RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



The Yorkshire estates of the Templars con- 

 sisted of the preceptories of Coptnanthorpe (with 

 the Castle Mills of York), Faxfleet, Foulbridge, 

 Penhill, Ribston, Temple Cowton, Temple Hirst, 

 Temple Newsam, Westerdale, and Whitley, and 

 the manors of Alverthorpe and Etton, which, 

 although possessing chapels, do not seem to have 

 had preceptors. All these estates, with the 

 exception of Faxfleet, Temple Hirst, and Temple 

 Newsam, passed to the Hospitallers. 



So important were the Templars' holdings in 

 the county that a 'chief preceptor ' or 'master' 

 was appointed for Yorkshire from early times. 



Chief Preceptors of Yorkshire 



Walter Brito, c. 1220 ' 



Roger de Scamelesbi, c. 1240^" 



William de Merden, c. 1270 * 



Robert de Haleghton, or Halton, occurs 1290, 



1293 ' 

 Thomas de Thoulouse, c. 1301 ° 

 William de Grafton, occurs 1304,' arrested 



13088 



given them by Thomas ' Ultra Usam,' a 

 prominent citizen of York. Henry III in 1232 

 gave them another strip of land adjoining the 

 mills. ^' In 1308 the property in York con- 

 sisted of the mills, a messuage with a garden, and 

 three plots of land.'* There was a chapel at 

 the mills to which William de Appelby paid 48^. 

 yearly for the support of a chantry." This 

 chapel was well furnished, possessing a gilt chalice 

 worth loox., nine service-books of different 

 kinds, and various vestments and ornaments." 

 The value of the mills was returned at ^^ i o lis., 

 while the estate of Copmanthorpe, of which the 

 chapel was exceptionally well provided, was 

 valued at ^^80 16s. 2d. 



No preceptor of Copmanthorpe was amongst 

 the knights arrested in 1308, and the only holder 

 of the post whose name is known is Robert de 

 Reygate, who, with John, chaplain of the 

 Castle Mills, was accused in 1292 of having set 

 nets below the mills to catch the king's fish." 

 He was still preceptor the following year.'' 



68. THE PRECEPTORY OF COPMAN- 

 THORPE, WITH THE CASTLE 

 MILLS, YORK 



William Malbys gave the manor of Copman- 

 thorpe and other property to the Templars on 

 condition that they should support a chaplain to 

 celebrate for the souls of himself and his relations 

 in the chapel of the manor.' The date of this 

 grant is uncertain, but it must have been prior to 

 1258, as the manor is mentioned as belonging to 

 the brethren in a confirmatory charter by William 

 de Ros, who died in that year.'" 



A return made in 1292 states that the 

 preceptor of Copmanthorpe was keeper of the 

 mills below the castle at York." These mills 

 were given to the Templars by Roger de 

 Mowbray prior to 1185, at which date they 

 were let for 15^ marks.'^ With the mills at this 

 time the brethren held in York three tofts which 

 they had bought, and another which had been 



^ Rievaulx Chartul. (Surt. Soc), 26, 240; occurs, 

 as Walter only, in 1216 ; Rot. Lit. Pat. (Rec. Com ), 

 i, 165. 



'^ Percy Chartul. (Surt. Soc), 46. He was precep- 

 tor of Willoughton (Lines.) in 1223, and of Lindsey 

 in 1234 ; Cott. MS. Nero, D. iii, fol. 15. 



* Torks. Arch. Rec. xxxix, 162. 

 ' He was falsely accused of being concerned in 



the death of William de Eyvill of South Cave ; Pat. 

 18 Edw. I, m. 37 ; 2 1 Edw. I, m. 21. 



* Wilkins, Concilia, ii, 341. 

 ' Torks. Arch. Journ. x, 286. ' Ibid. 432. 

 ' Exch. Anct. Extents, 1 7. 

 '° Torks. Arch. Journ. vii, 441. 

 " Assize R. 1268, m. 27. 

 " Exch. K.R. Misc. Bks. xvi, fol. 64. 



3 257 



69. THE PRECEPTORY OF FAXFLEET 



Although very little is known of this precep- 

 tory, it was clearly one of the most important in 

 the county. The value in 1308 is returned as 

 ^^290 4s. lod., a greater sum than was set down 

 for any other Yorkshire preceptory ; the chapel 

 was remarkably well provided, the value of its 

 contents reaching the exceptional sum of ^^12, 

 and there was ' a certain treasury with many 

 written deeds and bulls relating to estates in 

 Yorkshire,' which was duly locked up and sealed 

 with the seals of the sheriff and the preceptor of 

 Yorkshire." 



Several of the Templars arrested in 1308 said 

 that they had been received into the order of 

 Faxfleet. Hugh of Tadcaster, for instance, 

 related how he had formerly been ' claviger ' at 

 Faxfleet, and when he desired to be admitted the 

 Grand Master, William de la More, received 

 him into the order in the chapel.^" 



Geoffrey Jolif was preceptor in 1290;^' 

 Brother Stephen held that oflice in 1301, when 

 Thomas le Chamberleyn was admitted to the 

 order ; ^^ and William del Fen was preceptor in 

 1308, when he was arrested, with Richard de 

 Ryston, chaplain, Thomas Tyeth, claviger, and 

 Roger de Hugunde or Hogyndon, a brother in 

 residence at Faxfleet.^' 



" Cal. Chart. R. 1226-57, P- H^- : 



" Exch. Anct. Extents, 16, no. 23. 



"Ibid. 'Mbid. 18, no. 6. 



" Assize R. 1268, m. 26. 



" Ibid. 1098, m. 60. 



" Exch. Anct. Extents, 18, no. 13. 



'" Wilkins, Concilia, ii, 335. 



" Pat. 18 Edw. I, m. 37. « Wilkins, loc. cit. 



" Torks. Arch. Journ. x, 432. 



33 



