Houses of Knights Hospitallers: The preceptory of Sutton at Hone

26. THE PRECEPTORY OF SUTTON AT HONE

Geoffrey Fitz Peter, earl of Essex, made a grant to William de Wrotham, archdeacon of Taunton, of all his land of ' Sutton de la Hane' to make a hospital for the maintenance of thirteen poor men and three chaplains in honour of the Holy Trinity, St. Mary, and All Saints. (fn. 1) King John confirmed the grant on 29 October, 1199, (fn. 2) and on 9 February, 1214, he granted that the brethren of the hospital should have that land and whatever they might acquire afterwards with all liberties and customs such as the brethren of the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem had. (fn. 3) We do not hear more of the hospital, and it would seem to have passed to the Hospitallers, for in a list of their possessions Robert Basinge is said (fn. 4) to have given to them the manors of ' Sutton at Hoone,' Dartford and Hawley, and his son John de Basynges granted to them all the land which he held of their fee in those manors. (fn. 5) A large number of small grants in Sutton and Dartford are transcribed in the chartulary of the hospital, (fn. 6) and several of these are said to be made to the Hospitallers dwelling at Sutton at Hone, thus showing that a preceptory was established there. It was, however, broken up before 1338, when the manor of Sutton, with three carucates of land, was demised at farm to Sir John de Pulteneye for 40 marks yearly, the fraria or voluntary contribution, which was estimated at 20 marks yearly, being reserved to the Hospital. (fn. 7) After the Dissolution the manor and chapel of Sutton were granted in fee to Maurice Dennys on 22 March, 1544. (fn. 8)

Masters of Sutton

Walter (fn. 9)
Richard de Bramford, occurs 1251 (fn. 10)