To take a break from the Romans, if only for one day, today we went to look at old churches instead. The Priory at Lanercost is now mostly a ruin, with only one part, the nave, being roofed, and used as the present-day parish church of Mary Magdalene.
The priory was founded in the 12th century by a gift from Robert De Vaux. Large parts of it were built from stone scavenged from Hadrian’s Wall. It was visited three times by Edward I on his trips to Scotland (to hammer them), the final visit being prolonged for several months due to the king’s ill health. This is in fact caused the court to move to Lanercost for the duration, making it the de facto capital of England for six months.
After Edward’s death, Robert the Bruce visited for three days, imprisoning the canons and “committing infinite evils”. Being in border country, the priory was always in the wars, and its fortunes fluctuated depending on who was in the ascendancy. It was finally dissolved by Henry VIII along with all the other monasteries. What remains today is the ruin and the parish church. The ruin is under the protection of English Heritage.
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| The Undercroft |
After a cup of tea and a cake in the nearby tea rooms, we drove on to Brampton. This turns out to be a substantial town, with more shops than Longtown. We were looking for St Martin's Church, which has stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones, noted Pre-Raphaelite. We found them:
Back to the Romans tomorrow.
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