Brainshaugh Priory, Acklington (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Guyzance Priory; Gysyns; St Wilfrid's

In the civil parish of Acklington.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.
Medieval County of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NU20830313
Latitude 55.32172° Longitude -1.67331°

Brainshaugh Priory, Acklington has been described as a probable Fortified Ecclesiastical site.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Church or Chapel. Nave late C11 or C12; chancel C13 or C14. Nave squared stone with some long blocks in lower courses, and irregular alternate quoins; chancel slightly-poorer mansonry; cut dressings. Nave, formerly with 2-bay south aisle,and chancel. West end has lower jambs of narrow central window; north wall full height but featureless. West part of chancel north wall is C19 rebuild; in east part a blocked doorway with pointed head cut from two large blocks (c.f. Bothal). East end is C18 graveyard wall apparently on old foundations. South chancel wall shows priest's door with double-chamfered depressed arch; jambs of large C14 window to the east and a smaller, perhaps low-side, window immediately west.
Interior: Nave 9.1 x 4.8 metres; chancel 8.7 x 4.8 metres. Walls c.0.8 metres thick except for west end 0.95 metres. Moulded corbel at north-west corner and sockets for braces to roof trusses in nave north wall; bases of semicircular east respond and circular central pier of the south arcade. Chancel has tall rear arch to blocked north door with semicircular arch above lintel; an apparent keystone hints at post-medieval alteration; aumbry to west.
South wall shows trefoiled piscina with remains of twin bowls; shouldered inner jambs to C14 windows.
C19 concrete paving throughout with 1864 ledger slab to Tate family at west end.
Historical note: A Premonstratension nunnery at 'Gysnes' (Guyzance) was founded in early C12 by Richard Tison, and converted to a parochial curacy before the Dissolution. Early documents mention both the 'capella monialum' (monastery church) and the 'ecclesia de Gisyng' (church of Guyzance) so it is hard to say which the present ruin represents; foundations to the south and south-east suggest the buildings of a small religious house. (Listed Building Report)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1006579, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number nd82
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1153531
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 8078.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N5561.

Books
- Brooke, C.J., 2000, Safe Sanctuaries (Edinburgh; John Donald) p. 155-6
  Knowles, David and Hadcock, R. Neville, 1971, Medieval religious houses in England and Wales (Longman) p. 230
  Hodgson, J.C., 1899, A History of Northumberland Vol. 5 (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 477-9, 482
Periodical Articles
- Honeyman, H.L., 1942, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (ser4) Vol. 9 p. 192

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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