Castle Acre Priory Flashcards
Castle Acre Priory Introduction
Castle Acre Priory (CAP) of Norfolk, founded by William De Warenne (WDW) and his wife Gundred can arguably support the statement that monasteries were built mainly to [FACTOR IN THE QUESTION] as It was tied to new wave of Cluniac reform. However, another/more important reason for monastery building would be to demonstrate [DIFFERENT FACTOR] whereas a less important reason/another important reason would be to demonstrate [DIFFERENT FACTOR].
Normans reform monasticism in England.
- help reform monasticism in England
- Normans saw English churches as small and old fashioned
- monasteries as corrupt (this can be seen through the prime example of Archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand who was guilty of pluralism), lacking spiritual energy and in need of reform
- embarked on a major building programme
- Normans wanted to bring English monasteries in line with European ones
- William de Warenne founded Priories at Lewes and Castle Acre as part of a programme to revive English monasticism
- Castle Acre Priory - in the style of other Cluniac Priories - was very grand, elaborate and imposing.
- They followed a Romanesque structure
- Cluniac monks followed strict rules and their complex, elaborate services brought a new intellectual energy to English monasticism.
- However a study of Castle Acre priory doesn’t fully support the view that the Normans built monasteries purely to reform existing monasticism, because Castle Acre Priory and other Cluniac priories were built to spread the ideas of Cluny and bring English monasticism in line with European monasticism.
The main reason for building monasteries was to promote Cluniac monasteries in England.
One reason Castle Acre Priory was built was to promote Cluniac Monasteries in England.
- Cluniac monasteries were French in art and design and Castle Acre Priory had examples of this extravagant art work.
- It also highlights the importance of Cluniacism as prayers were made in the East end of the building and monks slept in the same dormitory in the priory.
- It’s founder William De Warenne also had links with Cluniacism from his visit to Burgundy in France when his pilgrimage to Rome was cancelled he stayed there for two years instead. As he was personally inspired by the monastery he used this as inspiration.
- The coastal location of Norfolk benefited Cluniacism as monks could travel here from France easily place with a high Anglo-Saxon population, bringing French features such as the Cluniac monasteries was important to emphasise the fact the Normans were here to stay.
The main reason for building monasteries was to atone for their sins for the Norman Conquest in England.
The main reason many Normans built monasteries was to atone for their sins during the conquest and
safeguard their souls and those of their families.
In 1070, Pope Alexander II representative told the victors at Hastings that one way to compensate for the bloodshed was to build / endow a church or monastery.
William the Conqueror was told to build an Abbey at Hastings to atone for the bloodshed during the battle and many Normans followed this example.
This was certainly a main reason that William de Warenne built both Lewes Priory and Castle Acre Priory.
William de Warenne fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings and had discussed invasion plans with the Duke.
In 1075, William de Warenne had put down a serious rebellion in East Anglia was after this, following his stay at Cluny Abbey in France, that he decided to found Lewes Priory and later Castle Acre Priory.
The main reason for building monasteries was to increase WDW’s power in England.
One reason that William De Warenne built Castle Acre Priory was to increase his own power.
William De Warenne was the 4th wealthiest landowner in England and William of Normandy gifted William land as a reward to his loyalty.
Castle Acre Priory is an example of how powerful Normans were given land as a reward, for example De Warenne fought alongside William at Hastings
and was one of Williams regents, who was left in charge when he was in Normandy in 1067.
The location of CAP also shows that gaining power and control was a feature, it was built in Norfolk where De Warenne had lots of land anyway and there was a high Anglo-Saxon population.
By building the priory here it reminded the local population the Normans were here to stay.
Finally, it being close to a Castle suggests that like other Norman religious buildings such as Durham Cathedral that power and control were a focus for De Warenne.
The main reason building monasteries was to show norman religiousity in England.
Most historians would argue that the Priory was built for religious reasons.
De Warrene was rumoured to build the site to pay penance after the Battle of Hastings like William I did with Battle Abbey as they were both deeply religious men.
This then led to the development of its religious features.
It was a typical Norman building with Romanesque features such as high archways and being in the shape of a cross similarly to Durham Cathedral.
Lanfranc wanted to rebuild church buildings and CAP is an example of this.
Furthermore lots of the features of the monastery show that religion and the monastic life was the the heart of CAP example, Castle Acre Priory has a chapel which monks prayed at every day and a chapter house where they would listen to prayers and chapters from the bible and copy manuscripts.
These were in line with the St Benedictine rule and what Lanfranc wanted to achieve when he reformed the monasteries.
Finally, CAP was a key centre of prayer, lots of key nobles such as Roger Balford would use Castle Acre Priory as a centre for prayer instead of making pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
The main reason building monasteries was to show a change in building design in England.
A less valid reason for the building of monasteries was to show a change in building design.
The new design the Normans brought over was known as Romanesque and the most clear example of that in CAP is the west front.
This was a clear change in design with the high ceilings and increase in funding very apparent but the overall design, being in the shape of a cross stayed the same.
It could be argued that the presence of Cluniac monks had an impact on building design as they had a range of rituals linked to their worship so extra processional doorways were added to CAP particularly in the south transept.
This shows that the Cluniacs were exerting an influence over design meaning design was secondary to the occupants for the reason why monasteries were built the way they were.
The main reason for building monasteries was to promote Cluniac reforms in England.
CAP was built to promote Cluniac reforms across England,
the Cluniac reforms were becoming more popular in the 11th and 12th centuries.
WDW and his wife had attempted a pilgrimage to Rome which was interrupted so he ended up visiting Burgundy in France and from there had contact with the Cluniacs.
This inspired WDW to found Lewes Priory and then the building of CAP in the 1070s.
The commitment to religious reform was apparent when after giving the Cluniacs the church of St Mary and 30 acres of land an additional 240 acres were also given to them.
By 1154 there were over 30 Cluniac priories in England, one of the being CAP, which clearly demonstrates that monasteries were being built to demonstrate religious reform.
The main reason for building monasteries was to demonstrate the new Norman power in England.
However another important reason for building monasteries was to demonstrate the power of the new Norman nobility.
WDW would have seen his power increase as having Cluniac monks within his new priory meant that all Cluniac’s would be praying for his soul.
This links to the Norman nobility building monasteries as a form of penance while also demonstrating their power.
William the Conqueror did this with Battle Abbey.
WDW was the fourth wealthiest man in England he had been rewarded with land in Norfolk for his role as a commander during the Battle of Hastings.
WDW used the land to demonstrate his power and authority by building both a castle and a priory, the same happened in Durham.
This shows the CAP was built to make sure that the large Anglo-Saxon population in Norfolk was now aware of the change in power, the Normans were clearly in charge.
