Markby Priory

Markby Priory was an Augustinian religious house in the village of Markby, Lincolnshire, in eastern England. No grand monastic building survives, but the site still tells a story of medieval life in the region: moats, earthworks and old fishponds remain, and the nearby parish church was built with stone taken from the priory.

What was Markby Priory?

It was a priory of Augustinian canons dedicated to St Peter. The Lincolnshire Historic Environment Record dates its foundation to before 1204 and links its origins to the reign of Henry II, with the first written mention appearing in 1204. Among its early benefactors was Alan of Mumby, who gave the canons the churches of Mumby and Wycliffe in Yorkshire. Gifts like these gave the community an income and let it support itself far from any large town.

The priory lasted roughly three centuries. It was dissolved in 1536 during Henry VIII's suppression of the monasteries. Sources disagree on how many people lived there at the end: the county record mentions a prior and five canons who received pensions, while other accounts speak of a prior and eight canons. Either way, this was a small community, typical of lesser Augustinian houses. Lincolnshire Archives holds letters patent from 1538 to 1542 granting the former priory site to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.

What can you see today?

A moat surrounds the former priory precinct, and within it the uneven ground marks where buildings once stood. Old fishponds, which supplied the canons with food, are also part of the earthworks. A 16th-century farmhouse now occupies the site and is a Grade II listed building. Inside it, one ashlar wall is identified as surviving from the priory. The farmhouse is private property, so view the surroundings from publicly accessible spots.

Why visit St Peter's Church?

The easiest surviving trace of the priory to visit is the parish church of St Peter in Markby. It was built using stone from the priory. Inside are reused Norman stonework and an arch from the early thirteenth century that came from the priory.

The church's biggest claim to fame is its roof: it is the only thatched church in Lincolnshire. The roof was originally tiled and was replaced with thatch in 1672. For anyone interested in church architecture, that alone makes a stop in Markby worthwhile.

Frequently asked questions

Are there ruins of Markby Priory? There are no large ruins. What remains is mostly earthworks, the moat, fishponds, a wall within the farmhouse and fragments reused in the church.

When was the priory dissolved? In 1536, during the dissolution of the monasteries in England.

Can I walk onto the priory site? A private house stands there, so it is best to look from the road and visit St Peter's Church, which is open to visitors as a place of worship.

Where is Markby? In eastern Lincolnshire, near the town of Alford, in the East Lindsey district.

Markby is a quiet, small village, and together the priory site and the church make an interesting stop for anyone curious about medieval England, the fate of monasteries after the Reformation, and old rural architecture. It pairs well with other heritage sites in East Lindsey and a gentle walk through the surrounding countryside.