Bicknacre Priory

Bicknacre Priory is the surviving ruin of a medieval house of Austin (Augustinian) canons in Bicknacre, near Woodham Ferrers, in the Chelmsford area of Essex, England. Today a single tall arch stands in a quiet green setting, and it is all that remains of a religious community that lasted for several centuries.

What is Bicknacre Priory?

The priory was a community of Austin canons, a religious order whose members lived under a rule while serving the wider community. The house was dedicated to St Mary and St John the Baptist. It has also been known as Woodham Priory and Woodham Ferrers Priory, which reflects the nearby village where it stood.

How did the priory begin?

The earliest history is not entirely settled, and sources give different dates. They agree on the outline: a hermitage stood on the site first, and it was later turned into a priory. Accounts place that change in the second half of the 12th century, in the 1150s or the 1170s depending on the source. Records of the Victoria County History link the early community with figures connected to Westminster and to the Tiltey area, which shows that the hermitage and priory belonged to a wider network of religious houses.

Why is it called Bicknacre?

For its first decades the house was known as Wodeham Priory. The name Bicknacre first appears in 1235, and it gradually became the usual name for both the priory and the settlement around it.

What happened to the priory?

Through the 15th century the priory slipped into decline. When the last prior died in 1507, the monastery was dissolved and its property reverted to the Crown. In 1509 it was united by royal licence with the Hospital of St Mary without Bishopsgate in London. That arrangement lasted until the dissolution of the monasteries around 1536.

After the lead was taken from the roof, the buildings decayed quickly. Much of the stone was reused to repair local roads. By 1812 only one arch was still standing.

What can you see today?

The surviving arch is the western arch of the crossing of the priory church. It dates from around 1250 and is built of rubble with some brick. In the original church it belonged to the nave and to the west side of the tower. The ruin is a Grade II listed structure, and it is easy to imagine how tall the church once was when you stand beside the arch.

The arch and the surrounding meadows, known as Priory Fields, are looked after by a voluntary group, the Friends of Priory Fields. The setting makes it a pleasant short stop for anyone interested in English monastic history, ruins or local heritage in Essex.

Frequently asked questions

Who lived at Bicknacre Priory? A community of Austin (Augustinian) canons.

When was the priory closed? The monastery was dissolved in 1507 after the death of its last prior. It was then joined with a London hospital in 1509, and that arrangement ended with the dissolution of the monasteries around 1536.

What is left of the priory? One arch, the west crossing arch of the church, from around 1250.

Who looks after the site? The Friends of Priory Fields, a voluntary group, care for the arch and the fields around it.

Is the name Bicknacre original? No. The house was first called Wodeham Priory, and the name Bicknacre appears from 1235.