Grace Dieu Priory and the surrounding woodland is a hidden gem in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside by the village of Thringstone. The ruins you see here today are steeped in a rich and interesting history.
Dating back to the 13th century, Grace Dieu Priory, an Augustinian priory served as a place of worship and contemplation for nuns with a dedicated to a life of prayer and meditation.
With a great connection to people like William Wordsworth and an intriguing industrial past too there is much to explore
Around the ruins is Grace Dieu Wood. A glorious area for walks beyond and within the history of the place. A favourite of people walking their dogs in the area too.
Historical Background
Grace Dieu Priory’s origins can be traced back to the 13th century, when it was founded in approximately 1239 by Roesia de Verdon, a prominent noblewoman of the time. She was a widow to Theobald Butler the second Chief Butler of Ireland. She was also daughter and heiress to Nicholas de Verdon who owned land across Leicestershire as well as Lincolnshire and Staffordshire.
This all made here a very unique person as a woman in the 1200s. A ‘femme sole’. A woman with lots of land and money but under the control of no man. In Ireland she built Castleroche near Dundalk to protect her children’s inheritance before she came to Leicestershire to establish Grace Dieu Priory.
Roesia, inspired by her deep religious devotion, established the priory as a place of worship and contemplation for a community of Augustinian nuns. The priory was named “Grace Dieu,” which translates to “Grace of God” in French.
She even gave the nuns and the priory the lands of Belton as well as what was Kirkby Keveston (now Kirkby Underwood) in Lincolnshire.
As with the times she was under immense pressure to remarry. She got around this by becoming a nun at Grace Dieu herself. When Roesia died she was buried in a tomb within the priory’s chapel with money set aside to allow for a constant light to shine on her tomb. After the dissolution her tomb was moved to Belton Church where it lies today.
Some records of life at the nunnery survive to this day and show that for example in 1337 there were 16 nuns at the priory. Another unique fact of the priory is that it was independent of any other order or organisation, they called themselves the ‘White Nuns of St. Augustine’. They wore white habits rather than the traditional black. A strict part of the order was that the nuns were completely forbidden from leaving the grounds.
After the Dissolution by Henry VIII it was taken over by the Beuomont family and down through various owners. During the early parts the priory was converted to a house and there is evidence a tudor house was also built on the grounds. What we do know is that by the 19th Century it had become a Romantic Ruin.
William Wordsworth
Wordsworth, one of England’s most famous romantic poets, more famous for being in the Lake District, made visits with his sister Dorothy to friends and family in this area of Leicestershire.
Wordsworth actually stayed here in Coleorton, Leicestershire from 1806 to 1807 after is home, Dove Cottage in Grasmere, became too crowded. Before they moved to Rydal Mount.
In fact he loved the area so much that some of the trees of Charnwood Forest and Grace Dieu were planted by him and his local companion Sir George Beaumont. Wordsworth wanted something to hide the site of the mines.
Here is Wordsworth’s poem about Grace Dieu ruins and Charnwood.
Beneath yon eastern ridge, the craggy bound,
Rugged and high, of Charnwood’s forest ground
Stand yet, but, Stranger! hidden from thy view,
The ivied Ruins of forlorn Grace Dieu;
Erst a religious House, which day and night
With hymns resounded, and the chanted rite:
And when those rites had ceased, the Spot gave birth
To honourable Men of various worth:
There, on the margin of a streamlet wild,
Did Francis Beaumont sport, an eager child;
There, under shadow of the neighbouring rocks,
Sang youthful tales of shepherds and their flocks;
Unconscious prelude to heroic themes,
Heart-breaking tears, and melancholy dreams
Of slighted love, and scorn, and jealous rage,
With which his genius shook the buskined stage.
Communities are lost, and Empires die,
And things of holy use unhallowed lie;
They perish; – but the Intellect can raise,
From airy words alone, a Pile that ne’er decays.
The Ghost of Grace Dieu
Throughout the last century or so there has been several reports of a mysterious ‘White Lady’ apparition around Grace Dieu.
For instance in 1934 a child was playing on the park and saw a white lady drift under the railway arches. In 1954 a bus driver pulled up at Grace Dieu bus stop to let a lady in white get on, but when he opened the door she was not there. A similar occurance happened to a bus driver in 2002. There are more accounts.
The reason this supposed haunting catches the imagination of many is that the description is very similar in every case. A ghostly white lady with no facial features or feet.
Some believe this could be the spirit of Roesia de Verdon herself, disturbed when her body was moved from the Priory to the church.
Although some in the paranormal world believe that it could be due to the priory being directly above the Thringstone Fault in the earth.
Grace Dieu Wood
Grace Dieu wood surrounds the now ruins of Grace Dieu and is a captivating place to walk and explore. The pathways go off in so many directions within the trees and is very popular for those walking ther dogs.
Hidden within the trees are lovely streams and shaded beauty spots together with remnants of a more industrial past. Remember these are the streams and trees that inspired Wordsworth and I am sure they would inspire you too.
We often take the dogs on a walk around here, you step out of the car park and almost immediately transported away from it all in a sea of greenery.
As you walk through the woods you will find the archways of Grace Dieu Viaduct. A remnant of the old days of railway that passed through here.
Once there was a railway line that connected Coalville (from the Ashby -Nuneaton Line) to Loughborough, called the Charnwood Forest Railway. Grace Dieu was one of the small stops along the way.
The railway line was known locally as the ‘Bluebell Line’ due to the fact that in Spring, throughout most of the route you could view the masses of bluebells along the way.
Passenger services stopped along the line in 1931 but freight ran all the way up to the line’s closure in 1963. Within the trees you walk under the arches watching nature slowly take it over. As you walk around the woods you can still follow via path some of the old railway route.
Where To Park
The best place to park is the car park of the Bulls Head in the village of Thringstone. Postcode LE67 8LR. Out of respect for the offering of free parking it is best to park at the top, back end of the pub car park.
At the top left of the car park you will see a gap in the hedge where the path takes you into the woods and to the many trails. Plus of course the path down to the Priory ruins.
Conclusion
Grace Dieu Priory ruins and the woodland around it offers something for every kind of visitor. Nature lovers will adore the woodland and the abundance of wildlife. History lovers will stand amongst a wonderful historical place and take in the past.
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