St Mary's Church, Wix
St Mary's Church is a Grade II listed Anglican parish church in the village of Wix, Essex, England. Formerly associated with a priory from the Middle Ages, the present church dates largely from the 18th century.
Wix Priory
The Priory of St Mary was a Benedictine nunnery founded in by brothers Walter Mascherell, Alexander de Wix and their sister Edith, who were the children of Walter the Deacon, who owned much of the area in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The priory incorporated a church which had existed at the location since. The priory was never large, containing only around ten nuns, but was still highly influential in the immediate vicinity. It owned large areas of land in Wix and much of the surrounding countryside. It held the status of a manor in its own right, and the tenants of its copyholds in Wix were obliged to perform manorial service.By the time of the Peasants' Revolt, this was generating friction, and during the revolt, the priory was attacked by its angry villagers, who destroyed its manorial rolls which detailed their obligations to it. After the Revolt had ended, those responsible were evicted by the prioress, who then fined each one before allowing them to return.
The priory remained in operation until the 16th century, though it became increasingly run down. In 1525, it was shut down by Thomas Wolsey, being one of 30 small religious houses which were closed to provide funding for The King's School, Ipswich, and the Oxford institution now known as Christ Church. After its closure, the priory was demolished, leaving only the church. The only remains of the priory which can still be seen are the now-blocked 13th-century arches which form the church's north wall.