4287 x 2848 px | 36,3 x 24,1 cm | 14,3 x 9,5 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
20 juin 2010
Lieu:
Little Malvern, Worcestershire, England
Informations supplémentaires:
Little Malvern Priory was a house of Bendictine monks, founded c.1125; despite always being a dependent house of Worcester Cathedral Priory, it seems to have been dissolved c.1536-7, three years before its mother house. It was never wealthy, and has been suggested as ‘the poor house of religion’ where Queen Margaret was arrested after the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. It was certainly in poor in 1480 when John Alcock, who, as Bishop of Worcester, was not only the diocesan bishop but the superior of the mother house, discovered a scandalous state of affairs – the brethren, said the bishop, “...have been vagabonds and lived like laymen..”; the prior was dismissed and the monks sent to Gloucester whilst the priory was extensively repaired at the bishop’s own expense. It is not clear if this included the nave, which seems to have fallen into decay at an early date – the remainder was retained after the dissolution to serve as the parish church, but at sometime between 1620 & 1780 the transepts and choir aisle chapels also fell into ruin, leaving the core of the choir and the crossing tower. The monastic estates were acquired by the Russell family; Little Malvern Court, occupied since 1828 by their relations, the Berington’s, whose flag can be seen flying from it in the photograph, is built on the site of the priory’s conventual buildings and incorporates parts of them, including the early 14th c. Prior’s Hall. Ironically, the Russell and Berington families have always been Catholic, so this tiny village also has a Catholic church a short distance away, where Sir Edward and Lady Elgar are buried.
