Leez Priory is a historic 16th-century Tudor mansion located in Little Leighs near Chelmsford, Essex, England, originally founded as an Augustinian priory in 1220. It spans the parishes of Felsted and Great and Little Leighs and holds Grade I listed status since 1952.
The site began as the Priory of St. Mary and St. John the Evangelist, thriving for over 300 years until its dissolution by King Henry VIII in the 1530s, when Sir Richard Rich acquired it and built the current mansion. Known as “Delicious Leez,” it hosted royalty like Queen Elizabeth I and became a hub of political opposition during the English Civil War under Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick. Ownership passed through the Earls of Warwick, Montagues, and later Guy’s Hospital, with major demolitions in 1753.
underground conduits, survive in the grounds south of the main rose-brick buildings, alongside old garden walls and fish ponds. The estate covers 40 acres of parkland with manicured lawns, lakes, a sweeping driveway, and structures like the Great Tower and Coach House Barn.
A persistent early 20th-century rumor claims the priory’s Reformation-era treasures—gold, relics, and valuables—were hurled into a nearby lake to hide them from Henry VIII’s commissioners. 
 
Interesting facts...
There may be treasure! A persistent early 20th-century rumor claims the priory’s Reformation-era treasures—gold, relics, and valuables—were hurled into a nearby lake to hide them from Henry VIII’s commissioners.