The term Augustinian refers to a certain Catholic religious order named after St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustinian monks were part of a new 13th century movement which "sought to bring the religious ideals of the monastic life into an urban setting" (Rano, 1995, p.29).
The foundation of the Nostell Priory most likely began much earlier, around the beginning of the 12th century, when a small group of men would gather together to pray at a small chapel dedicated to St. Oswald near Pontefract (Frost, 2007).
The priory was supported by the de Lacys, a Norman noble family, Henry I, as well as Thurstan of York, the Archbishop of York. Around 1100, Robert de Lacy noticed the gathering of men and bestowed upon them several pieces of land. De Lacy was eventually banished from England for other matters, which prompted Henry I to notice the small community of monks. Henry I established the Nostell Priory and made sure it became one of the wealthiest Augustinian priories in the North of England (Frost, 2007).
The Nostell Priory was dedicated to St. Oswald (c. 604-642), also known as Oswald of Northumbria, or simply the King of Northumbria, who converted to Christianity and spent much of his life spreading the religion throughout the North of England. Oswald was considered a saint not only for his generosity to the poorer classes but also for his martyrdom, as he died a noble death in battle (Bede, 1991).
In 1540, the priory was closed down due to the Dissolution of the Monasteries (Baskerville, 1937). Today, the site of the original priory now houses a "magnificent eighteenth-century house" (see Figure 3) (Alec, 2013).
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| Figure 3 |
