On offer is an original (i.e. not a later reproduction) 1823 scarce print of "Interior of the Nun's Hall at Harrold, Bedfordshire".
DATE PRINTED: 1823
SIZE: The printed area including titles is approximately 19 x 26 cm (7.5 x 10.25 inches) plus margins with a blank back (large).
ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Draw, engraved and published by Thomas Fisher (1781?-1836), 6 Gloster Terrace, Hoxton. Fisher was an antiquary, born at Rochester in or about 1781, was the younger of the two sons of Thomas Fisher, printer, bookseller, and alderman of that city.
PROVENANCE: Between 1812 and 1816 Fisher published ninety-five plates from his drawings of monumental and other remains in Bedfordshire, under the title of 'Collections Historical, Genealogical, and Topographical for Bedfordshire,' 4to, London, 1812-16. A second part, consisting of 114 folio plates, appeared only a few weeks before his death in 1836.
TYPE: Copper plate engraving printed on paper.
VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is blank.
CONDITION: Good; suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Virtually all antiquarian maps and prints are subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not significant unless otherwise stated. I offer a no questions asked return policy.
AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic antique print, published at the date stated above. I do not offer reproductions. It is not a modern copy. The term 'original' when applied to a print means that it was printed at the first or original date of publication; it does not imply that the item is unique.
RETURNS POLICY: I offer a no questions returns policy. All I ask is that you pay return shipping and mail back to me in original condition.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Harrold is a civil parish and electoral ward in the Borough of Bedford within Bedfordshire, England, around nine miles north-west of Bedford. The village is on the north bank of the River Great Ouse, and is the site of an ancient bridge, linking the village with Carlton with Chellington on the south bank. Immediately to the east of the village is Odell. Across the bridge is Carlton.
Harrold Priory was a small Augustinian nunnery founded in the 1130s, perhaps between 1136 and 1138 and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Peter. It was founded by Sampson le Fort and granted to Gervase, Abbot of Saint Nicholas of Arrouaise. The priory surrendered to the Crown in 1536 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. Its lands continued as a supposed manor in secular hands. The buildings were replaced by Harrold Hall, built by Francis Farrar between 1608 and 1610 where Hall Close now lies. Medieval coffin lids found in the grounds of the Hall in 1890 confirmed that this was, indeed, the site of the priory. In 1813 it was recorded 'The only part of the conventual building which remains, is the refectory, now a barn, and known by the name of the Hall-barn'.
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