Pittenweem Priory

Pittenweem Priory has a history stretching back to the 12th century, when it was established as a manorial base for a priory on the Isle of May, a daughter-house of Reading Abbey. The priory was transferred to the great Augustinian priory of St Andrews in the 14th century, after which the island community was disbanded. The manorial function continued in Pittenweem, however, and by the mid-15th century a small monastic community in its own right had been established there, which was maintained for over a century, until after the Protestant reformation. This is the first full-scale treatment of the priory's history, with meticulous research marrying archival, archaeological and architectural material to produce a work which seamlessly binds together the rich religious, political and social history of the community in both local and national contexts.