List of monastic houses in Berkshire

The following is a list of monastic houses in Berkshire, England.

Bradbourne Priory

Ankerwyke Priory

Ascot Priory

Bisham Abbey

Bisham Preceptory

Bradley Priory (approx.)

Bromhall Priory (approx.)

Cold Ash Friary

Cookham Abbey (supposed)

Donnington Friary

Douai Abbey

Greenham Preceptory (approx.)

Hurley Priory

Kintbury Priory

Poughley Priory (approx.)

READING (see below)

Sandleford Priory

Shalford (Brimpton) Preceptory (approx.)

Sonning Minster

Stratfield Saye

Templeton Camera (approx.)

Locations of monastic houses in Berkshire

Reading Abbey

Reading Nunnery

Greyfriars

Locations of monastic houses in Reading

In this article alien houses are included, as are smaller establishments such as cells and notable monastic granges (particularly those with resident monks), and also camerae of the military orders of monks (Templars and Hospitallers). The numerous monastic hospitals per se are not included here unless at some time the foundation had, or was purported to have the status or function of an abbey, priory, friary or preceptory/commandery.

The name of the county is given where there is reference to an establishment in another county. Where the county has changed since the foundation's dissolution the modern county is given in parentheses, and in instances where the referenced foundation ceased to exist before the unification of England, the kingdom is given, followed by the modern county in parentheses.

The geographical co-ordinates provided are sourced from the details provided by Historic England PastScape and Ordnance Survey publications.

A Monastic Glossary follows the listing, which provides links to articles on the particular monastic orders as well as other terms which appear in the listing.

Abbreviations and key

Alphabetical listing of establishments

Foundation	Image	Communities & Provenance	Formal Name or Dedication & Alternative Names	Online References & Location|
Abingdon Abbey	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Ankerwycke Priory, Wraysbury		Benedictine nuns founded c.1160 by Gilbert de Mountfitchet, Kt., Lord of Wyrardisbury and his son; dissolved before 8 July 1536; granted to Lord Windsor 1538/9 then to Sir Thomas Smith 1550/1 ruins in grounds of Ankerwycke House	The Priory Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, Ankerwyke ____________________ Ankerwick Priory; Ankerwyke Priory	[1][2] 51°26′37″N 0°33′26″W / 51.443643°N 0.557191°W / 51.443643; -0.557191 (Ankerwyke Priory)
Ascot Priory *, Winkfield		Anglican nuns founded 1861; extant	The Priory Church of Jesus Christ	[3] 51°33′26″N 0°46′43″W / 51.5571358°N 0.7785863°W / 51.5571358; -0.7785863 (Ascot Priory)
Bisham Abbey #		Augustinian Canons Regular priory founded 1337 by William Montacute; built to the northeast of the site of the former Knights Templars' preceptory (see immediately below) dissolved 1536 Benedictine monks abbey founded 1537 by Henry VIII; the abbey incorporating parts of the former Knights Templars' structure; (transferred from Chertsey, Surrey); dissolved 1538; granted to Sir Edward Hoby c.1554; extant preceptory & demolished priory/abbey site now headquarters of the National Sports Council	The Priory Church of the Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bisham The Abbey Church of the Holy Trinity, Bisham ____________________ Bustlesham Priory;	[4][5][6] 51°33′25″N 0°46′45″W / 51.557016°N 0.779225°W / 51.557016; -0.779225 (Bisham Abbey)
Bisham Preceptory #		Knights Templar founded before 1139 by Robert de Ferrers; dissolved 1308-12; Augustinian priory later founded to northeast of site (see immediately above); extant preceptory & demolished priory/abbey site now headquarters of the National Sports Council		51°33′25″N 0°46′45″W / 51.557016°N 0.779225°W / 51.557016; -0.779225 (Bisham Preceptory)
Bradfield Abbey ~		monks documented 1066 land granted by King Ine to Hean, Abbot of Abingdon, and Ceolswyth 688-90 to found a monastery; community included monks, status and site otherwise unknown
Bradley Priory ~		Benedictine monks dependent on Abingdon (Oxfordshire) manor, described in 1547 as 'lately a priory'; status and site otherwise unknown		[7] 51°26′38″N 1°08′17″W / 51.4438905°N 1.1379486°W / 51.4438905; -1.1379486 (Bradley Priory (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Bromhall Priory #, Sunningdale		Benedictine nuns daughter of Chertsey, Surrey; founded before 1200 by Edward, the Black Prince; accidentally burnt 1462; dissolved 1521 when the last prioress died and the remaining sisters left; given to Saint John's College Cambridge remains destroyed or incorporated into farm buildings	The Priory Church of Saint Margaret, Bromhall ____________________ Broomhall Priory	[8][9] 51°23′23″N 0°37′42″W / 51.3896194°N 0.6282806°W / 51.3896194; -0.6282806 (Bromhall Priory (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Charney Manor	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Cholsey Abbey	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Cold Ash Centre *		Francisan Friars Minor and sisters Novitiate house for the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary founded 1930s; extant	The Cold Ash Centre	[10] 51°25′22″N 1°15′21″W / 51.4227009°N 1.2559283°W / 51.4227009; -1.2559283 (Cold Ash Friary)
Cookham Abbey ~		probable double monastery founded before 726; granted to Canterbury by Æthelbald of Mercia; confiscated by Offa and Coenwulf; restored before 798; granted by Archbishop Æthelheard to Cynethryth, an abbess; site now occupied by parochial church		[11][12] 51°33′40″N 0°42′27″W / 51.5611263°N 0.7075506°W / 51.5611263; -0.7075506 (Cookham Abbey (supposed loc.)) (supposed)
Coxwell Grange	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Donnington Friary ^		Crouched Friars founded before 1404 (1392/3), land granted by Sir Richard Abberbury to the London Friary c.1376; dissolved 1538 (recorded at suppression as Trinitarian, later corrected to Crossed Friars); site now occupied by country house of named 'The Priory'	Donington Friary	[13][14] 51°24′53″N 1°19′52″W / 51.414588°N 1.331057°W / 51.414588; -1.331057 (Donnington Friary)
Douai Abbey *, Woolhampton		Benedictine monks (community founded at Douai, Belgium, 1615) removed from Douai 1903; extant	The Abbey Church of Saint Edmund, King and Martyr, Upper Woolhampton	[15] 51°24′31″N 1°10′17″W / 51.408715°N 1.171454°W / 51.408715; -1.171454 (Douai Abbey)
East Hendred Cell	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Faringdon Abbey	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Greenham Preceptory ~		Knights Hospitaller founded c.1180 (1199) on estates granted by Matilda Countess of Clare and Gervase Paynell; last preceptor d. 1442; made part of the estate of the prior of England by the grand master of Rhodes 1445 dissolved 1540; briefly restored under Queen Mary		[16][17] 51°24′03″N 1°19′10″W / 51.400946°N 1.319561°W / 51.400946; -1.319561 (Greenham Preceptory (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Hurley Priory +		Benedictine monks founded before 1087 (1065) granted by Godfrey de Magna Villa (Mandeville) to the Benedictines of Westminster to found a cell; dissolved 1536; granted to Leonard Chamberleyn c.1544 nave of church now in parochial use	The Priory Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hurley	[18] 51°33′03″N 0°48′31″W / 51.550922°N 0.808549°W / 51.550922; -0.808549 (Hurley Priory)
Kintbury Abbey #		possible Saxon abbey, minuter or oratory founded before 931, not mentioned in Domesday survey; land granted to Fontevrault Benedictine nuns and brothers 1147 by Robert Le Bossu to found a monastery; transferred to new site at Nuneaton, Warwickshire 1155; planned refoundation probably never established	Saint Mary	51°23′30″N 1°27′19″W / 51.391735°N 1.4552164°W / 51.391735; -1.4552164 (Kintbury Priory (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Poughley Priory ^		Augustinian Canons Regular founded c.1160 by Ralph de Chaddleworth; dissolved 1524 and granted to Cardinal Wolsey's college at Oxford and was occupied by scholars of the college; remains (cellar range) now incorporated into after-dissolution farmhouse without public access	The Priory Church of Saint Margaret, Poughley	[19] 51°28′44″N 1°24′06″W / 51.4788839°N 1.4016581°W / 51.4788839; -1.4016581 (Poughley Priory (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Reading Abbey		Cluniac monks founded 1121 by Henry I Benedictine monks refounded c.1210; dissolved 1539; granted to Edward, Duke of Somerset c.1550; quarried and dismantled c.1550-1643 ruins extant	The Abbey Church of Our Lady and Saint John the Evangelist, Reading	[20][21] 51°27′23″N 0°57′55″W / 51.456367°N 0.965263°W / 51.456367; -0.965263 (Reading Abbey)
Reading Nunnery		nuns founded 979 dissolved 1016; granted to Battle, Sussex by William the Conqueror; apparently on the site now occupied by St Mary's Minster Church (restored 1551-1555 with masonry and timbers from the demolished Reading Abbey)		[22] 51°27′16″N 0°58′25″W / 51.454500°N 0.973690°W / 51.454500; -0.973690 (Reading Nunnery)
Reading Greyfriars, earlier site		Franciscan Friars Minor, Conventual (under the Custody of Oxford) founded 1233 by permission of Adam de Lathbury, abbot of Reading, and the abbey's convent; transferred to new site 1285-6 (see immediately below)
Reading Greyfriars +		Franciscan Friars Minor, Conventual (under the Custody of Oxford) transferred from former site (see immediately above) 1285-6 with permission of the abbot of Reading; church built 1311; dissolved 15 September 1538; used as hospital, a poorhouse then a town jail; converted back to a parish church	Saint Francis	[23] 51°27′24″N 0°58′36″W / 51.4567346°N 0.9766352°W / 51.4567346; -0.9766352 (Reading Greyfriars)
Sandleford Priory ^		Augustinian Canons Regular founded 1193/1202 by Jeffrey (Geoffrey), Earl of Perch and his wife Maud (Matilda); arrangements made 1274 by Maud de Clare, Countess of Gloucester and Hertford (1223-1289) to refound as a double house for Fontevrault Benedictine nuns and brothers, but this did not come about; dissolved 1478 remains converted to a country house, (see also Sandleford); now an Anglican Convent School	The Priory Church of Saint John the Baptist, Sandleford	[24] 51°22′39″N 1°18′59″W / 51.3774596°N 1.3163853°W / 51.3774596; -1.3163853 (Sandleford Priory)
Shalford Preceptory		Knights Templar founded c.1198, apparently granted by Simon de Ovile; Knights Hospitaller dissolved after 1276; by 1338 had become a member of Greenham	Brimpton Commandery; Brimpton Preceptory	[25][26][27][28] [29][30][31] 51°22′41″N 1°11′54″W / 51.3781561°N 1.1983681°W / 51.3781561; -1.1983681 (Brimpton Preceptory (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Sheffield Lesser Priory ~		Benedictine monks alien house: manor-grange dependent on St Martin-de-Noyon, Charleval; founded after 1086, manor granted to Charleval by the Count of Evreux; locally known as a 'priory' dissolved and privately leased c.1166-7; passed to Reading 1270
Sonning Minster		Saxon minster held by Bishop of Ramsbury/Sherborne 10th/11th century sometimes considered joint-see with Ramsbury, Wiltshire; current parochial church dating to 9th century, largely rebuilt 1852-3; restored 1870-90	Hundredal Minster	[32] 51°28′27″N 0°54′47″W / 51.4740526°N 0.9130722°W / 51.4740526; -0.9130722 (Sonning Minster)
Steventon Priory	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Stratfield Saye Priory		Benedictine monks alien house: priory cell dependent on Valmont founded 1169 or 1170 by Nicholas de Stoteville (Nicholas d'Estouteville): hermitage granted to Valmont; dissolved 1399; house named 'The Priory' built on site (Beech Hill in the Berkshire part of Stratfield Saye)	St Leonard ____________________ Stratfield-Say Priory	[33] 51°22′28″N 0°59′03″W / 51.374315°N 0.984226°W / 51.374315; -0.984226 (Stratfield Saye Priory)
Templeton Camera		Knights Templar possible small hospice or hostel with chapel; passed to Knights Hospitallers in 1311; in private hands at Dissolution; mansion named 'Templeton House' built on site 1895		[34] 51°23′40″N 1°28′56″W / 51.3944931°N 1.4823389°W / 51.3944931; -1.4823389 (Templeton Camera (approx. loc.)) (approx)
Wallingford Priory	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire
Wytham Priory	Historical county location. See entry under List of monastic houses in Oxfordshire

Glossary

Map link to lists of monastic houses in England by county

Northumberland Durham Lancashire Cheshire Derbs. Notts. Lincolnshire Leics. Staffs. Shropshire Warks. Northants. Norfolk Suffolk Essex Herts. Beds. Bucks. Oxon. Glos. Somerset Wiltshire Berkshire Kent Surrey Hampshire Dorset Devon Cornwall Heref. Worcs. Bristol East Riding of Yorkshire Rutland Cambs. Greater London Tyne & Wear Cumbria North Yorkshire South Yorks. West Yorkshire Greater Manc. Merseyside East Sussex West Sussex Isle of Wight West Midlands

Bedfordshire Berkshire Bristol Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cheshire Cornwall Cumbria Derbyshire Devon Dorset County Durham Essex Gloucestershire Greater Manchester Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Isle of Wight Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire London Merseyside Norfolk Northamptonshire Northumberland Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Rutland Shropshire Somerset Staffordshire Suffolk Surrey Sussex, East Sussex, West Tyne and Wear Warwickshire West Midlands Wiltshire Worcestershire Yorkshire, East Riding Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West

See also

• List of monastic houses in England

Notes

References

• Binns, Alison (1989) Studies in the History of Medieval Religion 1: Dedications of Monastic Houses in England and Wales 1066–1216, Boydell
• Cobbett, William (1868) List of Abbeys, Priories, Nunneries, Hospitals, And Other Religious Foundations in England and Wales and in Ireland, Confiscated, Seized On, or Alienated by the Protestant "Reformation" Sovereigns and Parliaments
• Knowles, David & Hadcock, R. Neville (1971) Medieval Religious Houses England & Wales. Longman
• Morris, Richard (1979) Cathedrals and Abbeys of England and Wales, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
• Thorold, Henry (1986) Collins Guide to Cathedrals, Abbeys and Priories of England and Wales, Collins
• Thorold, Henry (1993) Collins Guide to the Ruined Abbeys of England, Wales and Scotland, Collins
• Wright, Geoffrey N., (2004) Discovering Abbeys and Priories, Shire Publications Ltd.
• English Cathedrals and Abbeys, Illustrated, Odhams Press Ltd.
• Map of Monastic Britain, South Sheet, Ordnance Survey, 2nd edition, 1954