RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



HOUSE OF KNIGHTS TEMPLARS 



14. PRECEPTORY OF TEMPLE DINSLEY 



In a chapter of the Order of the Temple held 

 at Paris in the Octave of Easter 1 147,'- at which 

 Pope Eugenius III was present, Bernard de 

 Balliol gave the knights ' Wedelee,' a member 

 of Hitchin, or land to the value of ^^IS-* This 

 estate, which was at Dinsley,*' was confirmed 

 to them by King Stephen,* who added two 

 mills with the land and men belonging to 

 them,* and granted them also sac and soc, tol 

 and team and infangtheof, with all other free 

 customs in Dinsley.^ At what date the precep- 

 tory at Dinsley was founded is not known, but 

 that it was already established at the beginning 

 of the 13th century is certain, since a chapter 

 was held here between 1200 and 1205.* Besides, 

 the agreement of Mabel Abbess of Elstow, 

 c. 1218-22,' to pay the Templars a mark a year 

 and 4 lb. of wax for the maintenance of a 

 chaplain and the light of his chapel at Preston * 

 was apparently later than the arrangement by 

 which the nuns were to find a chaplain to 

 perform divine service three times a week at 

 Preston for the brothers of the Temple Hving 

 at Dinsley.* 



The property of the knights in the neighbour- 

 hood was increased from time to timej^" among 

 the larger gifts being 1 3 acres of land in Wandon 

 in King's Walden,^ and Charlton received in 

 1244-5 from Maud de Lovetot, formerly the 

 wife of Gerard de Furnival,^ and 2 marks rent 

 in Welles in Offleyi^^ from John de Balliol.i^ 



The Templars in January 1252—3 were 

 granted by Henry III free warren in their 

 demesne lands of Dinsley, Preston, Charlton, 

 Walden and Hitchin.** 



^ The year is not given, but at this chapter arrange- 

 ments were made for the second cruiade (Addison, 

 Tht Knights Templars, 25), which began in 1 147. 



' Cott. MS. Nero, E vi, fol. 133 d. 



2' V.C.H. Herts, i, 297 ; iii, 10. 



5 Cott. MS. Nero, E vi, fol. 134, 133 d. 



* Ibid. 



'Ibid. fol. 134. 



^ It was held by Aymeric de St. Maur, master of 

 the Temple, and William de Bernewood, preceptor 

 of London, was present (Madox, Formulare, 185). 

 Aymeric appears to have become master in 1200, 

 and William in or before 1205 ceased to be 

 preceptor of London {V.C.H. Land, i, 490). 



'' V.C.H. Beds, i, 357, n. 10. 



^ Cott. MS. Nero, E vi, fol. 128. 



» Ibid. 



'" Ibid. fol. 125 d., 126, 127, 130, 134. 



^^ V.C.H. Herts, iii, 7, 33. 



" Cott. MS. Nero, E vi, fol. 133. 



^^^ V.C.H. Herts, iii, 41. 



" Cott. MS. Nero, E vi, fol. 133. 



"Ibid, 



Not much is known about the preceptory, but 

 it was perhaps fairly important. Chapters of 

 the order, besides that already mentioned, were 

 held here c. 1219-29," c. 1254-9," ^'^ 1265," 

 1292," 1301," and 1304,'"' and, to judge from 

 evidence given in 1310, on several other occa- 

 sions.** 



The preceptor's jurisdiction extended to 

 Baldock, for in 1277 he was summoned to show 

 warrant for hanging a man there.^ 



At the time when the Templars were all 

 arrested by the king's order in January 1308 

 there seem to have been six brothers at Dinsley, 

 since the manor was charged with the main- 

 tenance of that number between 14 February 

 and 12 June while they were imprisoned in 

 Hertford Castle. ^^ Whether, however, they 

 were resident at Dinsley, and whether they 

 included Richard Peitevyn and Henry de Paul, 

 ' brothers at Dinsley,' who were afterwards sent 

 to the Tower of London,^* is uncertain. There 

 were besides six men then living at Dinsley as 

 pensioners of the house : one who had meals at 

 the squires' table and five who boarded with 

 the brothers.^^ 



After the suppression of the Order of the 

 Temple in 13 12 the manor was occupied for 

 some years by the lords of the fee, and then let 

 by them for 27 marks a year to William de 

 Langford, who in 1338 was still the tenant.^" 

 The Knights of St. John had meanwhile become 

 the owners in virtue of the Statute of 1324," 

 and eventually placed members of their order 



" It wai held by Alan Marcell (Cott. MS. Nero, 

 E vi, fol. 1 3 1 d.), who occurs as master of the Temple 

 at those dates {V.C.H. Lond. i, 490). 



" In the time of Amadeus de Morestello, master 

 of the Temple. On this occasion the Templars 

 granted a messuage in Hitchin for an annual rent 

 payable at their house of Dinsley (Cott. MS. Nero, 

 E vi, fol. 127). 



17 Cal. Pat. 1258-66, p. 586. 



18 Wolley Chart, i, 52. 



19 Cott. MS. Nero, E vi, fol. 129. 



20 Harl. Chart. 83 C 39. 



21 W\\\m%, Concilia, ii, 335, 337> 34°-3. 365-6. 

 As a proof that the place was well known, it la 

 perhaps worth noticing that it was given as the 

 scene of more than one of the crimes alleged against 

 the Templars (ibid. 361-2). 



22 Assize R. 323, m. 41, 6 Edw. I. 



23 L.T.R. Enr. Accts. 18, roll 23. 

 «* Wilkins, Concilia, ii, 347. 



25 Two were serving as priests (L.T.R. Enr. Accts. 

 18, roll 23). A man and his wife also received 

 their food and drink from the preceptory. 



26 Larking, Knights Hospitallers in Eng. (Camd. 



Soc), 172. ^ V . 



27 Stat, of the Realm (Rec. Com.), 1, 194-5- 



445 



