W.G. Hoskins (editor) assisted by R.A. McKinley
'House of Knights Templar: Preceptory of Rothley', A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2 (1954), pp. 31-32. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=38170 Date accessed: 21 November 2009. > Add to my bookshelf
HOUSE OF KNIGHTS TEMPLARS
13. PRECEPTORY OF ROTHLEY
The Knights Templars already possessed land
at Rothley in 1203, when King John confirmed
to them 5 librates of land there, given by John de
Harecurt. (fn. 1) A further 10 librates of land at
Rothley were given to the Templars by John de
Harecurt some years later, probably in 1218-19, (fn. 2)
but it is unlikely that a preceptory of the Order
of the Temple was established at Rothley until
Henry III, in 1231, granted the manor and
advowson of Rothley to the Templars in free
alms. (fn. 3) The church of Rothley, a large parish with
five dependent chapels, was appropriated in. 1240. (fn. 4)
A rental of c. 1250 gives the yearly revenue of
Rothley Bailwick as £62. 10s. 5d., besides a rent
of 5 marks from the Rothley mills. (fn. 5) The revenue
from Rothley was used to furnish a pittance for
the Templars at Acre. (fn. 6) Early in the 14th century
the Templars had granges at Baggrave and
Gaddesby, where they themselves carried on
farming. (fn. 7)
In 1308 Rothley was seized by the Crown,
together with the Templars' other possessions in
England. (fn. 8) An inventory of the Templars' goods
at Rothley, drawn up in 1309, mentions the hall
and chapel of the preceptory, and lists the livestock, including more than 350 sheep and lambs,
belonging to it. (fn. 9) The preceptory of Rothley thus
came to an end, though its lands were later
transferred to the Hospitallers. (fn. 10)
Preceptors of Rothley
Stephen of Todmershe. (fn. 11)
John Feversham. (fn. 12)
Walter of Ewenightewith. (fn. 13)
William of Wald. (fn. 14)
Alexander blundus. (fn. 15)
William of Colewell, occurs 1271. (fn. 16)
No seal is known.
Footnotes
| 1 |
Rot. Chart., 1199-1216 (Rec. Com.), 104. |
| 2 |
Rott. Lit.Claus., 1224-7 (Rec. Com.), 402. |
| 3 |
Cal. Chart. R., 1226-57, 135. |
| 4 |
Rot. Ric. Gravesend, ed. F. N. Davis, 162-4; cited
by A. Hamilton Thompson, 'The Vicars of Rothley',
T.L.A.S. xii, 122-3. The appropriation was to take
effect when the rectory became vacant. |
| 5 |
G. T. Ckrk, 'Customary of the Manor and Soke
of Rothley', Archaeologia, xlvii, 96. |
| 6 |
Cal. Pat., 1272-81,159; cited by G. F. Farnham,
'Rothley. The Descent of the Manor', T.L.A.S. xii,
44. |
| 7 |
T.L.A.S. xii, 45. |
| 8 |
Ibid. 45. |
| 9 |
T. H. Fosbrooke, 'Rothley. The Preceptory',
T.L.A.S. xii, 32-34. The inventory is also printed in
Nichols, Leics. iii, 947-8, where the date 1293 is
assigned to it in error. |
| 10 |
See the account of Dalby and Heather, below. |
| 11 |
Customary of the Manor and Soke of Rothley
(1881), ed. G.T. Clark, 13. The dates and order of
the first 5 preceptors are unknown. |
| 12 |
Ibid. 14. |
| 13 |
Ibid. 17. |
| 14 |
Ibid. 38. |
| 15 |
A Cal. of Chart. and Other Doc. belonging to the
Hosp. of Wm. Wyggeston, ed. A. Hamilton Thompson,
542. |
| 16 |
Ibid. 545. |