Lanercost is situated a few miles northeast of Brampton in northern England. The Bewcastle Cross can be found about ten miles north via single-track roads. Click here for a map.
(Click on all photos for larger views.)
An Augustinian priory dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was founded at Lanercost by Robert de Vaux around 1166 during the reign of Henry II. Built mostly with stone taken from nearby Hadrian's Wall, this frontier church in the English-Scottish borderlands was a scene of frequent conflict, which prevented the priory from accumulating significant wealth.
The two countries were at war from 1296. A Scottish army under William Wallace occupied the priory and burned some of its buildings in 1297. Edward I of England briefly visited in 1280 and 1300; while waging a campaign against the Scots in 1306, however, the elderly king fell ill and was forced to stay the winter. Lanercost Priory became the royal palace and had to accommodate an entourage of 200, including Queen Margaret.
The king's visit left the priory impoverished and weakened, making it an easy target of Scottish raids for a century. In 1311, King Robert the Bruce ransacked the property and, in 1346, another large Scottish army under King David II pillaged the church. In 1386, the Scots captured the priory and held it for ransom.
In 1537, Henry VIII dissolved the priory, dispersed the community, and gave the property to his friend Sir Thomas, Lord Dacre, the illegitimate son of Lord Dacre of Naworth. Sir Thomas converted some of the buildings to private residences. All other buildings except the church were reduced to rubble as materials were removed for nearby construction.
The last male heir of the Dacre family died in 1716, and the property passed to the Howards lord of Naworth, who had became Earls of Carlisle in 1661.
The nave at the west end of the priory church was preserved as the local parish church, but the choir and transepts at the east end of the church were not maintained and now stand as ruins. Even the nave was allowed to fall into disrepair and had to be partially abandoned near the end of the seventeenth century. The congregation was able to use only the north aisle until the nave was restored and a new roof installed in the 1740s.
The photo at the top shows the striking and imposing Early Gothic west front of the parish church. In the niche at the top stands a statue of the priory’s patron saint St Mary Magdalene, who had a widespread and devoted following in the medieval church. Her life of good deeds following Christ's public absolution of her sins illustrated two themes central to medieval monasticism: repentance and forgiveness.
The church’s north aisle has three stained glass windows designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and manufactured by William Morris and Company. I was unable to get a good shot of them, so I scanned the image at right, showing the Annunciation of Jesus’ birth to the Shepherds, from the priory’s guide book.
The next two photos are of the east end of the church—the ruined chancel, chapels, and transepts.
The photo above shows part of the north crossing with arches and two rows of windows dating from the early thirteenth century. The oldest parts of the church date from the late twelfth-century and feature tall pointed (lancet) arches with a single row of windows (clerestory) above. The later arches shown here, however, are squatter, allowing for an additional middle story, the triforium, with rounded arches.
The final photo, below, is of the presbytery at the east end of the church with tombs of the Dacre and Howard families. On the left side is the tomb of Lord Thomas (father of Sir Thomas who was given the priory in 1537) and Lady Elizabeth Dacre. Lord Thomas played an important role in the English victory at Flodden in 1513; he died while on campaign in Scotland in 1525.
The tomb in the wall at the far end is that of Charles Howard (1867-1912), tenth Earl of Carlisle.
A page of beautiful photos, including aerial shots, is posted here.
Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.
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A pastors’ conference in Raipur, Chhattisgarh state, India, was violently assaulted by members of the extremist group Dharam Sena (Religion Army), last Friday, 2 February. A mob of about 25 Hindu militants pushed into the banquet hall and began battering the assembled Christian leaders. 
