Religious house in earlier years (6)
I believe the answer is:
priory
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'religious house' is the first definition.
(priory can mean a monastery or nunnery)
'in earlier years' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
(Other definitions for priory that I've seen before include "Abbotless monastery" , "Religious residence" , "Religious establishment" , "in earlier years" , "Small monastery or nunnery" .)