Medieval Whitefriars 

The medieval friary 

A 17th-century brick house that fronts onto New Street has long been known as ‘Whitefriars’. This commemorates a medieval friary of the Carmelites that once stood nearby, but there appears to have been no direct relationship between this house and the main friary complex which was further to the south-west, just inside the town ramparts. Nothing of the medieval friary now survives, and its site is covered by modern houses on Whitefriars Meadow and Whitefriars Way. 

Foundation

The precise date of the friary’s foundation and the name of the founder are not certain, but the most recent research suggests that a Henry Coufeld ‘de Alemania’ (‘from Germany’) founded it in about 1268. A group of 15 Carmelite friars arrived in Sandwich and settled on a small marshy piece of ground on the south-western edge of the town, away from the hustle and bustle of the main settlement and port. The friars wore long white cloaks and hoods over their brown cassocks, which is how they got the name of White Friars. 

Friary Layout

Archaeological excavations during the 20th century, notably by William Stebbing in 1936, established most of the lost friary’s ground plan. It had a fairly standard layout with the great church on the northern side of the complex, and a cloister to the south, surrounded by the usual range of domestic buildings. Beyond the southern range was an outer courtyard enclosed by more buildings on at least two sides. A cemetery lay next to the church, and this was used to bury townsfolk as well as the friars. Part of it was excavated during the 1970s. Further excavations took place in the area in the 1980s before the new houses were built. 

The excavations in the 1930s uncovered stained glass that came from the west cloister next to the church. This may have come from the Dissolution destruction of stained-glass windows. The friary complex was set within a roughly rectangular precinct bounded by wet ditches, parts of which still survive today. Entry points would have been limited and there was just one main entrance, Friars Gate. This lay on the northern side, opposite the medieval Corn Market. Credit: www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk 

In 1280, Sir John de Sandwich gave two acres of land to enlarge the friars’ estate and another two acres was given in 1336 to allow ‘the enlargement of their dwelling place’. In 1306, Thomas Shelving donated a small, detached plot in Woodnesborough parish, some distance away, where there was a natural spring. An open leat brought fresh water from here to the town. It was then piped direct to a cistern in the friary. 

In 1398, the Sandwich friary was chosen for the meeting of the Carmelite’s Provincial Chapter, which was a major assembly. This implies that the friary complex was essentially complete by the late 14th century and could accommodate a significant number of high-ranking members of the Order in appropriate comfort. This was probably the heyday of the friary, but it continued to be of some status into late medieval times. Henry V and his entourage lodged here in 1416, and in 1482 the Provincial Chapter met here again. In December 1538, however, the house was surrendered to the Bishop of Dover and closed under the general Dissolution of Henry VIII 

Post Dissolution 

Following the Dissolution some buildings continued to be used, probably until sometime during the 17th century. However, once the site was finally abandoned, the old monastic structures seem to have disappeared quite quickly. Sandwich has no readily available local building stone, so the friary remains were a useful quarry, conveniently positioned in the town. Most of the upstanding friary buildings were gone by the late 18th century and the area became open meadow land. It remained as this until the later 20th century when the land was built over