St Denys Priory

St Denys Priory was a priory of Austin canons founded in 1124 by Henry I on land between Portswood and the Itchen. The priory held a chapel of the Blessed Mary which pilgrims visited as St Mary of Graces. Henry VIII visited the chapel in 1510 and left an offering there. By the Dissolution in 1536 the priory owned manors and churches across Hampshire and beyond. Its annual income at suppression was £80 11s. 6d. with nine canons and a prior. The priory suffered damage when the French sacked Southampton in 1338 and remained in debt for decades. After the Dissolution the site passed to Francis Dautry in 1538. Only fragments survive today: a wall in a private garden in Priory Road and a small archway now in the garden of the Tudor House Museum. The present church, built in the late 19th century, contains a few tiles and a coffin from the original priory. Visitors can see the remaining wall and archway in their new locations. The late Victorian church stands on the priory site and holds relics from the original buildings. The quiet surroundings reflect the priory’s long history and later changes.