The earliest known church on the present location was a travertine church which was reported under construction by Aelnoth of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk at the nearby St. Alban's Priory in 1095.

The Church was built by the Gilbertine order as a chapel-of-ease for their nearby Priory, in Old Malton.

A convent of Benedictine nuns was established at the nearby Priory of St Leonards, in modern Bromley-by-Bow.

First mentioned as St Mary apud Ax, it belonged for a time to the nearby Priory of St. Helens.

The name of the street relates to the nearby Priory, as well as the gate which was originally on this road and provided part of the town's defences, Monk's Gate.

It is believed that Monk Street derived its name from the nearby Priory.

By 1225 the village was referred to as Munkebretton, 'munke' referring to the monks of the nearby Priory.

Although the nearby Priory formed a Christian community (until dissolution by Henry VIII), Monk Bretton did not possess a church until 1838.

The nearby Priory of St. Oswald at Nostell would later be dissolved in 1540 with the land being bought by Rowland Winn.

He died at his home of Mount Stewart, County Down, and was buried at nearby Priory of Newtownards together with his father.