Hoxne Priory

Hoxne Priory was a Benedictine priory in the village of Hoxne in Suffolk. It stood on the site believed to be where Saint Edmund, king of East Anglia, was martyred. The religious house began around the year 950 with a small chapel marking the spot. In 1101 the chapel was given to Norwich Cathedral by Herbert de Losinga. By 1130 Maurice of Windsor and his wife Edigia had started rebuilding the priory, and work was finished in 1226. The priory became dependent on Norwich Cathedral after the donation. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries William Castleton, later the first Dean of Norwich, handled the disposal of its property around 1538. Sir Richard Gresham acquired the land and buildings at that time. Today the priory’s former grounds are occupied by Abbey Farmhouse. Visitors to the site find a quiet farmyard where the priory once stood. The present farmhouse occupies the priory’s footprint. A sense of the site’s long religious history remains in the landscape. The village of Hoxne itself is a peaceful Suffolk settlement. The priory’s story is told through local records and the standing farm buildings.