Chicksands Priory after the Dissolution

Following the dissolution of the monastaries the priory passed to the Crown. It was then leased in 1540 to Thomas Wyndham. However, within the same year Henry VIII (1509-1547) granted the estate of Chicksands Priory to Richard Snowe and his wife Elizabeth. Richard died in 1553, and the priory then passed to his son Daniel who sold it to Peter Osborn. This sale was contested by Daniel's brother Edward Snowe, who brought a suit against Osborn claiming the estate as next of kin. This appears to have been to some extent successful, as the estate was then conveyed to Peter Osborn again, and his son John, in 1587. This time by Edward and his wife Emma. John Osborn inherited the property on his father's death and the Priory then remained in the ownership of the Osborn family for over 300 years.

A number of resources are available which provide further information about the priory. These include further pages on this website, pamphlets published by The Friends of Chicksands Priory [pamphlet 130 CHI]. Detailed notes concerning the building itself, created by Dr Andor Gomme [CRT 130 CHI 6], and a description in O'Brien and Pevsner's The Buildings of England: Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough (2014). All of these resources are available in our public search room.