RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



HOUSE OF KNIGHTS TEMPLARS 



29. THE PRECEPTORY OF GUITING 



The preceptory of the Templars at Guiting 

 was founded about the middle of the twelfth 

 century. 1 Gilbert de Lacy and Roger de 

 Waterville gave lands at Guiting ; Roger, earl 

 of Hereford, and Roger d'Oilly were among 

 the benefactors of the Templars in Gloucester- 

 shire. 1 At the survey of the lands of the order 

 in 1185, the possessions of the preceptory of 

 Guiting were valued at il 101. 6J</.* The 

 preceptories were virtually cells of the head 

 house of the Templars in London, which were 

 established principally for the sake of managing 

 the property of the order. 4 The community 

 consisted of some serving brethren, a chaplain, 

 and one or more knights under the rule of the 

 preceptor, who was always a knight. After due 

 provision was made for their maintenance and 

 for hospitality, the surplus of the revenues was 

 sent to the Master of the Temple, and transmitted 

 by him to Palestine. 



The destruction of the order in England has 

 been carefully chronicled.* In obedience to the 

 bull of Clement V, under writs from Edward II, 



the Templars were suddenly arrested on 8 January, 



1308, in all parts of England, and their property 

 was seized for the king. 10 When they were 

 transferred as prisoners to the Tower of London 

 and to York and Lincoln Castles, in September, 



1309, John de Coningston, the preceptor of 

 Guiting, was sent to London. 11 Of all the 

 Templars who were examined and tortured in 

 England, only two serving brethren and one 

 chaplain were constrained to admit the truth of 

 the charges which were brought against them. 1 * 

 A compromise was at last effected. The 

 Templars agreed to confess that they had erred 

 in believing that the Master of their order, who was 

 a layman, had the power of granting absolution, 

 and that they were therefore guilty of heresy. 11 



They made a public abjuration of their error, 

 and in June, 1311, were absolved and reconciled 

 to the church. 1 * Their property was confiscated, 

 and a pension of t,d. a day was assigned to 

 them. John de Coningston and six other 

 Templars were sent to different monasteries in 

 the diocese of Worcester to do penance, and 

 their maintenance was a charge on the lands of 

 Temple Guiting. 1 * 



HOUSE OF KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS 



30. THE PRECEPTORY OF 

 QUENINGTON 



The manor of Quenington was given to the 

 Hospitallers by Agnes de Lucy and her daughter 

 Sibilla,* and a preceptory was established there 

 in or about H93- 7 The manor of Wishanger 

 was the gift of Asculf Musard. 8 



In 1338, when a survey was made of the 

 possessions of the Hospitallers, the gross value of 

 the preceptory was ^179 8j. 4^.' The income 

 was derived mainly from the manor of Quen- 

 ington, lands at Wishanger, and the churches of 

 Lower Guiting, Southrop, Down Ampney, and 

 Siddington. The community consisted of the 

 preceptor, two other knights, a chaplain, three 

 clerks, and several servants. The cost of their 

 maintenance, of hospitality, and other charges 

 amounted only to 57 6s. gd. t and the residue 

 of the income of the preceptory was paid to the 

 treasurer of the Hospitallers in London. The 

 Hospitallers experienced great difficulty in get- 



1 Dugdale, Mon. vii, 823. * Ibid. 



1 Ibid. ' Addiwn, The Knights Templan, 93. 



* Ibid. 459-559. * Dugdale, Man. vii, 836. 



7 Tanner, Notitia Monastita (ed. 1744), p. 148, 

 before I John. An agreement with the prior and 

 convent of Worcester was signed at the chapter at 

 Quenington in 1 193; cf. MSS. Dean and Chapter of 

 Worcester, Liber Pensionum, fol. I . 



' Dugdale, op. cit. vii, 836. 



' The Hoifitallers in England (Camd. Soc.), 28, 29. 



ting possession of the lands of the Templars, 

 which were granted to them by a bull of 

 Clement V in 1312. " In 1338 the manors of 

 Guiting and Bradwell and the church of Temple 

 Guiting, worth in all 210 marks a year, were 

 in the possession of Master Pancius, the king's 

 doctor. 17 The church of Temple Guiting and 

 the manor of Bradwell were probably annexed 

 soon afterwards to the preceptory of Quening- 

 ton, 18 but the Hospitallers never recovered 

 possession of the manor of Guiting. 



In 1535 the clear yearly value of the property 

 amounted 10^137 Js. i^d. lt The possessions of 

 the preceptory included the manors of Quenington, 

 Wishanger, Baunton, Calmsden and Hampenne in 

 Gloucestershire ; of Bradwell, Gosford, Sutton, 

 and Clanfield in Oxfordshire ; and the rectories of 

 Temple Guiting, Lower Guiting, Southrop, Down 

 Ampney, Siddington, Bradwell, and Kelmscott.* 



The preceptory was surrendered as part and 

 parcel of the possessions of the hospital of 

 St. John at Clerkenwcll in 1540. 



" Addison, The Knights Templan, 464. 



" Ibid. 467, 468. " Ibid. 530-7. " Ibid. 540. 



14 Ibid. 541. "Wore. Epis. Reg. Reynolds, fol. 64. 



" Addison, The Knights Templars, 466, 553-7. 



" The Hospitallers in England (Camd. Soc.), 193,213. 



" Vahr Eccles. (Rec. Com.),ii, 463. " Ibid. 463. 



" Ibid. 462, 463. cf. The Hespitalleri in Eng.and 

 (Camd. Soc.), 26. The possessions of the preceptory of 

 Clanfield h. d been united with it. 



"3 



