PLACE NAME
Stavordale Priory in Somerset was established by the Lovel family, lords of Castle Cary, for Augustinian canons in 1243. The meaning of the name itself is rather obscure. The suffix dale derives from the Old English word for a pit or hollow which in time evolved to mean a valley, while the first element stavor could refer to a stake. Following the 16thCentury cull of the monasteries under the orders of King Henry VIII the priory was closed and converted to a private residence. Like many of the roads on the St Helier’s estate this is named after British monasteries and abbeys in remembrance of the area’s historic ownership by Westminster Abbey. The road names are in alphabetical order, of which Aberconway Road in the north west of the estate is first.
