Benedictine Nunnery of St Mary, Chatteris

History of Chatteris Nunnery

A small nunnery was founded between 1006 and 1008 AD by Eadnoth, Abbot of Ramsey, at the request of his sister Aelfwen. However the nunnery was too small to be independent and Henry I eventually gave it to the monastery at Ely. In the early 14th century the nunnery buildings were destroyed by fire. At the Dissolution in 1538 the site was valued at £97 3s 4d and remaining buildings were pulled down with the exception of a temporary reprieve for the church. Some stone from the site can be found reused in buildings in Chatteris.