House of Poor Clares
In 1327 King Edward III gave the Priory to a young widow, Countess Marie de Châtillon, Countess of Pembroke (1303-1377), known for her founding of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Countess Marie built accommodations for herself in what had been the Abbey church, which she turned into her lodgings. She built a new church and gave the remainder of the priory to the Franciscan Second Order of nuns, the Order of Saint Clare, also known as the Poor Clares. This community moved from their flood-prone monastery in the nearby village of Waterbeach. The priory was expanded during this period, with comfortable quarters for the Countess, who never entered the Poor Clares, and spartan accommodations for the nuns. The priory began to be called Denny Abbey during this period, despite the fact that the term "abbey" is never used by the nuns of that Order.
Read more about this topic: Denny Abbey
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