Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A house of Carmelite Friars, the third established in England, was founded in Lossenham in 1242 or soon afterwards by Sir Thomas Alcher, or Aucher. The priory was burnt down in 1275. It was dissolved in 1538 and no trace of medieval buildings has been found at the site to date.

Monument Types

• CARMELITE FRIARY (Medieval - 1242 AD? to 1539 AD (between))

Associated Finds

• COFFIN (Medieval - 1242 AD to 1538 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 8414 2779] St. Mary's Priory (NR) (Carmelite A.D. 1240) (NAT) (site of) (NAT) (1) At Lossenham was a Carmelite Priory dedicated to St. Mary Fdd. C. 1240. Diss. 1538. (2) There are no remains, but Hasted refers to foundations dug up to the south of Lossenham Manor House [TQ 82 NW 2] and Igglesden noted Chapel Orchard, Kitchen Orchard and Friar's Field as indicating the site. A stone coffin was found here a few years prior to 1798. (3-4) There are no visible remains of this Priory. (5) A house of Carmelite Friars, the third established in England, was founded in Lossenham, in Newenden, in 1242, or soon afterwards by Sir Thomas Alcher, or Aucher. The priory was burnt down in 1275. When dissolved in 1538 the house was poor in building, had no lead but only tile, and much of it was ready to fall. The lands were let on lease. No trace of medieval buildings has been found. (6-8) There are no visible remains of the friary at the NGR identified by the NMR/SMR as its location. This falls within a field just to the east of the moated manor house. Aerial photos of the site have failed to reveal any crop marks in or round the field, which has been under cultivation since at least the 1940s. If any traces of the friary survive it will be in the form of buried foundations.
Scheduling is not recommended. (9)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> Md Rel Ho Eng & Wales 1953 198 (Knowles & Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46678.

<3> Hist of Kent 7 1798 168-9 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE43995.

<4> A saunter through Kent 24 1930 75 (C Igglesden) (OS Card Reference). SKE32883.

<5> F1 ASP 05-FEB-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41939.

<6> VCH Kent 2 1926 203-4 (AG Little) (OS Card Reference). SKE50959.

<7> Md Rel Ho Eng & W 1971 233 235 (D Knowles & RN Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46677.

<8> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 2nd Ed 1980 432 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37941.

<9> Field report for monument TQ 82 NW 3 - February, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4310.

Sources and further reading