Grey Friars

England
List entry 1008544
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1008544
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.45 hectares
Grid reference
SK 11582 09360
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Grey Friars is a Franciscan friary located in Lichfield, Staffordshire, founded in the thirteenth century as part of the widespread establishment of mendicant houses across medieval England. The site preserves remains of the friary church and associated monastic buildings, which operated until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. The surviving structures demonstrate the characteristic layout and architectural features of a Franciscan community, reflecting the order's emphasis on simplicity and urban location. The monument represents an important example of medieval religious life and the material culture of the friars in the English Midlands.

Grey Friars is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1008544. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Grey Friars?

Grey Friars is a Franciscan friary located in Lichfield, Staffordshire, founded in the thirteenth century as part of the widespread establishment of mendicant houses across medieval England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1008544.

Who is responsible for protecting Grey Friars?

Grey Friars 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 1008544.

What other scheduled monuments are near Grey Friars?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including NE corner tower, wall and ditch of close defences (0.5 km), Prince Rupert's Mound: a 17th century fieldwork (0.6 km), Maple Hayes moated site (1.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Grey Friars

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Grey Friars'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 Grey Friars report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Grey Friars

Grey Friars stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.