Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1100 to 1932. Remains of; Clunian, founded 1142, dissolved 1536

Monument Types

• SITE (Medieval to Modern - 1100 AD to 1932 AD)
• PRIORY (Abandoned, Medieval - 1142 AD? (between) to 1536 AD (between))
• CLUNIAC CELL (CLUNIAC CELL, Medieval - 1144 AD to 1536 AD)
• HOUSE (Medieval to Modern - 1537 AD (post) to 2050 AD (post))

Full description

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Description from record TR 13 NW 10 :
(TR 10613930) Horton Priory [NR] (remains of) Gateway [NR] (remains of) (1) A Cluniac priory at Monks Horton, dependant on Lewes, is listed. Founded 1142; made denizen 1351-74; dissolved 1536. Priory of St John the Evangelist, Monks Horton, founded as a cell to Lewes Priory. It was intended to support a prior and 12 monks. Only the west range of the claustral buildings and a fragment of the west wall of the church remain above ground. The masonry is C12th - - C16th. (See plan - AO/LP/62/48). (3) Horton Priory is as described above. It is a private residence, in very good condition. There are no traces of a gateway (Authy 1. GP's AO/62/295/7. Fragment of west wall of church from NW, west range from SW. Grade I. (4) No change. (5) Priory of St. John the Evangelist, Horton, was founded by Robert de Vere. It was granted various lands and liberties, and a bull of confirmation by Pope Lucius II in 1144, and charters of confirmation by Stephen and Henry II. There were twelve monks in 1262, eleven in 1275-1276 and thirteen in 1279. At this time, the prior had newly roofed the church and extended the cloister, circa 1450, there were between eight and thirteen monks. The priory was dissolved in 1536 and leased to Richard Tate of Stockbury in 1537, and then in 1538, granted to him in fee. (6,7) Monks Horton Priory. Grade I. Fragment of Cluniac priory, now house. Foundation confirmed by Papal Bull 1144. Church ruins late C12th (c.1175?) West range earlier C12th, remodelled in C14th. C16th addition. Restoration and additions 1912-14. Founded as cell of Priory of St. Pancras, Lewes, Sussex and dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. Dissolved 1536. (8,9) Monks Horton Priory, a dependency of Lewes. (10) Monks Horton Priory. Likely that in the original plan the buildings surrounded a quadrangular courtyard, of which the remaining rooms formed the west range, and the chapel of the Priory its north side, but there may be a doubt whether this court was cloistered. Likely that the west range was a one-storey building. (11) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (12 -19)The following text is from the original listed building designation:

TR 13 NW MONKS HORTON
3/30 Monks Horton Priory 29.12.66 I
Fragment of Cluniac priory, now house. Foundation confirmed by Papal Bull 1144. Church ruins late C12 (c.1175?). West range earlier C12, re- modelled in C14. C16 addition. Restoration and additions 1912-14 by G. Hornblower. Ragstone with ashlar dressings. C16 addition with flint ground-floor and close-studded first floor to north. Plain tile roof. Lower sections of south part of west doorway and portal porch of church. West end of south aisle. West range of cloisters adjoining south-west corner of aisle, width of range projecting west of church. C16 single- bay addition in re-entrant angle between west range and former portal porch. Early C20 additions to east. West elevation of west range: 2 storeys and attic. No plinth. Chamfered stone string-course passing over buttresses below first floor windows. Nicked and chamfered string- course interrupted by buttresses half way up first floor. 5 pilaster buttresses with possibly renewed or extended heads shouldered at top. Further, broader, buttress to junction of west range and C16 addition, and C20 buttress towards south end. South gable end rebuilt 1912-14 with stone-coped gable and finial. C16 north addition gabled at right- angles to west range, with much lower eaves to north. Slightly projecting corbelled brick stack with stone dressings to first floor of gable end of C16 section. Rear stack towards north end of west range. Stone ridge stack to right of centre with octagonal flues; at least partly early C20. Various stone stacks to early C20 additions. 2 gabled C20 dormers. Irregular fenestration of 7 stone first-floor windows, alternating with buttresses; lower lights of truncated 4-light C15 mullioned and transomed window, with cinquefoil-headed lights to gable end of C16 addition; one 2-light mullioned window with rounded hollow-chamfered lights and squared hoodmould to north end room of west range; five cusped 4-light mullioned and transomed windows with squared heads and hoodmoulds, four C14, and one to south of ridge stack C20, replacing blocked round-headed opening. Early C20 ground-floor windows in a similar style. Narrow blocked round-headed opening, possibly for garderobe or external staircase, towards base of first floor, breaking lower string-course, and with blocked medieval opening, possibly a doorway, on ground floor below (visible from inside). Blocked ground- floor doorway, now window, immediately north of ridge stack. North Elevation: C16 section: jettied, with 3-light leaded casement to first floor. Formerly without door, now with early C20 four-centred arched stone doorway with squared hoodmould and boarded door. West end of Church: south side of triple-shafted west doorway with foliated capitals and moulded abaci. Base of arch with doubly zig-zagged inner orders and palmettes in semicircles to outer order. Bases of shafts to south side of west window above. Canted wall with blank torus-moulded arch leading to outer shaft of south side of portal porch with scrolled foliated capital and moulded abacus. Abacus continued as string, linking with abaci of inner doorway. Above outer shaft, springing of outer archway of west window. Substantial remains of south-west corner of nave, with angle shaft towards portal and blank arcading to west face. West end of aisle, level with inner west doorway of nave, visible from within C16 addition. Interior: West end of church: moulded blank arcading to west face and south return face of nave, and to west face of south aisle. Foliated capitals to shafts. Linked moulded abaci. Angle shaft to south-west corner of nave. 2 remaining upper tiers of arcading less ornate. Tall round-headed west window to south aisle. North face of west range has chamfered plinth lower than that of nave. Round-headed ground-floor door of 2 orders set towards west side, with (restored?) outer frieze of lozenges. Attached shaft to each side with bell base and broad leaves to capitals. Interior of church: spiral stone staircase within south- west end of nave, entered from south aisle. Small scalloped capital (shaft head?) with nicked string running from base, to fragment of wall between nave and south aisle. Interior of west range: round-headed ground-floor doorway at north end of east wal1 with 2 shallow orders and outer cable moulding, springing from chamfered imposts (restored). Plain- chamfered stone door head (possibly C14) to south wall of same north end room. First-floor room above has 2 blocked doorways to north wall, one pointed-arched and moulded, both probably associated with C16 addition, and low pointed-arched hollow-chamfered doorway with broach stops, to west well (also visible externally). Next room to south on first floor has blocked hollow-chamfered pointed-arched stone doorway to north and to south; stone seats to 2 west windows; C15 shafted stone fireplace to east wall with moulded segmental arch, squared head with panelled and quatrefoiled spandrels, brattished cornice, stone curb and tapering stone flue; moulded stud walls to north and south and moulded wooden cornice and beams. Moulded joists to ground-floor north room. Blocked east window to each of these 2 rooms on first floor. Roof of plain crown- posts with sous-laces and ashlar-pieces. C20 ground-floor fireplace beneath medieval one, incorporating re-used C17 term and overmantel panel. Moulded axial beam and joists and C20 plaster frieze to same room. South end room on ground floor panelled 1912-14 with C17 panelling from demolished house in vicinity. C20 stone doorways in a medieval style. Founded as cell of Priory of St. Pancras, Lewes, Sussex and dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. Dissolved 1536. (Charles Baily, Monks Horton Priory, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. X, 1876. J. Newman, B.O.E. Series, North East and East Kent, 1983).
Listing NGR: TR1062639304 (20)

Historic Engalnd archive material (21)

<1> OS 6" 1938-9 (OS Card Reference). SKE48357.

<2> OS 25" (OS Card Reference). SKE48250.

<3> Md Relig Houses Eng and Wales 1953 98 (D Knowles and RN Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46708.

<4> Archaeol Journ 86 1929 314-16 (plan illusts) (WH Godfrey) (OS Card Reference). SKE37287.

<5> F1 ASP 07-DEC-1962 (OS Card Reference). SKE41978.

<6> F2 ASP 01-DEC-1969 (OS Card Reference). SKE43069.

<7> VCH Kent 2 (ed W Page) 1926 151-53 (RC Fowler) (OS Card Reference). SKE50935.

<8> Md Relig Houses in Eng and Wales 1971 97 101 (D Knowles and RN Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46711.

<9> DOE (HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 15 May 1986 20-21 (OS Card Reference). SKE40344.

<10> Bldgs of Eng - NE and E Kent 1980 397-398 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37669.

<11> JBAA 28 1922 158 171 (WA Cater) (OS Card Reference). SKE44924.

<12> Arch Cant 10 1876 81-89 illus (C Bailey) (OS Card Reference). SKE34510.

<13> Tanner's Notitia Monastica 1787 Kent 30 (Naismith) (OS Card Reference). SKE49805.

<14> Field report for monument TR 13 NW 10 - December, 1962 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5363.

<15> Field report for monument TR 13 NW 10 - December, 1969 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5364.

<16> HORTON PRIORY - WEST RANGE FROM SOUTH WEST (Photograph). SKE2594.

<17> HORTON PRIORY - CHURCH WEST WALL - FRAGMENT FROM NORTH WEST (Photograph). SKE2595.

<18> Archaeology South-East, 2000, An Archaoelogical Watching Brief at Horton Priory, Monks Horton, Sellindge, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE7338.

<19> Archaeology South-East, 1997, A Brief Archaeological Interpretative Survey of Horton Priory, Monks Horton (Unpublished document). SKE7240.

<20> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<21> Historic England, Archive material associated with Horton Priory at Monks Horton, Listed Building (Archive). SKE54562.

Sources and further reading