Other names Langley Nunnery Address Derby DE74 2QQ, UK Diocese Diocese of Lincoln Mother house Farewell Priory | Order Benedictine Phone +44 1332 853197 Disestablished 1536 | |
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Dedicated to "God and to the Blessed Virgin" Founder(s) William and Burgia Pantulf Location Leicestershire, England Similar Leicester Abbey, Holy Trinity Church - Ashby‑de‑la‑Zouch, Belvoir Priory, Launde Abbey, Church of St Mary de Castro - L Profiles | ||
Langley priory vintage wedding film
Langley Priory is a former Benedictine nunnery in Leicestershire, England. It is located around a mile and a half south of East Midlands Airport; around a mile from the village of Diseworth. Population figures are included in the civil parish of Breedon on the Hill.
Contents
Langley priory
History
Langley Priory was founded c.1150 by William Pantulf and his wife Burgia. The first nuns who came to Langley came from Farewell Priory in Staffordshire. William donated the advowsons of the churches of Little Dalby and Somerby, and land in Langley, Little Dalby, Somerby and Tonge. Burgia donated land in Kettleby and tithes in Tonge and Wilson. Before 1205 the priory had also acquired land in Burrough, Diseworth, Long Whatton, Nottingham and Prestwold. The nuns also gained the advowson of Diseworth Church before 1220. By 1291 the priory was receiving an annual income of £20. 9d. from its temporalities.
The priory was founded in the Benedictine Order; in the late 13th century the nuns claimed to belong to the Cistercian Order, as this allowed them to avoid paying tithe on their lands. They were, however, forced to abandon their claims.
In 1354 the priory was visited by John Gynwell, Bishop of Lincoln, who recorded there were 12 nuns at the priory. A later visit by William Alnwick, Bishop of Lincoln, in 1440, reveals the number of nuns had fallen to eight, and that the priory's income had fallen, pushing the nuns £50 into debt.
The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 lists the priory as having an income of £29. 7s. 4½d. In June 1536 the priory is recorded as being home to six nuns and the prioress. It was probably dissolved with the other small monasteries in 1536.
After Dissolution
The remains of the priory were thought to have been incorporated into a later house which was also called "Langley Priory".
Little of medieval origin remains within the current house: the central block was completely rebuilt in the early 19th century, and the two wings were largely rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The house is currently used as a wedding venue. Despite its being in Leicestershire, the business' website claims the house is in Derbyshire.