Hannah Salisbury from the Essex Record Office traces the ups and downs of St Osyth Priory, which takes its name from a ghostly walk by a saintly figure
ST OSYTH’S PRIORY was once one of the largest monasteries in Essex. Its impressive medieval gatehouse, with its fine decorative flint work, survives today. In later centuries it was a lavish private home, although it has suffered periods of abandonment and neglect.
The priory was founded in the manor of Chich in about 1121 by the Bishop of London, Richard de Belmeis. Over time, the local place name of Chich would come to be largely replaced by the name St Osyth.
The priory was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, and to St Osyth. St Osyth was believed to be a daughter of an English king, Frithwald, who having been married against her will, took vows as a nun and founded a nunnery at Chich. The story goes that when a party of Danes invaded the Essex coast, Osyth was beheaded for refusing to abandon her Christianity, but after her execution she arose and walked to the church at Chich, carrying her head in her hands.
This story is from the January 2018 edition of Essex Life.
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This story is from the January 2018 edition of Essex Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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