A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



70. THE PRECEPTORY OF FOUL- 

 BRIDGE 



Little is known of this preceptory. At the 

 time of the suppression of the order the estates 

 of Foukebridge, Allerston, and Wydale were 

 returned as worth (?) £2$^ 3$. 2d. The furni- 

 ture of the chapel included four crosses, ' two 

 with images and two without.' *• Another 

 return mentions that the Templars supported a 

 chaplain and gave alms three days in the week 

 to any poor persons who came.^' The only 

 known preceptor is Richard de Hales, who was 

 arrested in 1308.^ 



71. PRECEPTORY OF PENHILL 



Roger Mowbray, by a charter assigned to 

 about I 142, granted timber from his forests of 

 Nidderdale, Malzeard, and Masham for the build- 

 ing of three of the Templars' houses wherever they 

 might wish at Penhill, Cowton, and ' Reinhou.'*' 

 While this points to the early establishment of a 

 preceptory here, it is noticeable that in the survey 

 of 1 185 the estates at ' Pennel,' consisting of 

 2 carucates given by William son of Hugh, 

 were accounted for under Temple Newsam.^ 

 That the knights had some sort of an establish- 

 ment here shortly after this date seems clear, as 

 a fine of 1202 relating to their property in 

 Witton mentions the house and the cemetery of 

 the brethren." 



There was a chapel at Penhill, of which the 

 ruins, containing an altar and some stone coffins, 

 were excavated some years since." This no 

 doubt adjoined the cemetery just mentioned, as 

 a number of coffins were found outside the east 

 wall. Early grants are recorded for the support 

 of the lights of St. Katherine and the Holy Cross 

 at Penhill,'' and the chapel is mentioned at the 

 time of the suppression of the order as contain- 

 ing a chalice worth 20J. and a few books and 

 vestments.'* 



The only known preceptor of Penhill is 

 Thomas de Belleby, who was arrested in 1308." 



72. THE PRECEPTORY OF RIBSTON 

 AND WETHERBY 



About 12 1 7 Robert de Ros gave to the 

 Templars his manor of Ribston, with the 

 advowson of the church, the vill and mills of 



" Eich. Anct. Extents, 18, no. 14. 

 " Ibid. 16, no. 25. 



" Torks. Arch. Joum. x, 432. " Ibid, viii, 259. 



" Exch. K.R. Misc. Bks. xvi, fol. 60. 

 " I'orks. Fines, John (Surt. Soc), 26, Ixii. 

 " W. S. B. Jones Barker, Hist, and Topog. Acct. oj 

 WensleydaU (1853). 



" Torks. Arch. Journ. viii, 259. 



" Exch. .A.nct. Extents, 1 8, no. 4. " Ibid. no. I . 



258 



Walshford, and the vill of Hunsingore." This 

 property had come to Robert de Ros from his 

 mother. Rose Trussebut; and her sisters, Hilary 

 and Agatha, at some date prior to 1240, made 

 grants of various woods in the neighbourhood 

 to the preceptory. Robert son of William 

 Denby gave the vill of Wetherby to the Templars, 

 and other smaller grants followed. 



Besides the church of Hunsingore the Tem- 

 plars had chapels at Wetherby, Ribston, and 

 apparently at Walshford. The chapel of St. 

 Andrew at Ribston stood in the churchyard of 

 the parish church, and in 1231 was the subject 

 of an arrangement between the brethren and the 

 rector. About this time a sum of J^2 1 61. was 

 assigned for the support of a chaplain at Ribston 

 for the good of the soul of Robert de Ros. 



The estates at Ribston and Wetherby seem to 

 have formed a single preceptory, but were valued 

 separately at the time of their seizure in 1308. 

 Wetherby " was then returned as worth 

 ;^I20 7i. 8^., and Ribston, including North 

 Deighton and Lound, at £26"] 131." The 

 chapels in each case were simply furnished, but 

 Ribston was remarkable as possessing two silver 

 cups, three masers, and ten silver spoons — more 

 secular plate than all the other Yorkshire pre- 

 ceptories put together. At the time of the trial 

 of the Templars, Gasper de NafFerton, who had 

 been chaplain at Ribston, related certain cases in 

 which the brethren had observed a great and, as 

 he now perceived, suspicious secrecy in matters 

 touching admission to the order." And Robert 

 de Oteringham, a Friar Minor, who gave evi- 

 dence against the Templars," said that at Ribston 

 a chaplain of the order, after returning thanks, 

 denounced his brethren, saying ' The Devil 

 shall burn you ! ' He also saw one of the 

 brethren, apparently during the confusion which 

 ensued on this exclamation, turn his back upon 

 the altar. Further, some twenty years before, 

 he was at Wetherby, and the chief preceptor, who 

 was also there, did not come to supper because 

 he was preparing certain relics which he had 

 brought from the Holy Land ; thinking he heard 

 a noise in the chapel during the night, Robert 

 looked through the keyhole, and saw a great 

 light, but when he asked one of the brethren 

 about it next day he was bidden to hold his 

 tongue as he valued his life. At Ribston, also, 

 he once saw a crucifix lying as if thrown down 

 on the altar, and when he was going to stand it 

 up he was told to leave it alone. As this was 

 some of the most direct and damaging evidence 

 given during the trial the weakness of the case 

 against the Templars is obvious. 



" Dugdale, Mon. Angl. vi, 838. The charters 

 relating to this preceptory have been fully treated in 

 Torks. Arch. Journ. vii, viii and ix. 



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



"Ibid. no. 15. 



" Wilkins, op. cit. 362. •• Ibid. 359. 



