Monastery Key

This key from the 1400s is from St Andrew's Priory in the north-west corner of the walled town. Established between 1093 to 1100 by Simon de Senlis, it was a Cluniac house, which saw monks and nuns follow a traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor.

Northampton was dominated by churches and monasteries from the 1100s onwards with the church playing an important role in the lives of all those who lived in the town. Other monastic houses in Northampton included Delapré Abbey, a sister house for Cluniac nuns who followed the teachings of St Benedict, was established to the south of the town by Simon de Senlis’ son, Simon Senlis II. It was the first Cluniac nunnery to be built in England, with the only other being Arthington Priory in Yorkshire.

There was also the Abbey of St James, originally founded outside Northampton's walls 1104–1105 as a house of Augustinian canons. In more recent times, the area was nicknamed ‘Jimmy's End’ after the abbey. The Express Lift Tower factory and lift testing tower now occupy the site of the abbey. By the 1200s a new religious movement saw friars ministering to the poor and needy. Three orders of friars were established in the town: the Franciscans or Greyfriars in 1226 on the site of the Grosvenor Centre; the Carmelites or Whitefriars in 1271; and the Dominicans or Blackfriars in 1230 located near Horse Market.

Number 42 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.