Scheduled MonumentsEnglandBilsington Priory

Bilsington Priory

England
List entry 1018877
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1018877
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.51 hectares
Grid reference
TR 04290 35551
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Bilsington Priory is a Premonstratensian house founded in the early thirteenth century in the parish of Bilsington, near Ashford in Kent. The priory, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was established as a daughter house and remained relatively modest in scale compared to many English religious foundations. Today, fragmentary remains survive including sections of the precinct wall and earthworks that mark the former extent of the buildings, though substantial ruins of the church and monastic structures have been lost or reduced to foundation level. The site was dissolved during the Reformation in the mid-sixteenth century, and the priory lands subsequently passed into secular ownership.

Bilsington Priory is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1018877. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Bilsington Priory?

Bilsington Priory is a Premonstratensian house founded in the early thirteenth century in the parish of Bilsington, near Ashford in Kent. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1018877.

Who is responsible for protecting Bilsington Priory?

Bilsington Priory is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1018877.

What other scheduled monuments are near Bilsington Priory?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Royal Military Canal, Ham Street Bridge to Bilsington Bridge (3.2 km), Eastbridge Church (4.7 km), World War II underground operational post, 1/3 mile (540m) SW of Chapel Farm (5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Bilsington Priory

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Bilsington Priory's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Bilsington Priory report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Bilsington Priory

Bilsington Priory stands on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Bilsington Priory

CanterburyRoman town · ~15.3 miles