Foundation of Hayling Priory

c. 1140

A small Augustinian priory was established on Hayling Island around 1140, dependent on the Abbey of Jumieges. The priory occupied a site in North Hayling, near the present St Mary's Church, and served both as a religious house and as the abbey's administrative centre for its English possessions. The priory was never large, housing only a handful of canons, but it provided the island with a centre of learning, worship, and charitable activity. The priory's lands included much of the island's farmland, and the canons oversaw the management of the agricultural economy. The priory was dissolved by Henry V in 1414 as part of the suppression of alien priories, and its lands passed to the Crown. The fabric of the priory has largely disappeared, though some elements may survive incorporated into later buildings.