the abbey of the minoresses of st. clare without aldgate known also variously as the "abbey of the blessed virgin mary, aldgate" or the "house of minoresses of the order of st clare of the grace of the blessed virgin mary" or the "minoresses without aldgate" or "st clare outside aldgate" or the "minories, london" was a monastery of franciscan women living an enclosed life, established in the late 13th century on a site often said to be of five acres, though it may have been as little as half that, at the spot in the parish of st. botolph, outside the medieval walls of the city of london at aldgate that later, by a corruption of the term "minoresses", became known as "the minories", a placename found also in other english towns including birmingham, colchester, newcastle upon tyne and stratford-upon-avon.