316 ANTIQUITIES 



and chattels in Selborne for the consideration of two hundred 

 pounds sterling. This last business was transacted in the 

 first year of Edward II. viz 1307. It has been observed 

 before that Gurdon had a natural son: this person was 

 called by the name of John Dastard, alias Wastard, but 

 more probably Bastard; since bastardy in those days was 

 not deemed any disgrace, though dastardy was esteemed the 

 greatest. He was married to Gunnorie Duncun; and had a 

 tenement and some land granted him in Selborne by his sister 

 Johanna. 



LETTER XL 



THE Knights Templars who have been mentioned in a 

 former letter, had considerable property in Selborne; and also 



The MILITAKY ORDERS of the RELIGIOUS. 



111 The Knights Hospitalars of St. John of Jerusalem, afterwards called 

 Knights of Rhodes, now of Malta, came into England about the year 1100, 

 1 Hen. I. 



The Knights Templars came into England pretty early in Stephen's 

 reign, which commenced 1135. The order was dissolved in 1312, and 

 their estates given by act of Parliament to the Hospitalars in 1323. (all 

 in JEdw. II.) though many of their estates were never actually enjoyed 

 by the said Hospitalars. Vid. Tanner, p. xxiv. x. 



The commandries of the Hospitalars, and preceptories of Templars, were 

 each subordinate to the principal house of their respective religion in 

 London. Although these are the different denominations, which Tanner 

 at p. xxviii. assigns to the cells of these different orders, yet throughout 

 the work very frequent instances occur of preceptories attributed to the 

 Hospitalars ; and if in some passages of Notitia Monast. commandries are 

 attributed to the Templars, it is only where the place afterwards became 

 the property of the Hospitalars, and so is there indifferently styled pre- 

 ceptory or commandry ; see p. 243, 263, 276, 577, 678. But, to account 

 for the first observed inaccuracy, it is probable the preceptories of the 

 Templars, when given to the Hospitalars, were still vulgarly, however, 

 called by their old name of preceptories; whereas in propriety the 

 societies of the Hospitalars were indeed (as has been said) commandries. 

 And such deviation from the strictness of expression in this case might 



