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St Bees |
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The Norman priory was founded by William de Meschines, Lord of Egremont, and dedicated sometime between 1120 and 1135 by Archbishop Thurstan of York in the time of the great religious revival of Henry I. It was a Benedictine house for 6 monks and a Prior, and was a subsidiary cell of the great abbey of St. Mary at York. Whilst the main dedication is to St. Mary, it had a chapel dedicated to St. Bega, possibly a concession to the existing community, who probably worshipped in a an earlier church with this dedication. We know from the Priory's foundation charter that "I, William, son of Ranulf to all ... greetings ...I have given to God and to St Mary and to the holy virgin Bega for the salvation of myself and of my wife and of my sons and of my parents, six carucates of land in Kirkby and ... the manor which William the Bowman had...."
Various grants of land were made by local lords, both for the original endowment, and throughout the life of the priory. The Priory even gained property in the Isle of Man and at Neddrum in Ireland and the Prior was one of the eight spiritual barons of the Isle of Man. At some date between 1154 and 1181 Archbishop Roger of Pont l'Evêque confirmed to the priory all their churches, chapels and tithes in Copeland, with the lands belonging to them, viz. the churches of Workington, Gosforth, Corney, Bootle, Whitbeck and Whicham; the chapels of Harrington, Clifton, Loweswater, and the chapel and tithes of Weddicar. The influence of the Priory thus stretched throughout West Cumbria.
The Priory was raided in 1315 by the Scots, and it may have been at this time that the "Bracelet of St. Bega", on which oaths were sworn, was lost. The ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Priory covered much of the Western Lakes, stretching to Eskdale, Ennerdale, Loweswater and Wasdale. For many of these outlying parishes, burials had to be conducted at St. Bees and several "Coffin roads" led to the Priory. The History Area in the south aisle contains the best collection of medieval and earlier sculpture in West Cumbria. Photos - Above left - The Norman West door, dating from about 1160. It is one of the finest in the north of England and has a succession of richly carved mouldings.
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The West Door, and the base of the tower are Norman work from the original Norman building. The arches in the nave are slightly later and in the Early English style. It appears after the building work was started, the church was re-designed in the new style, and only the tower and west door retained. The marvelous monastic chancel, also in the Early English style, was added at the east end not later than 1190, and an aisle added to the south of this (where the ruin is today) in about 1270-1300. At it grandest the Priory had an extensive range of monastic buildings which would have included the cloister and chapter house adjoining the south side of the Priory, a gatehouse, and the monk's infirmary in the meadow to the south. 
In comparison with the other monastic houses in the county, St. Bees was wealthy, ranking in revenues only after Holmcultram and Carlisle. In 1291 its income was valued at £66 13s. 4d., and in 1535 at £149 19s. 6d.