Brightley Priory was founded in 1133 as a Cistercianmonastery. It was built in 1136 and was situated about two miles north of Okehampton[1] in Devon and was abandoned by the monks after only 5 years on their removal to a nearby site which became Forde Abbey.
It appears that the agricultural land surrounding the new priory was insufficiently fertile, forcing the monks to consider abandoning it and returning to the mother house in 1141. However, Adelicia de Brioniis, the sister of Richard (who died in 1137)[5] and successor to his estate, offered them an alternative site instead on the River Axe in the manor of Thorncombe. Here, between 1141 and 1148, they built a new priory which came to be known as Forde Abbey due to its proximity to an ancient ford across the river.[4]
The original site is now a farm but one of the farm outbuildings, a rectangular building running east–west, has considerable remains of an ecclesiastical form. It could possibly have been a chapel.[6]
It is not to be confused with the important medieval manor of Brightley, Chittlehampton. in morth Devon, an error made by the Devon topographer Tristram Risdon in his 1630 work "A Survey of Devon" in his account of the parish of Chittlehampton.[7]
brightley, priory, founded, 1133, cistercian, monastery, built, 1136, situated, about, miles, north, okehampton, devon, abandoned, monks, after, only, years, their, removal, nearby, site, which, became, forde, abbey, history, editbetween, 1133, 1136, richard, . Brightley Priory was founded in 1133 as a Cistercian monastery It was built in 1136 and was situated about two miles north of Okehampton 1 in Devon and was abandoned by the monks after only 5 years on their removal to a nearby site which became Forde Abbey History editBetween 1133 and 1136 Richard FitzBaldwin d 1137 Latinised to de Brioniis Brionis Bryonis feudal baron of Okehampton 2 built a priory on his land at Brightley on the bank of the West Okement River near his caput of Okehampton Castle 3 He dedicated it to the Virgin Mary and invited Gilbert Abbot of Waverley in Surrey to send 12 monks and an abbot to form a new Cistercian community there 4 It appears that the agricultural land surrounding the new priory was insufficiently fertile forcing the monks to consider abandoning it and returning to the mother house in 1141 However Adelicia de Brioniis the sister of Richard who died in 1137 5 and successor to his estate offered them an alternative site instead on the River Axe in the manor of Thorncombe Here between 1141 and 1148 they built a new priory which came to be known as Forde Abbey due to its proximity to an ancient ford across the river 4 The original site is now a farm but one of the farm outbuildings a rectangular building running east west has considerable remains of an ecclesiastical form It could possibly have been a chapel 6 It is not to be confused with the important medieval manor of Brightley Chittlehampton in morth Devon an error made by the Devon topographer Tristram Risdon in his 1630 work A Survey of Devon in his account of the parish of Chittlehampton 7 References edit Hoskins W G Devon 1954 p 447 Sanders Ivor English Baronies Oxford 1960 p 69 Southcott Cross geograph org uk 31 July 2010 a b Heath 1911 pp 25 27 Wright 1889 p 112 Brightley Abbey permanent dead link English Heritage pastscape Risdon 1810 edition p 320Bibliography editWright W H K Some Account of the Barony and Town of Okehampton its antiquities and institutions Tiverton W Masland 1889 Heath Sidney The story of Ford Abbey from the earliest times to the present day London F Griffiths 1911 Upham M Brightley Abbey in Transactions of the Devonshire Association 138 2006 151 64 50 45 31 N 3 59 18 W 50 7586 N 3 9883 W 50 7586 3 9883 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brightley Priory amp oldid 1221084945, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
