harrington coat of arms with the Harrington knot as well as the Dacre coat of arms with the scallop shells. The gatehouse, which apart from the church itself is the only surviving structure of the medieval priory, was built between 1330 and 1340.

1. = 15th and 16th centuries =

In the 15th century extensive work was undertaken, in part due to damage (believed to be from subsidence) in the southern part of the complex. The original cloister was demolished and a new one built to the north of the priory church. In the east end of the church, the early lancet windows were replaced by one huge window of stained glass, misericords were installed in the choir, and the tower was extended. Unusually, the extension to the tower sits at a 45-degree angle to the base on which it rests, a feature believed to be unique in England. Work on the building continued intermittently into the 16th century, when the choir screen was constructed. The 25 misericords date from 1440, and are of an exceptional quality. They include representation of the Green Man, which with its three heads sprouting foliage is said to symbolize the devil.

1. Dissolution

The priory was surrendered by its then community of ten canons at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. An effect of the rebellious Pilgrimage of Grace was that the community was reinstated, one of perhaps 16 such cases. The prior, Richard Preston, had not thrown in his lot with resistance, but had fled to the Crown forces under Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby. He was to secure a parochial living to supplement his Crown pension. Others had a different fate. With the failure of the rising, as in other similar cases there came a brutal end for some, the subprior and several of the canons being hanged, along with ten villagers who had supported them. The priory's ancient responsibility for providing a Guide over Cartmel Sands was transferred to the Duchy of Lancaster. Thomas Hogeson was appointed by the Duchy as the first official guide to the sands on 29 January 1548.

1. Parish Church

The Dissolution commissioners had instructions to "pull down to the ground all the walls of the churches, stepulls, cloysters, fraterys, dorters, chapter howsys" and all the rest. The materials were then to be sold for the profit of the Crown. These habitual procedures would have meant Cartmel Priory's church being demolished along with the rest of its buildings. However, in this case the founder William Marshal had given an altar within the church to the village, and provided a priest along with it. The villagers petitioned to be allowed to keep the church as it was their only place of worship, and this was granted.

1. = 17th century =

Despite the villagers' being allowed to keep the church, the lead was stripped from the nave, and until 1618 when George Preston, a landowner at nearby Holker Hall, provided considerable finances to allow the roof to be reinstated, the villagers actually worshipped in the choir, rather than the nave of the church. In 1643 some Roundhead troops stayed in the village, stabling their horses in the church. Bullet holes from this time are still visible in the southwest door of the nave. The nave was used after the Dissolution as a prison and later between 1624 and 1790 as a grammar school.

1. = 19th and 20th centuries =

By 1830 the church was in need of repair again, and underwent a restoration, which has been described in the Edge Guide as "more enthusiastic than sympathetic". In 1850 a new panelled ceiling was inserted in the central part of the church, forming the belfry floor.

A further restoration was carried out in 1867 by E. G. Paley. The restoration was described in the Westmorland Gazette of 28 September 1867 The old seats and galleries have been removed from the nave and transepts, which have been reseated with new benches of oak. The plaster and whitewash of succeeding centuries has been entirely taken off and cleaned from the walls, pillars, and arches of the church. The ancient massive open timbered roof of oak, which for centuries has been hid behind a plastered ceiling, has been uncovered and restored. The whole of the windows have been reglazed with Hartley’s cathedral glass. A new font, pulpit and reading-desk of stone have been added to the church. The font is square with moulded panels, carved and drapered work, and marble shaft. The pulpit is of octagonal design, supported by marble shafts, on three sides are moulded panels containing carved heads representing our Saviour, St. Peter, and St. Paul. A new organ has been erected in the town choir. In 1923, the gatehouse became a museum, and was used for exhibitions, and meetings, before being presented in 1946 to the National Trust who continue to operate it as the "Cartmel Priory Gatehouse". The church is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Mary, Allithwaite, St Peter, Field Broughton, St John the Baptist, Flookburgh, St Paul, Grange-over-Sands, Grange Fell Church, Grange-Over-Sands, and St Paul, Lindale, to form the benefice of Cartmel Peninsula. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

1. = Organ =

The pipe organ was installed in 1867 by F. Jardine of Manchester. The inauguration was recorded in the Westmorland Gazette of 28 September 1867: The organ which has been built by Mr. Jardine of Manchester, had its capabilities tested by Mr. Stevens of Holy Trinity Church, Manchester. It had been intended where the rubric leaves it optional, whether any part shall be "said or sung" to have our beautiful church service sung by one of the finest choirs of Manchester, and the organ presided at by one of the most accomplished amateur players in the North of England. Arrangements having been made by Mr. Jardine for the attendance of Mr. Joule and his choir of St. Peter’s; but the Bishop has so strong an objection to musical services, and such strong fears of its effects on worshippers, that out of deference to his opinion the people of Cartmel were deprived of what would certainly have been, and what they had long been anticipating as a good treat. The organ was rebuilt in 1969 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool and in 2005 by Principal Pipe Organs. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

1. = Bells =

The church tower contains a ring of 6 bells. Four are new, dating from 1987 by Eijsbouts, with an old set of 4 bells (2 from 1661 and then 1726 and 1729) making an old 6 when combined with the 2 smaller bells of 1932 by John Taylor and Co.

1. Burials in the priory

John Harington, 1st Baron Harington John Harington, 2nd Baron Harington

1. See also

Grade I listed churches in Cumbria Listed buildings in Lower Allithwaite List of ecclesiastical works by E. G. Paley List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches

1. References


1. External links

Official website

Nearby Places View Menu

L'Enclume

L'Enclume (pronounced [lɑ̃.klym], French for "the anvil") is a Modern British restaurant opened in 2002 in Cartmel, Cumbria, England, run by the chef Simon Rogan and his partner, Penny Tapsell. L'Enclume received a rating of 10 out of 10 five times in The Good Food Guide and was named their top restaurant for the fourth consecutive year in the 2017 guide, and placed second in the 2018 guide. It has received three Michelin stars and five AA Rosettes.

Landmark Restaurant

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse is a medieval building located at Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England. It is listed Grade II* and is part of a scheduled monument. It belongs to the National Trust. Along with the church, the gatehouse is all that remains of the Augustinian Cartmel Priory. The priory was founded in 1190 whereas the gatehouse was built about 1330. In 1536 the Priory was dissolved as part of the general reformation of Church. Most of the monastic property was demolished, but the gatehouse was by that time serving as courthouse for the manor of Cartmel, so survived. It is described by Historic England as an excellent example of a medieval monastic gatehouse. The building served as a grammar school from 1624 to 1790. In 1923 the gatehouse became a museum, and was used for exhibitions and meetings, before being presented to the National Trust in 1946. By 2011 it was mainly in private residential use, although the Great Room is opened to the public on several days a year.

Historic Site Landmark

Cartmel

Cartmel is a village in Furness (traditionally "Lancashire-over-the-Sands" (and in the ceremonial county of Cumbria), England, 2+1⁄4 miles (3.5 kilometres) northwest of Grange-over-Sands close to the River Eea. The village takes its name from the Cartmel Peninsula, and it was historically known as Kirkby in Cartmel. The village is the location of the 12th-century Cartmel Priory, around which it initially grew. Situated in the historic county of Lancashire, since 1974 Cartmel was in the non-metropolitan county and ceremonial county of Cumbria, and for local government, in the unitary authority area of Westmorland and Furness. Whilst its history has been in its ecclesiastical and agricultural communities, Cartmel has since the mid-20th century developed as a minor tourist destination, being just outside the Lake District National Park. Several attractions in the village, including Cartmel Racecourse and a Michelin-starred restaurant, cater to this tourist trade.

Event Landmark

Cartmel Racecourse

Cartmel Racecourse is a small national hunt racecourse in the village of Cartmel, now in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, historically in Lancashire. Until 1969, the two day Whitsun meeting was Cartmel's only fixture, when an August Bank Holiday Monday meeting was introduced. In 1974, a Saturday programme was added to the new meeting, making a total of four days' racing. Nine racedays are now held each year, starting on the Whit Holiday weekend at the end of May and ending on the August Bank Holiday weekend in August. The three-day May race meeting actually takes place over five days – allowing a day off for racegoers to enjoy the Lake District countryside in between each day at the races. The racegoers arrive so early in the day and leave so late that, unlike most racecourses, there is not time to clear up and turn the racecourse around for consecutive days racing. The two-day July meeting (taking place over three days, with a day off in-between) features the most valuable race at Cartmel, the Cumbria Crystal Hurdle Race, which is worth over £40,000. The August race meeting features the Cartmel Cup (a hurdle race) and the Cavendish Cup (a steeplechase). Although the racecourse is considered to be small, it often has the third-highest average attendance of any jumps track in Britain after Aintree and Cheltenham – the largest crowds can be just over 20,000 on one day. The visitors gather in the centre of the racecourse which is bisected by the finishing straight. On one side of the straight is a very large fairground and on the other the Parade Ring and Winners' Enclosure. There is a small grandstand, but in general most of the facilities at Cartmel are temporary. The village shops are a short walk from the track and a visit to the village is often considered to be a significant part of a day at Cartmel races. Cartmel Racecourse is about 1-mile (1.6 km) round, with six fences, and is noted as having a four-furlong (804 metre) run-in on the Steeplechase course, the longest in Britain. The run in on the Hurdle track is slightly less than 2 furlongs (402 metres). All winning connections receive a Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding to take home. The origins of racing at Cartmel are rather obscure, with some stories suggesting that the meeting first started with mule races organised by medieval monks from Cartmel Priory to make their journeys across the sands to Lancaster more interesting. There are records of racing for the Innkeepers' Stakes of £15 and the Tradesmen's Stakes of £30 in 1856. Hound trailing and foot races were also a part of the programme at that time. At the meeting in 1869 there were not enough horses entered for the races, so there was great interest in the human runners, including a T. Dowrie, who won three races. In 1875, the foot races were abolished and the meeting held under Grand National Rules. The course was supported by local landowners. Until World War II, it was a very small course featuring primarily amateur jockeys, but in the second half of the 20th century the racing programme was expanded and professionalised. Cartmel Racecourse and its surrounding land have long been owned by the Holker Estate, where the Cavendish family still reside. Hugh Cavendish became a Director on the Board of Cartmel Racecourse in 1974 and in 1998, bought out the management team to develop it further under the guidance of his allies at Aintree. This has seen the course go from strength-to-strength, and it continues to grow in stature and service year-on-year. Cartmel was the site of the Gay Future 'coup' in 1974 that involved switching horses before a race and relying on the lack of communications at the course. The most popular racehorse at Cartmel in recent seasons is Soul Magic, who has won at the track on seven occasions - prior to the 2014 racing season.

Event Fairground