Clare Priory

Clare Priory was founded in 1248.

The wealthy and powerful owner of Clare Castle at that time, Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, invited friars from Italy to set up the first of eventually over 30 Augustinian priories in England; hence Clare Priory is known as the ‘mother house’ of the St Augustinians in England.

Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward III and wife of a de Clare (Gilbert the Red) and Lionel of Antwerp are both buried here, although the location within the grounds is not known

In the mid-1500s, at the time of the ‘Dissolution of the Monasteries’, the land and buildings passed into private hands. In the 1950s the Priory was returned to the Augustinians and the Infirmary was turned into a church which became the local Catholic Church.

In the early years of the 2000s a modern extension was added, that blends in beautifully with the Infirmary provide a more substantial church.

The Prior’s house and the Infirmary are the best preserved buildings from medieval times. However the remains of the original church and cloisters can be seen in this tranquil setting close to the River Stour.

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