Founded in the 11th century by William de Warenne with monks from Cluny in France, the Priory of St Pancras survived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537.
Lewes Priory was the first Cluniac foundation in England (the order of Cluny is a Benedictine offshoot founded at a time when reformist ideas were gaining momentum within the Church). It was established in 1078 on the site of a Saxon church which was dedicated to St. Pancras. The great church was one of the largest churches in England and boasted a nave 432 feet long. At the time of the Dissolution, many of the buildings of the Priory were demolished immediately and the land was granted to Thomas Cromwell. He built a large home on the site which survived until 1668, after which it was slowly demolished for building materials. The Priory Church, along with the cloister and chapter house, were further destroyed in 1845 with the installation of a new railway between Lewes and Brighton.
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