Wood — The Templars in Ireland. 



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was admitted into the Order by the Master at Clontarf, John Romayn, 

 at Kilbride, Diocese of Terns, and Adam de Langeport, at Ciwerk 

 (? Kilcork), Diocese of Kildare. It is extremely likely that the 

 important business was transacted at his visitations, such as the 

 appointment of clerks to advowsons, arranging transfers of property, 

 &c. It does not appear that his tenure was for life, for we find 

 Peter de Malvern as Master in 1300, but in 1308 he was only Pre- 

 ceptor of Kilclogan. Also William de Warenne was Master in the 

 years 1302-1306, but at the date of the dissolution he was only 

 preceptor of Clonaul. Under the Master came the Preceptors, who 

 managed the several manors and estates belonging to the Order. 

 Both the Master and Preceptors regularly went over every year to 

 London to assist at the General Chapter. The Preceptors had their 

 chaplains. IS'ext came the fratres servientes {armigeri), or esquires, 

 men-at-arms, originally intended to defend the possessions of the Order 

 from aggression, and to accompany the Templars to Palestine. In 

 later times, however, the defence of the preceptories was their only 

 duty. The Templars were several times assessed to provide men- 

 at-arms for the protection of the country, and probably for the 

 Scottish wars as well, but they always successfully resisted such a 

 claim, on the ground that they were free from such service by royal 

 grant. These servientes were not always esquires, for, according to 

 the French text of the rules of the Order, which was of later date 

 than the original Latin text, they might be of the citizen class. 

 Next in order to this class came the fratres servientes {famuli), or 

 servientes officii, who performed menial occupations, such as farming, 

 household work, &c. The Order farmed some of their land them- 

 selves, but portions they let out to tenants. They also possessed or 

 leased small portions of land which were not large enough for a pre- 

 ceptory, and these were managed by stewards. Besides their free 

 tenants, they had firmarii and letagii on their lands, ^ who had to give 

 certain days' assistance in the year. The Templars, in their precep- 

 tories, held manor courts, and also ecclesiastical courts, in which a 

 canonist, the conservator privilegiorum suoriim, sat and dispensed justice. - 

 A privilege which they shared with the feudal lords of the time, 

 and which was much prized, was that of having mills, to which not 

 only their tenants, but neighbours also, came to have their corn ground. 

 By the law of "milling soke," tenants were bound to support the 



1 Memoranda Roll, Exchequer, 4 Ed. II, m. 23. 

 - Addison's " Knights Templars," p. 59. 



