Scheduled MonumentsEnglandSt Thomas' Priory

St Thomas' Priory

England
List entry 1020054
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020054
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.11 hectares
Grid reference
SJ 95058 22896
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

St Thomas' Priory is a Benedictine religious house formerly located in Stafford, Staffordshire, founded in the twelfth century. The priory was established as a dependency of the Benedictine monastery at Burton-upon-Trent and served as an important religious and social institution within the medieval town of Stafford. Little of the original priory survives above ground today, though archaeological evidence and historical records document its presence and influence throughout the medieval period until its dissolution during the Reformation of the sixteenth century. The site remains significant for understanding the religious landscape and urban development of medieval Staffordshire.

St Thomas' Priory is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020054. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Thomas' Priory?

St Thomas' Priory is a Benedictine religious house formerly located in Stafford, Staffordshire, founded in the twelfth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020054.

Who is responsible for protecting St Thomas' Priory?

St Thomas' 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 1020054.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Thomas' Priory?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Saucer barrow on Spring Hill (3.4 km), Great Haywood canal bridge No 109 (4.4 km), Essex Bridge, Great Haywood (4.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about St Thomas' Priory

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of St Thomas' 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 St Thomas' Priory

St Thomas' Priory stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.