Monument record SNP 009 - Abbey Farm, Priory of St Mary (Med)

Priory of St Mary, Snape (site of).
Small Benedictine priory founded 1155 by William Martell, his wife and son, as a dependant of St John's Colchester. Intended for 12 monks but is doubtful whether this number was ever reached. Granted to Butley Priory 1509, resigned by them 1509. Supressed 1525 (R1) (R2).
1934: site lies to W of Snape Bridge, where slight remains can still be seen. A number of skeletons, coins and various monastic relics have been exhumed from the site (R3).
1966: TM 146 332 (?!) Med pottery roof finial found on Abbey Farm (R4).
1969: TM 389 578: building material, mostly C13 C14 from ploughsoil, includes bricks with straw-marked base, yellow and black floor tiles from Netherlands, decorated brown, green and blue tiles similar to those found in Butley Priory, crested and stepped ridge tiles, Purbeck marble pillars 4 inches in diameter (possibly from a font) limestone pillars and window glass (R5).
1972: TM 389 578, fragment of fluted stone and iron key (C15?) found on Priory site (R6).
1981-1982: Fieldwalking by William Filmer-Sankey, mass of material (mainly roof tile) on surface. Limits of site of buildings easily ascertainable from fieldwalking `and from reports of the farm manager, who remembers walls as well as skeletons being found when the railway cutting, which crossed the site, was levelled' (S1). Results of resistivity survey and limited fieldwalking in Parish File (S3).
Further finds of 11 (mainly PMed) pot sherds, fragment of clay pipe, iron fragment and 2 fragments of worked limestone from the late Gwen Dyke collection (S5).
Building shown on Emanuel Bowen's map of 1753 (S4).
Also large subrectangular cropmark in same field to east of known site (S6).
For C14 timber-framed barn, see SNP 027.
For Ipswich ware sherd - see Sax.
Also watermill (SNP 025), possible pillow mound/rabbit warren (SNP 026) and tithe barn (SNP 027) are part of complex.
For dissolution survey see (R7).