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Owned by the National Trust and managed by English Heritage, Mount
Grace Priory in North Yorkshire, established in 1398 and suppressed
in 1539, was one of only nine successful Carthusian monasteries in
England and one of the best-preserved medieval houses of that order
in Europe. First excavated by Sir William St John Hope in 1896-1900
and in state guardianship since 1955 it is acknowledged as a type
site for late-medieval Carthusian monasteries. The modern study of
Mount Grace began in 1957 when Hope's interpretation of the monks'
cells about the great cloister was found to be simplistic. This was
followed between 1968 and 1974 by the excavation of individual
monks' cells in the west range of the great cloister and two cells
in the north range, together with their gardens, areas not
excavated by Hope. The examination of the monks' cells was
completed in 1985 by the excavation of the central cell of the
north cloister range, together with its garden and the cloister
alley outside the cell. The cultural material recovered from these
cells indicated the 'trade' each monk practiced, predominantly the
copying and binding of books. Because each cell was enclosed by
high walls, the pottery and metalwork recovered could be identified
to an individual monk. In 1987 English Heritage commissioned the
re-excavation of two areas that had been examined by Hope, the
water tower in the great cloister and the prior's cell, refectory
and kitchen in the south cloister range and the guest house in the
west range of the inner court. The contrast between this
semi-public area of the monastery and the monks' cells was
dramatic. Coupled with this excavation was a reappraisal of the
architectural development of the monastery and reconstruction of
lost structures such as the cloister alley walls and the central
water tower.
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