Brinkburn Priory was founded in 1135, during the reign of Henry I, for the Augustinian order. Only the priory church, featuring some of the finest early Gothic architecture in Northumberland, survives. The priory was dissolved under the Dissolution of Lesser Monasteries Act in 1536.

The estate passed to the Fenwick family who built the manor house on ruined outbuildings next to the church. The priory church was restored during the 19th century.