| Great Malvern Priory | |
|---|---|
 Great Malvern Priory | |
 Great Malvern Priory | |
| 52°06′37.72″N2°19′42.92″W / 52.1104778°N 2.3285889°W /52.1104778; -2.3285889 | |
| Location | Church Street,Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2AY |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Open Evangelical with Choral Tradition |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | Saint Mary andSaint Michael |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 30 November 1949[1] |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Worcester |
| Parish | Malvern |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar | Rev Dr Roger Latham |
| Laity | |
| Organist/Director of music | Piers Maxim |
Great Malvern Priory inMalvern, Worcestershire,England, was aBenedictinemonastery (c. 1075 – 1540) and is now anAnglicanparish church. In 1949 it was designated aGrade I listed building.[1] It is a dominant building in theGreat MalvernConservation area. It has the largest display of 15th-centurystained glass in England,[2] as well as carvedmisericords from the 15th and 16th century and the largest collection of medieval floor and wall tiles. In 1860 major restoration work was carried out by SirGeorge Gilbert Scott. It is also the venue for concerts and civic services.
An ancient carved head and shoulders similar to theLustymore Island figure onBoa Island,County Fermanagh, was excavated from the grounds of the Priory. It is now housed inSt Ann's Chapel. Acelt (aprehistoric axe-like tool) was also excavated during the 18th Century.[3]
Little is known about Malvern over the next thousand years until it is described as "... an hermitage, or some kind of religious house, for seculars, before the conquest, endowed by the gift ofEdward the Confessor".[4] The additions toWilliam Dugdale'sMonasticon include an extract from the Pleas taken before the King at York in 1387, stating that there was a congregation of hermits at Malvern "some time before the conquest".[5] Several slightly different histories explain the actual founding of the religious community. Legend tells that the settlement began following the murder ofSt. Werstan, a monk ofDeerhurst, who fled from the Danes and took refuge in the woods of Malvern where the above-mentioned hermitage had been established.[4][6][7] St Werstan'soratory is thought to have been located on the site ofSt Michael'sChapel which is believed to have stood on the site of Bello Sguardo, aVictorianVilla. Bello Sguardo was built on the site of Hermitage Cottage. The cottage was demolished in 1825 andecclesiastical carvings were found within it. AMediaevalundercroft, human bones and parts of a coffin were also uncovered.[8] Although the legend may be monastic mythology, historians have concluded that St. Werstan was the original martyr.[9]
During the reign ofEdward the Confessor,Saint Wulfstan, theBishop of Worcester, encouraged ahermit namedAldwyn to become the first Prior of Malvern Priory.[10] The monastery was in what was then the wilderness ofMalvern Chase. According to the Worcester Monastic Annals, this work began in 1085.[11] An ancient stained glass window[12] in the Priory church depicts the legend of St. Werstan, with details of his vision, the consecration of his chapel, Edward the Confessor granting the charter for the site, and Werstan's martyrdom.[2]
Aldwyn was succeeded byWalcher of Malvern, an astronomer and philosopher fromLorraine.[13] Walcher's tomb lid was rescued from burial at the site of the SouthTranseptcloistergarth c. 1711. It is now housed in St Anne's chapel. The inscription on the lid reads:
Philosophus bonus dignus Astrologus lotharingus, Vir pius et humilis, Monachus prior hujus ovilis Hic jacet in cista Geometricus et Abacista, Doctor Walcherus. Flet plebs, dolet undique clerus. Huic lux prima mori Dedit Octobris seniori; Vivat ut in coelis Exoret quisque fidelis. MCXXXV.
A good philosopher, a worthy Astrologer of Lorraine, A pious and humble man, the prior monk of this fold, Here lies in a casket, a geometer skilled in the abacus, Doctor Walcher. The people weeps, the cleric grieves everywhere. To him, our elder, the first day of October brought death; That he should live in heaven may every faithful soul pray. 1135.[14]
The priory was built for thirtymonks on land belonging toWestminster Abbey.[15] A charter fromHenry I in 1128 AD refers to Great Malvern Priory as 'the Priory ofSt. Mary'. In 1154–1156, Westminster Abbey obtained aPapal bull fromPope Adrian IV which confirms a strong dependency of the priory of St Mary, Malvern, on the Abbey of Westminster.
An 18th-century document in the Worcester County Record Office states that in the 18th year ofKing William's reign (1083?), the priory was dedicated toSt Mary the Virgin.[16] Within theVictorian History of the Counties of England: A History of Worcester, edited by W. Page, there is an account of the foundation of the monastery in Bishop Guilford's Register of 1283. It describes how hermit Aldwyn petitionedUrse d'Abetot, theEarl of Gloucester, for the original site (of the Priory) in the wood, and land "as far as Baldeyate"; that he collected monks, and adopted theRule of St. Benedict; dedicating the monastery to the Virgin Mary – but occasionally under patronage of both St. Mary &St. Michael.[17]
On theDissolution of the Monasteries in 1541, local people raised £20 to buy the building to replace their decaying parish church.[18]
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By 1788 the Priory had fallen into disrepair. It was partly restored in 1812 and again in 1816, 1834 and 1841. Acareful restoration was carried out in 1860 under the direction of SirGeorge Gilbert Scott, the famousarchitect, who also designed the roof of thenave in imitation of the medieval original.[19]
The church has around 314 on the parochial councilelectoral roll. Services are a mixture of traditional elements with some modern elements. The choir is well established. There are several active groups for children and young people. The church sponsors several "Mission Partners".
The current incumbent is The Revd Dr Roger Latham, who is the Vicar of Malvern. A past incumbent was the Christian writerAnthony C. Deane.
The building was givenGrade I listed status, protecting it from unauthorised modifications or demolition.[1]
The present building dates from 1085, with mainly 15th-century structure, floor, and wall tiles. Extensions to the originalNorman architecturechurch began around 1440 in the Perpendicular style[20] and work continued until 1502.[11] The great square central tower is very similar to that of the nearbyGloucester Cathedral; it was built by the same masons. It was redesigned in Perpendicular style bySir Reginald Bray and has a very plain interior. The chancel is also Perpendicular in style, and contains the monument of John Knotsford (died 1589), a participant in the dissolution of the former monastic foundation. It is largely thanks to his patronage that the church, and particularly itsmedieval glass, survived so well.
The fine collection ofstained glass ranges from medieval to modern, and includes 15th century and 19th century windows. The northtransept window, depicting the Coronation of St. Mary, was a gift fromHenry VII in 1501, and another from the Duke of Gloucester, laterRichard III.
The monuments include a recumbent figure of a knight dating from 1200 and an alabasteraltar tomb with effigies to John Knottesford (1589), his wife Jane and their daughter, Anne. Within the sacristy are several heraldic floor stones dedicated to theLygon family. St Ann's Chapel houses the tomb lid of Walcher of Malvern, the second prior of Malvern.[19]
The organ is byNicholson of Malvern from 1879, but was heavily rebuilt and restored byRushworth and Dreaper in 1927 and 1977. It was further overhauled by Nicholson in 2003 and is a Certified Historic Organ.[21] The specification of the organ is listed at the National Pipe Organ Register.[22]
The twenty-two 15th centurymisericords and twelve 19th-century misericords are divided into three subsets: a modern set that do not seem to follow a pattern, depictions ofmythical beasts and representations of theLabours of the Months. It appears that some of the modern misericords replaced 5 of the labours, but this is still a useful record.[24]
It is possible that the same person who carved the misericords atWorcester Cathedral and St Mary's Church inRipple, Worcestershire was responsible for the 15th-century misericords, as they bear more than a family resemblance.
Labours of the Month
Great Malvern Priory has a large collection of over a thousand Medieval wall tiles. The majority were made between 1453 and 1458.[25]
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| Benedictine | ||
| Brothers of Penitence |
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| Penitent Sisters |
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| Premonstratensian | ||
| Savigniac | ||
| Independent |
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| International | |
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| National | |
