By Seren Charrington Hollins
On a day that threatened rain, I set out with my six children to spend an afternoon exploring Shropshire. I had no set agenda for this adventure and no destination in mind, so it was just a case of letting us see where we end up and how long it was before the torturous cries of, ‘Are we there yet?’ signalled the need to stop.
As groans about, ‘Where are we going?’ became increasingly loud, I decided to follow the signs for Much Wenlock and see what we could find to occupy two sulky teenagers and four fractious little ones. Upon arriving in the Medieval market town of Much Wenlock there were very few shops open and although the town is pretty and unspoilt it was not going to keep the children occupied for long. So we decided to seek out some open space and following signs for Wenlock Priory saw us arrive at the beautiful and tranquil ruins of Wenlock Priory; one of the most historic monastic sites in England.
There was plenty of history to keep me occupied and plenty of open space for the children to explore. With the purchase of a few foam swords from the gift shop, an enjoyable afternoon was spent with the children busily playing whilst I reflected on the impressive remains of the Eleventh Century Priory that was built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon abbey that was founded at the end of the Seventh seventh century for both monks and nuns. The priory was re-founded at the end of the eleventh century becoming one of the first Cluniac monasteries in Britain. The Cluniac Order was founded in 909 in the southern Burgundy area of France by the Duke of Aquitaine with the Abbey of Cluny, this would later cause the priory to be deemed an ‘alien priory’ and its French heritage became particularly relevant during the Hundred Years War under Edward III, which broke out in 1337. Alien priories were considered to represent French interests in England and King Edward III saw these alien priories not only as a political threat but also as a source of revenue. Some alien priories were suppressed, with the confiscating of their properties, assets, and lands, whilst, others were ordered to pay an often crippling annual fee to remain in operation, Wenlock Priory was able to meet the financial demands of Edward III.
Wandering around the remains I couldn’t help but think of Chaucer’s, Canterbury Tales and indeed Wenlock Priory had enjoyed being very popular with pilgrims in the Medieval period.
Gazing at the wonderfully ornate chapter house, I could only ponder over how magnificent it must have looked in its prime. It is little wonder that this priory of Cluniac monks had enjoyed popularity with pilgrims and that it had even hosted several monarchs.
The remains of the Medieval herb gardens, put me in a mind to reflect over the lost knowledge of herbal remedies and natural healing that so many monks had, whilst a look at the remains of the library that still has some of its Medieval floor tiles intact was wonderful to see.
There was an overwhelming sense of restfulness at this historic site and even with boisterous children charging about I came away feeling at peace.
