GUILDFORD BLACKFRIARS

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A Dominican Friary established in the 13th century and dissolved in 1538. Henry VIII constructed a hunting lodge within its precincts. Following the dissolution the King converted the friary into a dwelling to use as an occasional royal resort. Excavations in 1973-1978 revealed that the site was subsequently used as a garden. The site was cleared and a house was constructed circa 1630 by Inigo Jones. This was later converted into barracks in 1794 and demolished in 1818. Much of the site is now occupied by Friary Brewery. The excavations had produced quantities of 14th and 15th century pottery and recognised the extent of the friary complex. The claustral complex lay to the North of the church. The church was a simple plan of chancel, and nave with South aisle. The East range contained the chapter house and sacristy, the North range the kitchen. The West range, of which only the East wall and some floring remained, probably contaied the guest house and dormitory. There is also an unsubstantiated claim that Mesolithic finds have also been recovered.

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[Name SU 99464958] Friary [G.T.] (Site of) (1)

The Friary. (2)

Guildford:- Of the Dominican Friary
(rebuilt as an Elizabethan house) hardly a trace remains. (3)

Queen Eleanor of Provence, widow of Henry III founded a house of
Dominican friars at Guildford, on the east bank of the river, a
little to the north of the High Street, at the end of Friary Street,
but the exact date of the foundation is not known. The Dominicans
were, however, not established in 1274, but in 1275 on 6th March
Edward I granted the friars a road leading from Guildford to the
royal park opposite, across the river, to be enclosed for enlarging
their area. Henry VIII built himself a hunting lodge within the
precincts. This and their own house, the Friars claimed c.1536
were now decaying, that they had no property, but lived on alms.
Later the king retained the priory in his own lands, converting the
house into a good dwelling as an occasional royal resort. Dissolved
10th October 1538. (4)

The house of the friars, after being leased by the Crown, was
partly pulled down in 1606. The site was granted in 1630 in fee
simple to the Earl of Annandale, who had a new house built by
Inigo Jones. After various alterations, this was changed into
barracks in 1794, and pulled down in 1818. (5)

Add. Refs.

[Add. ref. quoting authority 6]. (6-8)

No traces of the Friary remain, the site is fully built over, for
the most part by the Friary Brewery. (9)

No further information. (10)

Remains of Friary were uncovered 8ft below normal ground level.
For details of survey see illustration card. (11)

SU 994495. Excavation of two trenches, for Guildford Museum in 1973, disclosed the front foundation of the 1630 house and an unmortared structure of flints with C14th/C15th pottery, built on to mortared chalk wall. Upper half of male skeleton with late C13th pottery in grave fill. Chalk paved area and another flint wall.

Medieval foundations comprising massive chalk-block walls were also located. There was no indication of disturbance or robbing of the foundations at the time of demolition of the Friary buildings, known to have been completed in 1606-7. Finds included pottery of C13th date and later Surrey white ware. (12)

SU 994495. Excavation in 1973 revealed the wall foundations of three buildings, probably forming part of the cloisters. associated was pottery of the C13th to C15th. (13)

Excavations in 1974 by Guildford Museum and DoE located a substantial part of the plan of the Friary, and a partial plan of the 17th century Earl of Annandales house and the C19th barracks. (14-15)

SU 995495. Excavation by R J Poulton for Guildford Museum and Surrey Archaeological Society. The site was cleared, soon after 1630, for the creation of a garden for the Earl of Annandales. This had reduced the ground level in the area of the church and cemetery. A total of 60 articulated burials was uncovered, and the remains of at least another 50 individuals.

The plan obtained as a result of the 1974 and 1978 excavations is more complete than that of any other Dominican Priory in England. (16-18)

SU 995496. Full illustrated report. The buildings consist a monastic type cloister with the domestic buildings to the north of the church, and a cemetery (possibly lay and clerical) to the south. The excavated structures consist of a nave, with a single north aisle, and a chancel, choir, chantry chapel and retrochoir (purpose unsure); and an east range consisting of a sacristy, chapter house and ?parlour, with the dormitory probably above; a north range consisting of great and little kitchens and a 'pastry' (bakery), with the refectory probably above; the west range was not excavated; and a central garth with a piscina.

The Friary was dissolved in 1538, and the church demolished shortly after. The remaining buildings were demolished c.1606. The later uses of the site are given. (19)

isted . (20)

Following the Dissolution, parts of the Friary were used as a royal residence for hunting in Guildford Park. These were demolished following the sale of the buildings to the Earl of Annandale in 1630. (21)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 25" 1934

( 2) Externally held archive reference

Plan of Guildford c. 1738 (From RICHARDSON'S SURVEY) VCH Vol.3 opp. p.548

( 3) General reference

Sched. Antiqs. Surrey 1913 p.36 (P.M. JOHNSTON)

( 4) edited by H E Malden 1905 The Victoria history of the county of Surrey: volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England (J.C. Cox) 2, 1905 Page(s)114-116

( 5) edited by H E Malden 1911 The Victoria history of the county of Surrey: volume three

The Victoria history of the counties of England (D.W. Sprules) 3, 1911 Page(s)554

( 6) The Reliquary

(Rev. C.F.R. Palmer) 1, 1887 Page(s)7-20

( 7) General reference

Tanner's Notitia Monastica 1787. VI Guildford III Surrey (NAISMITH)

( 8) by David Knowles and R Neville Hadcock 1953 Medieval religious houses : England and Wales

Page(s)185

( 9) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ASP 27-NOV-58

(10) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ASP 15-JUL-66

(11) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(12) Bulletin of the Surrey Archaeological Society

10 Mar-1974 (F Holling) Page(s)4

(13) Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology

(L Webster and J Cherry) 18, 1974 Page(s)192

(14) Bulletin of the Surrey Archaeological Society

Sept-1974 (H Woods) Page(s)4-5

(15) Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology

(L Webster and J Cherry) 19, 1975 Page(s)236

(16) Bulletin of the Surrey Archaeological Society

Oct-1978 (R J Poulton) Page(s)3-4

(17) Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology

(L Webster and J Cherry) 19, 1975 Page(s)236

(18) by Council for British Archaeology 1979 Archaeology in Britain 1978

Page(s)84

(19) by Rob Poulton and Humphrey Woods; with J Henderson ... [et al] 1984 Excavations on the site of the Dominican Friary at Guildford in 1974 and 1978

Research volumes of the Surrey Archaeological Society1 (1974) - no.9

(20) by David Knowles and R Neville Hadcock 1971 Medieval religious houses in England and Wales

Page(s)216

(21) by H M Colvin ... [et al] 1982 The history of the King's Works, volume 4 : 1485-1660 (Part 2)

Page(s)123-4

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