Monk Bretton Priory are the remains of a Cluny monastery located in South Yorkshire. It was founded in the mid-1100s by a local landowner who insisted that daily prayers were said for the family as it was thought that that would help them after death. The ruins are in a decent condition with drainage that can be seen on the site as well as walls and standing structures, such as the gatehouse. The priory was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene.
The gatehouse, below, was the entrance to the site.
The adminstrative buildings held a courthouse for disputes and collection of rent of the tenant farmers covering the area. There was also a long dispute with Pontefract, and the monastery broke from the order and became an independent Benedictine establishment.
Below is the prior's range. The cellar contained store rooms and a well for water, and the rooms above it were for meeting and living. This part of the site was used as a house in the middle ages, after the monastery was dissolved.
The kitchens contained drainage considered to be amongst the best drainage in a monastery in Europe, which took the waste water away from the location. It included a sluice gate that could be used to control the flow of water for deeper cleans.
The site at Monk Bretton has many ruins to explore in a decent condition. This site is free to visit and maintained by English Heritage.
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