St Nicholas' Priory
St Nicholas' Priory is hidden away in the centre of Exeter. We were originally contacted by the museum shortly before the museum under went a major refurbishment, ready for its re-opening in April 2008. The main rooms have now been fitted out as late Elizabethan.
Originally a Benedictine Priory founded in 1087. It was disolved in 1536, whereupon the church and chaper house range where pulled down leaving an L shaped town house.
In the early 1600s, the house was occupied by Nicholas Hurst and his family.
1536 - The King's Commissioner's visit
November 2008
Set in 1536, we portrayed the King's Commissioner visiting the Priory to give them the news that it was to be disovled.
1602-1604 - Nicholas Hurst
April & August 2008, April & August 2009
Nicholas Hurst was a gent from a merchant background. He owned an estate further down the estury, and rented the Priory as his town house.
In 1602, at the age of forty, he married a forteen year old. Our first event was set just after the wedding with the Nicholas entertaining his new in-laws.
We held a number of events covering the following two years. Each event included a side theme, such as the servants alone, or illness.
Just two years after his wedding, Nicholas died of the bloody flux. (A disease causing severe diarrhea.) He had probably been suffering for many months.
Following an event returning to the wedding celebrations, we held a special evening event starting with the traditional 'bedding ceremony.' We followed it with a Q&A session based around 'everthing you wanted to ask, without the kids.'
