20. THE PRECEPTORY OF SHIPLEY
About 1125 Philip de Harcourt bestowed the
manor and church of Shipley upon the knights
of the Temple, subsequently, in 1154, adding
the church of Sompting, with which apparently
went the chapel of Cokeham in which, however,
the family of Bernehus had certain rights
which were the occasion of several disputes.
Another chapel belonging to this house was that
of Knepp in the neighbourhood, of which the
monks of Sele claimed certain tithes; by an
agreement made in 1181 the monks surrendered
these claims, and undertook, that if any of their
brethren should minister in the chapel of Knepp
he should pay over all offerings received to the
preceptor of Shipley, who should give him such
remuneration as he saw fit. The advowsons of
Woodmancote and Southwick, originally granted
to the Templars of Saddlescombe, appear to have
been taken over by the larger preceptory of
Shipley—indeed, it is not improbable that at the
time of the suppression of the order Saddlescombe
may have been only a 'camera' of Shipley.
The inventory made in 1308 gives a long list
of household and farming implements, a small
quantity of armour, twenty silver spoons, and 'a
book of Kings and a book of Beasts,' the value
of which was unknown to the jurors. The
manor of Shipley was returned at £8 18s. 1¼d.,
the church at £13 6s. 8d., and the goods at
£73 12s. 3d. At Sompting, the lands and church
together were worth £27 13s. 4d., and the
goods £24 19s. 7½d. There was a further
£6 arising from lands in Loxwood and Wisborough.
Among the knights examined with regard to
the charges brought against their order were
William de Egendon, who had been preceptor
of Shipley for four years, William de la Fenne,
a former member of this house, in the dormitory
of which he had been admitted fifteen years
earlier, and three others connected with Shipley.
These all stood up staunchly for their order, but
another Sussex templar, Richard de Kocfeld, said
that John de Borne, confessor to Earl Warenne,
said that he had ruined his soul by joining the
order, while he further related that Walter,
rector of Hoathly, had told him that he had
heard that a certain Templar had said there was
one article of the oath of admission which he
could never reveal to any living creature.
Preceptors of Shipley
John de Hamedon, occurs 1247
Thomas de la Fenne, occurs 1288 (fn. 1) 1292 (fn. 2)
William de Egendon, 1304-8.