The History of The Forbury Chapel
WHAT'S IN A NAME
The word "Forbury" literally means "Front Gate" - Fore being front and bury being gate! The chapel was built on the Priory's outer wall, on the gateway into the Priory. Originally, there was a gate house arched across the gateway - now Church St. This collapsed in the 18th Century.
6th CENTURY
The Monastery in Leominster was established by Earl Leofric, husband of Lady Godiva
1123AD
Foundation of the Benedictine Priory of Leominster by Henry I. When he endowed his Abbey of Reading, he gave very rich possessions to it. Among them was the great Manor of Leominster with its appurtenances, Churches and tithes, valued then at six hundred and fifty pounds nineteen shillings and eight pence. He also gave to the Abbey all immunity and liberty, which the Royal power could confer on any Abbey.
Leominster Monastery was made a Cell (or Priory) or Monks to the Abbey of Reading. From this time the Government of the Town was held under the Abbot of Reading's Charter, and the Officers were chosen or approved by the Abbot of Reading or the Prior of Leominster.
1276AD
The late 13th Century was a very turbulent period in the history of Leominster Priory when the Monks were embroiled in scandal. The Leominster monks had evidently gone "worldly" - too interested in money making, hawking and hunting. The sub prior, one William de Winton (who wrote the song 'Summer in iceman in') was ordered to appear before the Bishop of Hereford, charged with fornication with Agnes de Avenbury - an Augustinian nun at Limebrook Priory, Herefordshire - and "certain other women"
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Worst of all, they were neglecting religious duties and had excluded townspeople from the Priory Church. In 1276 the prior, Stephen Watton, had ordered the church door to be closed against the parishioners during celebration or the offices and at night times. Thomas Cantilupe arrived in Leominster early in January 1277.
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At the end of March, Cantilupe wrote his formal letter, comport, to prior and convent, detailing those matters needing correction. First was the problem of the door. 'Although', he explained 'your church should be common to all faithful, especially the parishioners, at every hour, we found the door closed in both the summer and the winter'. As a result, many evils had ensued and many more were likely to do so in the future. Prior Watson was ordered to give parishioners that freedom of access to their church. Eleven days later, this having had no effect, Cantilupe told Watton to either open or remove the offending doors. Watton remained obdurate, and although the monks offered stout resistance, the bishop was successful in having the doors forcibly removed from their hinges - but not for long! Ref 337, Hilaby
Dec 3rd 1283ad
John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury, visited Leominster where he familiarised himself with the details of the conflict between the monks and the parishioners.
1284AD
In January 1284 he wrote from the episcopal palace at Sugwas, ordering the restoration of the doors, but commanding that the prior and covenant should build a chapel at the gates or the precinct dedicated to the glorious martyr, Thomas of Canterbury, where the sacrament should be reserved and sanctuary could be sought.
p158 Hillaby ref: 334 Register of John Peckham ed C.Trice Martin, RS 77ii (1883) 505-7, 624-5
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Archbishop Peckham paid for The Forbury Chapel as a sign of his gratitude for the hospitality shown by the monks. 1 "But Death, it is said, prevented the Founder from endowing it with lands. He died in 1292." 9
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The only access to the Priory was through the gatehouse, which projected outward from the precinct wall. The site of the gatehouse is confirmed by the position of the Forbury Chapel, the chapel at the gates, which straddled the precinct wall.
In the Middle Ages, Church Street thus ended the gatehouse.
When completed, the Forbury Chapel was a humble structure, some 60 by 28 feet, lit at the east end by a simple triple lancet window with three plain lancets on the south, a west door and a further lancet at the west end. It had a timber roof which was replaced in the early 16th Century. Despite being a simple structure, the building was completed only in the early 15th century, for the monks embarked upon it with the utmost reluctance. The parishioners were not impressed by their new chapel, but it was some 40 years before they could take effective action.
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visit https://www.leominsterheartandheritage.co.uk/leominsters-story-1/the-forbury-chapel for more history