Site of medieval friary, Carmelite Friary, Maldon (EHER 7728)

Now destroyed. The site of the Carmelite Friary, sometimes referred to as Maldon Whitefriars, which was founded in 1293, and dissolved in 1538. The site was partially excavated in advance of the construction of a carpark and library in 1990-1991, which recorded evidence for two sets of friary buildings. The excavation labelled MD10 recorded a late 13th/early 14th century courtyard building, which was probably the friary cloister, and an east range. A series of late 13th to 14th century burials were also present and these were probably of the abbots of the friary. The excavation labelled MD9 recorded an agricultural outbuilding, possibly a barn, to the south-west of the cloister and a ditched enclosure with a sequence of events from the late 13th century to its demolition in the mid 16th century. Documentary evidence tells us the friars were granted five acres in Maldon in 1293, and that the Bishop of London settled a dispute between the Carmelites, Beeleigh Abbey (EHER 7760) and All Saints Church (EHER 7735) in 1300 whereby he permitted the friars an oratory with a belfry. In 1314 the friary was granted lands for its enlargement. The house is said to have been a very poor one. A deed drawn up when the land and buildings were sold in 1543 mentions a range of structures on the site, including a church, a belltower, lofts, outhouses, gardens, courtyards, lodgings and storage places. In 1538 the Friary grounds and buildings were formally received back by the king and the house was closed and stripped of everything portable. The buildings and grounds were rented out to a succession of tenants over the next thirty years. In the mid 16th century there are records of religious plays being held on the friary site, and the use of explosives in these performances, combined with the removal of stone for building purposes reduced the buildings to ruins.

The following is a brief description of the work which has been undertaken at the site of the friary. September 1976. Field survey. No structural remains of the Friary buildings survive within the grounds of 'The Friary' (built about 1800). The wall along the east side of the garden which contains much re-used stone, may be part of the friary precinct wall but is most probably post Dissolution as noted above. Published 1:1250 survey correct. <1> 1984-1985. Dowsing survey. The area was surveyed by dowsing in 1984-1985 with interesting but inconclusive results. <2> <3> See plan of proposed features in <2>. 1990-1991. Trial trenching and archaeological excavation. Excavations and trial trenching were carried out across part of Friary West in 1990-1991 (site code MD9) and in 1991 an area north of Friary East was opened up (site code MD10). The excavations located the cloister, buildings on the north and east side of it, and a building interpreted as a stable. Source <4> is a comprehensive summary of the findings of the archaeological interventions at the Carmelite Friary site in the 1990s. This source should be considered alongside the information in this record. MD9 recorded an agricultural outbuilding and ditched enclosure with a sequence of events from the late 13th century when the ditch was dug and the building constructed, to the late 14th/late 15th century when the building was refurbished and extended, then partial demolition in the mid 16th century. <4> <5> MD10 revealed a courtyard building constructed in the late 13th/early 14th century. Its form, including cloisters, and the presence of burials make it a likely candidate for the Carmelite Friary. Several burials took place in the cloister shortly after it was built, and again in the 14th century. The cloister was refloored in the 14th century, and rebuilt in the late 14th century, where it received a new room layout in the east range. In the 15th/early 16th century the east range was also rebuilt. The buildings were demolished at the end of the 16th century. <5> <6> <7> See photos <8>. The remaining is a general description of the site gathered from several sources. Founded in 1292, Carmelite Friary was the 26th Carmelite house in England. In 1293 the friars were granted five acres in Maldon. A dispute between the Carmelites, Beeleigh Abbey (EHER 7760) and the local parish church, All Saints (EHER 7735), was settled in 1300 by the Bishop of London: the friars were to have an oratory with a belfry. A cemetery is also mentioned. In 1314 the Friary was granted lands for its enlargement. This house had several scholars in its history, including Thomas Maldon and Richard Acton. However, the house was a very poor one. It was dissolved in 1539, and sold in 1544. The patent mentions the church, belfry, cemetery, 'le litle courtyard', 'le priors garden', etc. <9> The Royal Commission reported carved and moulded stones on site, partly loose and partly built into a 17th century wall (EHER 38231) on the east side of the garden of 'The Friary'. They included part of a doorhead with traceried spandrels; square window heads and other window fragments, all 15th century; a fragment of 14th century tracery; a defaced head corbel and part of a moulded capital, probably from the end of the 13th century. This is all that remains of the priory. <10> The Carmelite Friary was located to the rear of the buildings fronting the south side of the High Street, suggesting that all the High Street plots had already been occupied by the date of its foundation in 1292. Access was through a gate and lane from the High Street, and traces of possible foundations for the gate were uncovered behind 40, High Street in 1982 (see EHER 7733). Excavations in 1990-1991 uncovered the robbed-out foundations of stone buildings, including a square cloister with a number of rooms arranged around it, including possibly the church on the north side. To the south-west of the cloister was a large rectangular structure, probably a barn. A deed drawn up when the land and buildings were sold in 1543 mentions a range of structures on the site, including a church, a belltower, lofts, outhouses, gardens, courtyards, lodgings and storage places. Within the cloister there were several burials, all of elderly males, probably the abbots of the friary. The Friary was noted for its learning, but does not seem to have been a wealthy establishment as the written sources frequently refer to its poverty and the excavated buildings show signs of neglect. In 1538 the Friary grounds and buildings were formally received back by the king and the house was closed and stripped of everything portable. The buildings and grounds were rented out to a succession of tenants over the next thirty years. In the mid 16th century there are records of religious plays being held on the friary site, and the use of explosives in these performances, combined with the removal of stone for building purposes reduced the buildings to ruins. In 1572 Vincent Harris, who had bought the land in 1563, built a mansion known as the 'Fryers' on the site (see EHER 7729). <11> The site of Carmelite Priory, founded in 1293, and dissolved in 1538. No structural remains survive within the priory grounds. <12> Site of Friary (NR)(Carmelite founded 1292)(NAT). <13> Carmelite Friary. Founded 1293. Dissolved 1538. <14> Source <2> provides a detailed history of the friary. A postern gate in situ in a wall to the south of the site survived into the late 1960s and bore the date 'AD 1144'. It is considered to be a 'sham' by this source which also points out that reused material in the garden walls could be from other medieval buildings in the town. A representative section of the wall and one worked stone are illustrated in this source. <2> Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. Note: The exact extent of the friary is not known.