Augustinian Priory of the Holy Trinity

Augustinian Priory of the Holy Trinity

Founded as the Priory of the Holy Trinity of Hastings c.1191 for the black canons in the time of Richard I, either by Sir Walter Bricet or by Walter de Scotney. Cole seems to prefer the former, as he stated during a lecture to the Hastings & St. Leonards Philosophical Society during 1883, although L. F. Salzman in his "History of the English Towns - Hastings" (1921) seems to prefer the latter. The latter certainly gave the canons the churches of Crowhurst and Ticehurst.

Priors

Jonas
Nicholas c1233
Alexander (name occurs 1280-90)
John resigned 1300
John Longe
Philip before 1344
William de Dene occurs 1352
John Hassok resigned 1402
Richard Weston elected 1402 resigned 1414
Stephen Lewes occurs 1441
John Smyth occurs 1478 died c1492
Thomas Harmer occurs 1527

Inundation and Relocation

It would appear that the site fairly regularly suffered from flooding. Around the reign of Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327) a petition was issued by the Prior and Convent for permission to acquire some tenements in order the Priory could increase its income:

”The Prior and convent of Holy Trinity, Hastings state that they have been ruined by flooding from the sea, so that their income from three churches in Hastings is greatly reduced, and they have also lost other rents, and ask that they might be able to approve £40 of land or rent annually for their sustenance.”

The site was abandoned circa 1413 owing to the encroachment of the sea (Cousins gives this date as being 1430). There is however archaeological evidence that other than a small accumulation of silt, the priory ​building​s were left to decay naturally. In spite of the abandonment of the priory, the church or chapel associated with it was still utilised for burials as late as 1533.

The priory was re-established at Warbleton in 1413, lands being granted to them by Sir John Pelham. The letters-patent made on the grant of lands from Sir John Pelham at Warbilton, are printed in the second volume of Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum, under the title “De translatione Sedis ejusdem Prioratus, ratione maris inundationis, usque Warbilton.” These letters-patent recite to this effect: Whereas the church of the Holy Trinity of Hastyng, and the dwelling of our beloved in Christ, the Prior and Convent of the aforesaid Church at Hastyng, have been inundated and laid waste by the sea, so that they could no longer dwell there, as the said Prior and Convent have given us to understand, for which reason our beloved and faithful knight Sir John Pelham, by our license hath given and granted to the same Prior and Convent certain lands and tenements in Warbilton, on which lands a new church and dwelling in honour of the Holy Trinity hath been begun as it is said.The community remained there until its dissolution in the C16th.

1796 Finds

In 1796 a pond was drained and beneath the waters were found "enormous sluice gates and timbers of huge dimensions" believed by Cousins to be part of the Priory.. Moss speculated that these were possibly flood defences erected by the monks of the Priory.

19th Century

The owners of the site of the priory in C19 were listed as; Earl Cornwallis, who possessed three-fourths; and Edward Milward, esq., who had the remaining part.
The Priory Farm was established very close to the location of the main Priory ​building​s, the barn believed by Ross to be in the exact location, with what was described as a very small fragment of an old wall, adjoining a ​building​, on the site where it stood, being the only discernible trace now left of it.There is record in the local paper of 1839 that part of the remains of the church were utilised in the ​building​ of a stable near to Carswell's Mills

Current Situation

Of the original Priory, some walls remain under what used to be a supermarket now ESK (Cambridge Road) and the Priory Street carpark. Some corbels that were found buried thirty feet underground during the construction of the cinema that pre-dated the supermarket are now at Hastings Museum. The site was examined by J. Manwaring Baines in 1937 and discovered parts of a wall comprising fine-coursed masonry with semi-circular bases for shafts. There were also a number of stones showing two rows of dog-tooth moulding between three semi-circular shafts - apparently part of a doorway or window. One particularly interesting stone was carved with a rosette of leaves in a diamond pattern, similar to those found at Lewes Priory.The wall was not oriented in a truly east-west direction, but closer to NNW and SSE and Baines suspected it formed part of the cloisters.. A hatch was positioned in the floor during construction of the supermarket to maintain access to the remains.