The Chantry was founded in 1329, when a brotherhood of five monks was employed to say Mass for their founder, Simon de Furneaux.

[2] The chantry seems to have fallen into a ruin long before the dissolution of the monasteries, and for centuries it served as a barn for the adjacent farm.

[3] The building stayed in use for many years, possibly by smugglers, until a fire in 1848,[4] caused by an attempt to destroy evidence of contraband brandy.

[5] Some parts of the chantry complex have survived intact and are now 'Chantry' and 'Priory Cottages', but the large solar wing is now ruined.

[6] It is now a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument,[2] which is listed on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register as "very bad" with a priority rating of "A", the highest possible.