About Gisborough Priory
The priory of St Mary of Gyseburn – later Gisborough, is an English Heritage Free to Enter site open to the public courtesy of Gisborough Priory Project.
This Augustinian Priory was founded in 1119 by Robert de Brus, a powerful Norman, cross border lord, with land around Danby and Castleton, and ancestor of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. The De Brus family and their descendants remained patrons, until its dissolution in 1539 and were buried there.
It is one of the oldest religious houses in and around the National Park and owned land and mining rights on the moors around Guisborough, Danby and Castleton, influencing the development of the moor in Medieval times. At its high point, the Priory was the richest religious house in Yorkshire and the fourth richest at the time of Dissolution.
The iconic East Wall from the third Priory church towers over the site and the porch, from the inner gatehouse, dating back to around 1140, still remains. A small number of medieval tiles and small tomb fragments are on display in the visitor hut.
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The Priory gives access to the adjacent woodland garden.