A tradition recorded by Leland hold that the priory of St. Mary at Stonely was founded about 1180 by William de Mandeville.
However, as this William de Mandeville did not hold Kimbolton, the Priory may have been founded by William FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex, who succeeded his brother Geoffrey in 1216 and died in 1227.
[2] The earliest recorded reference to the priory is in the Hundred Roll of 1274, when the manor of Kimbolton was in the hands of the family of de Bohun.
The surrender of the house was made under the first Act in 1536; with the canons probably allowed to serve as secular priests.
The Priory Cottage, possibly a former stable, was converted to residential use in the 19th century.