Carmelite Friars in Shropshire

Ludlow

The Carmelites were the last of the four chief orders of friars to arrive in Shropshire. They were established at Ludlow in the south of Shropshire in 1350 by Sir Laurence of Ludlow, who was also lord of Stokesay Castle. In 1358 the prior and three brethren were licensed to hear confessions in the diocese of Hereford, which Ludlow was part of.

The convent associated with the Carmelite friars in Ludlow stood at the northern end of the town suburb outside Corvegate.

In the middle of the 13th century the constitutions of the order were revised and became closely related to those of the Dominican friars. The emphasis was now on learning and preaching.

Early in the 15th century the church in Ludlow was either greatly altered or entirely rebuilt and when Leland (the King’s antiquary) visited he described it as ‘a fair and costly thing’. It was blessed with the spacious proportions of so many friar’s churches of the time and it had three bells in the steeple and a choir.

The Ludlow house suffered badly when Lancastrian soldiers sacked the town in 1459, during the Wars of the Roses. The house was plundered of all its furniture and the personal possessions of the friars were also taken. These actions apparently reduced the friars to such poverty that they could scarcely support themselves, let alone pay for the upkeep of the buildings.

Excavations in 1983-5 at the Carmelite Friary showed the earliest occupation belonged to the 12th and 13th centuries. The area was a suburb of Ludlow situated on a main thoroughfare into the town and later protected by the Corve Gate. The first building on the site was a simple timber construction that was later replaced by a timber and stone structure. By the 14th century the plot had developed into a prosperous tenement property.

The excavations revealed one almost complete building dating to the late 14th/ early 15th century. It was a large, rectangular hall, 11 metres wide and 16 metres long with metre thick walls. A pulpit was also found within the building, which suggested that this was the refectory where the monks would gather to eat their meals and listen to readings.

6 burials were also uncovered at this time, 4 of which remained virtually intact. One, and adult male of around 25, appeared to have suffered from severe tooth and gum decay. He was buried in a coffin and had a small silver covered wooden cross on his chest.

The site has now been preserved as a historical monument with interpretation panels giving an insight into the history of the site.