Newcastle, Dominican Friary (Blackfriars)

HER Number:
1433

District:
Newcastle

Site Name:
Newcastle, Dominican Friary (Blackfriars)

Place:
Newcastle

Map Sheet:
NZ26SW

Class:
Religious Ritual and Funerary

Site Type: Broad:
Friary

Site Type: Specific:
Dominican Friary

General Period:
Medieval

Specific Period:
C13

Form of Evidence:
Extant Building

Description:
The first reference to the friary dates from 1239. Their precint was acquired piecemeal, and came to extend east-west from Low Friar St to beyond Corporation St, and north-south from Morden Tower to the town wall. The gatehouse was probably in Low Friar Lane. Its buildings included a church (with 6-7 bay aisled nave), 90 foot square south cloister with lean-to walks, an East range (sacristy, slype, chapter house, ? Warming house and dormitory above), a South range (daystair, slype, refectory, slype, ? Kitchen), and a West range (external lavatorium, guesthall, slype). The buildings were largely of one period, with a few minor alterations. It was surrendered in 1539 by the prior and 12 friars. The church, sacristy, east half of chapter house and cloister were then demolished, and exist today only as foundations. The remaining buildings were bought by the town, and adapted in the 16th -17th centuries and 20th century for other uses. SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT AND LISTED GRADE 1

Easting:
2445

Northing:
6420

Grid Reference:
NZ24456420

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
<< HER 1433 >> H. Bourne, 1736, History of Newcastle, 19-22 J. Brand, 1789, History of Newcastle, I, 122-33, 597-600 Rev. C.F.R. Palmer, 1878,The Friar-Preachers, or Blackfriars, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, The Reliquary, XVIII (1877-78), 71-76, 161-66 W.H. Knowles, 1921, Monastery of the Black Friars, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Archaeologia Aeliana, 3, XVII, 315-336 B. Harbottle & R. Fraser 1987, Black Friars, Newcastle upon Tyne, after the Dissolution... Archaeologia Aeliana, 5, XV, 23-149 Calendar Liberate Rolls Rolls, 1226-40, 368-9 Letters & Papers Foreign & Domestic Henry VIII, XIV, pt. 1, nos. 43, 394 Letters & Papers Foreign & Domestic Henry VIII, XIX, pt. 1, no. 278 (27) Excavation report, Medieval Archaeology, 1986, Medieval Britain in 1985, XXX, B. Harbottle, 1987, A Guide to Newcastle upon Tyne Blackfriars; Grace McCombie, 2009, Newcastle and Gateshead - Pevsner Architectural Guide, p 176; Barbara Harbottle, 2009, The Medieval Archaeology of Newcastle in Diana Newton and AJ Pollard (eds), 2009, Newcastle and Gateshead before 1700, page 32-4; Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1327-30, 392