Scheduled MonumentsEnglandBoxgrove Priory

Boxgrove Priory

England
List entry 1005891
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005891
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.19 hectares
Grid reference
SU 90800 07523
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Boxgrove Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the late eleventh century, established as a dependent cell of the Abbey of Lessay in Normandy. The surviving remains, notably the priory church, exemplify Norman ecclesiastical architecture with its substantial chancel and crossing tower, which have endured as prominent features within the small village of Boxgrove in West Sussex. The priory maintained significance throughout the medieval period as a centre of monastic life and landholding until its dissolution in the sixteenth century. The standing ruins, including the impressive church fabric and adjacent monastic buildings, represent an important testimony to Norman religious patronage and the material culture of medieval Sussex monasticism.

Boxgrove Priory is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005891. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Boxgrove Priory?

Boxgrove Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the late eleventh century, established as a dependent cell of the Abbey of Lessay in Normandy. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005891.

Who is responsible for protecting Boxgrove Priory?

Boxgrove 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 1005891.

What other scheduled monuments are near Boxgrove Priory?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Keep of Tote Copse castle, 400m north of Decoy Farmhouse (3.1 km), Chichester Dyke, earthwork E of Chichester Barracks extending 600yds (550m) (4.6 km), Chichester Dyke, earthwork extending N 360yds (330m) from Otter Memorial College (4.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Boxgrove Priory

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Boxgrove 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.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Boxgrove Priory

Boxgrove Priory stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.