Cartmel Priory

Cartmel Priory church serves as the parish church of Cartmel, Cumbria (formerly in Lancashire).PrioryThe priory was founded in 1190 by William Marshal, created 1st Earl of Pembroke, intended for a community of the Augustinian Canons regular and was dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Michael.To support the new house, William granted it the whole fief of the district of Cartmel. It was first colonised by a prior and twelve canons sent from Bradenstoke Priory in Wiltshire.14th centuryBetween 1327 and 1347 a chapel with four traceried windows was provided by Lord Harrington in the south choir aisle, and in fact his tomb is still in the building. The gatehouse, which apart from the church itself is the only surviving structure of the medieval priory, was built between 1330 and 1340.15th and 16th centuriesIn the 15th century extensive work was undertaken, in part due to damage in the northern part of the church. In the east end of the church, the early lancet windows were replaced by one huge window of stained glass, misericords were installed in the choir, and the tower was extended. Unusually, the extension to the tower sits at a 45-degree angle to the base on which it rests, a feature believed to be unique in England. Work on the building continued intermittently into the 16th century, when the choir screen was constructed.