Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Friday 14 May 2021

Our Lady of Clare


A second restored centre of Marian devotion in Suffolk is the priory at Clare. This was originally founded in 1248 by the Augustinian friars and was suppressed in 1538. 415 years later in 1953 the Augustinians reacquired the remaining buildings and re-established a monastic house in them. In recent years the community commissioned a statue of Our Lady of Good Counsel for the Priory from Mother Concordia OSB, whose work we have encountered at Canterbury and Coventry on this pilgrimage.

The Wikipedia article about the Priory can be seen at Clare Priory. The Priory website is at Home and the Suffolk churches site has two posts at Clare OL of Good Counsel and at Clare Priory Upper Room

Clare is an attractive and historic town with, in addition to the Priory with its royal burials, the remains of the castle, a handsome parish church and delightful streets with picturesque houses in ‘Suffolk Pink’. It gave its name not only to the great magnate family of the de Clares Earls of Gloucester but also to the Duchy of Clarence. 

There is a website feature about the town at 10 Things You May Not Know About Clare


Our Lady of Clare Pray for us


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