Skirlaugh village was not originally a parish in its own right; it was in the parish of Swine, which was also home to a priory.
Before Walter built his chapel in Skirlaugh there may have been a ‘chapel of ease’ here – a small church for services, but not with the right to marry, baptise or bury people.
The parish of Swine was home to a Cistercian priory which had been founded in the 1100s under the authority of Fountains Abbey.
At various times it housed both nuns and monks, but by Walter’s time it housed only nuns and his sister, Joan, was prioress.
The priory was closed as part of the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII. Little remains today, but parts of the priory church were built into the present church of St Mary and the remains of fishponds, drains and a moat are still visible.
More to come later…