Cartmel Priory, Church of St. Mary and St. Michael, Cumbria
N 54° 12.061 W 002° 57.155
30U E 503093 N 6005888
Cartmel Priory is the parish church of St. Mary and St. Michael. In the priory's deeds it states that there will always be a place for the parishioners to worship. Thus the Priory survived the Dissolution. Open to the public.
Waymark Code: WM6G7R
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/30/2009
Views: 6
William Marshall provided the money and land to establish a priory at Cartmel in 1189. He had married well, and his wife had land in this area. Twelve Augustine monks and an abbot came from Bradenstoke Priory.
The west, north and south elements were built at first with the east arch blocked up with a temporary wall. As all old churches have a cruciform shape, we can only surmise that money and materials were a problem. The east element was built within a hundred years later with money from the founder's son. You can see the change in construction from the photos and when you visit. The stone was quarried locally and brought on barges. The first architectural style was post Norman with rounded arches seen in East element, Decorated seen in the pointed arches in west element. The rounded arches also have dog's tooth chevrons carved in them.
The four main arches in the centre are pointed and began to crack with the weight of the square bell tower. The solution was to place another square tower on top of the bell tower. See photos. There is another church with two similar offset towers in France.
At first the priory buildings were to the south, but they were taken down and moved to the north side, possibly due to poor foundation on boggy ground. There are several doorways in the priory walls that have been filled in on the south side.
In the foundation document, William Marshall paid for prayers to be said in perpetuity for his family, and in perpetuity a place for the villagers to pray. This statement saved the priory from destruction in 1530's, but it did not save the monks from having to escape.
In the nave are 24 impressive misericords. These are oak carved perches to rest against in the stalls. The Flemish carvers embellished each with various designs; mermaid, dragon, elephant and castle are just some. The screen above the misericords is more modern. The oak columns depict the natural vine and many symbols from the bible. Look for the spear (crucifixion), Sword with ear (Peter cut off a soldier's ear).
Despite the Victorian zeal for rebuilding everything this is the original stonework from 12 century.
These are just the highlights. There is whole untold story about William Marshall. Take the tour. Buy the guide book. An impressive ornate church.
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Parking
Free on street.