PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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During the Middle Ages two religious orders were founded in Plymouth. The first were the Carmelites, who seem to have settled in the area in 1288. They wee also known as the "White Friars" because of the white cloaks they wore over their brown habits. Their Friary was erected at the north-eastern corner of Sutton Pool, outside the Town Wall. Next came the Franciscans, who sometime soon after 1384 built their Friary right in the centre of the Town, on a site later to become Woolster Street. They were also known as the "Grey Friars" [because of their grey coloured habits]. Little is known about the Dominican Friary, which was in Southside Street. They wore a black mantle or cappa over their white habits and were thus known as the "Black Friars". Their Friary is now the Blackfriars' Distillery. All three Friaries were surrendered to the suffragan Bishop of Dover, acting on behalf of King Henry VIII, on September 18th and 19th 1538. The Carmelite and Franciscan buildings fell into private hands but the Dominican one somehow became the property of the Corporation and this may well explain the fact that it is the only one of the three that is still in existence. Sources:
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