A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



settled at Newbond before they founded a pre- 

 ceptory at Newsam. In the suirey of 1185" 

 it is stated that the property at Newsam, amount- 

 ing to 16 carucates, was obtained from William 

 de Villiers by purchase. At this time, Penhill 

 and Cowton seem to have gone with Newsam, 

 the total value of the whole being just under ;^io. 

 The church of Whitkirk was then returned as 

 in demesne, except the altar which Paul the 

 priest held for a yearly payment of 3 marks. 

 About the year 1 200 Robert Stapleton obtained 

 licence from the Templars at their chapter in 

 London to build a chapel and establish a chantry 

 at Thorpe Stapleton, swearing fealty to the 

 Templars and reserving the ofiFerings to the church 

 of Whitkirk. In 1 291 the vicarage of Whitkirk 

 was returned as in the hands of the Templars 

 and worth £5.^ 



At the time of its seizure in 1308 the pre- 

 ceptory of Newsam was one of the most wealthy 

 in the county, the total value being returned as 

 j^i74 3i. 3J." With the exception of a chalice 

 worth bos. the furniture of the chapel was plain. 



Brother John, preceptor of Newsam, was 

 attorney for the Master of the Temple in 1293,'^ 

 and Godfrey de Arches, or de Arcubus, was 

 preceptor in 1308 and was then arrested, as were 

 also Raymond de Rypon, claviger, and Thomas 

 de Stanford, a brother in residence.*' 



76. THE PRECEPTORY OF WESTER- 

 DALE 



On 25 June 1203 King John confirmed to 

 the Templars the gift of Guy de Bonaincurt, 

 which Hugh Balliol had confirmed, of the vill 



of Westerdale,'* and this was one of the estates 

 for which free warren was granted to the 

 Templars in 1 248." 



A moiety of the advowson of Beeford Church, 

 which was shared between the Templars and 

 the priory of Bridlington,"* seems to have gone 

 with this preceptory." In 1308 the Wester- 

 dale estates were valued at ;^32 igs. bd. and 

 the preceptory itself consisted of chapel, hall, 

 kitchen, and outbuildings."" 



Two preceptors are known ; Stephen de Radc- 

 nache held that office in 1308,*' and during the 

 trial in 1 3 10, Sir John de Eure said that once 

 William de la Fenne, ' then preceptor of Wes- 

 dall,' had dined with him, and after dinner had 

 produced a book which he showed to Sir John's 

 wife. The lady found in it a paper containing 

 certain anti-Christian heresies, which she showed 

 to her husband ; the Templar then said with a 

 smile that he who wrote the paper was * a great 

 ribald,' and took the book away. Brother Wil- 

 liam, who at this time was preceptor of Faxfleet, 

 said by way of excuse that he was a layman, 

 and so did not know what was in the book.™ 



77- 



THE PRECEPTORY OF WHITLEY 



The manor of Whitley came into the hands 

 of the Templars before 1248, in which year 

 they had a grant of free warren on their lands 

 there." This property was valued in 1308 at 

 ^^130 1 5$. lOJ., and the live stock included two 

 saddle-horses belonging to William de Grafton, 

 preceptor of Yorkshire, and a black saddle-horse 

 belonging to the preceptor of Whitley, Robert 

 de Langton.'^ 



HOUSES OF KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS 



78. BAILIWICK OF YORK 



The Order of Knights of the Hospital of 

 St. John of Jerusalem settled at Mount St. John 

 in Feliskirk in the I2th century and at Newland 

 and Beverley in the early years of the following 

 century. Upon the suppression of the Knights 

 Templars in 1 31 2 they received a large accession 



" Exch. K.R. Misc. Bks. xvi, fol. 59-62. 

 ^ Pope Nkh. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 323. 

 " E.xch. Anct. Extents, 1 8, no. 7. 

 " A>5ize R. I loi, m. 66. 

 " J'orks. Arch. Joum. x, 437, 439. 

 " MS. in Muniment room, Kirkleatham Hall. 

 " Cal. Chart. R. 1226-57, p. 331. 

 " I'oris. Fines, Join (Surt. See.), 4. 

 L.irking, Knights Hospitallers in Engl. (Camd. Soc), 



67 



142 



6S 



69 

 71 



r> 



Exch. Anct. Extents, 16, no. 11 ; 18, no. 10. 

 y'orks. Arch. Joum. x, 43 2 . '" Wilkins, loc. cit. 



Cal. Chjirt. R. 1226-57, P- 33 '• 

 Exch. Anct. Extent?, 18, no. 8. 



of property in the county, but of the seven 

 Templar preceptories handed over to the Hos- 

 pitallers Ribston alone appears to have continued 

 in the independent position of a preceptory. 



As in the case of the Templars, there seems 

 to have been a 'chief preceptor' for the county. 

 Nicholas de Cardinel witnessed a deed in 1 189 

 as ' Master of the Hospitallers of York ' ' ; 

 Walter Dewyas was 'rector of the Hospital of 

 St. John of Jerusalem in York ' in 1220,^ and 

 Ralph de Castro was preceptor of Yorkshire in 

 1317.^ 



Besides their four preceptories the Hospitallers 

 had 'camerae'at Copgrave, Huntington, and 

 Stainton.' These may at first have been under 

 the ' chief preceptor,' but seem in 1338 to have 



' Anct. D. (P.R.O.), A. 6809. 

 ' Cal. Chart. R. 1257-1300, p. 449. 

 '^ Cal. Pat. 1317-21, p. 80. 



' Larking, Knights Hospitallers in Engl. (Carad. Soc), 

 112-13. 



260 



