page_title: Prittlewell Priory
section_title: The Scratton Family
hierarchical_section_title: Prittlewell Priory / The Scratton Family
context_page_description: Prittlewell Priory is a medieval priory in the Prittlewell area of Southend, Essex, England. It was founded in the 12th century, by monks from the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras in Lewes, East Sussex, now known as Lewes Priory, and passed into private hands at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. The last private owner, the jeweller R. A. Jones, gave the priory and the grounds to the local council. The grounds now form a public park, Priory Park, and the Grade I listed building is open to the public as a museum. Priory Park is located adjacent to the priory.
context_section_description: In 1842 Daniel Robert Scratton (1819-1902) inherited the Priory. Together with his wife, Maria (d.1901), he renovated the buildings to provide a comfortable home. His portrait by Stephen Pearce (1819–1904), showing him mounted on a hunter, is in the collection of Southend Museum. In 1869 he moved to West Ogwell manor housein Devon, where he died in 1902. It was only when William Howell Scratton purchased the Priory in 1887 that it truly became a family home. The family created a walled kitchen garden, which originally had hot houses and a melon pit. This was on the site of the monks' burial ground. Today, it is an ornamental garden.
caption: 1867 portrait of Daniel Robert Scratton (1819-1902) by Stephen Pearce (1819–1904), in Southend Museum. Prittlewell Priory can be seen in the background.
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