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Proceedings of the Royal Irinh Academy. 



there themselves ; and then the King sent down sworn clerks with the 

 writ against the Templars and the ordinance, which were delivered to 

 the sheriffs after they and the lawful men had been sworn not 

 to divulge the matter to anyone before the writ had been executed.^ 



On reading the above ordinance, one is struck not only by the 

 extreme care which was taken to surprise the Templars, but also with 

 the anxiety displayed that their lands and goods should be taken great 

 care of, and that they themselves should be treated with due 

 consideration. 



The writ and ordinance did not reach the Justiciar till the 25th 

 January, 1308; but no time was lost, for the day fixed for carrying 

 out the ordinance in Ireland was the morrow of the feast of the 

 Purification (3rd February). On this day the lands of the Templars 

 were seized by the sheriffs. The Knights were conveyed to Dublin, 

 while careful inventories of their effects were drawn up. 



These inventories, together with an account of the proceedings in 

 each case, will be found in the certificate of the Barons of the 

 Exchequer sent to the English Exchequer (1 Edward III).^ Accord- 

 ing to these returns, the goods of the various preceptories and estates 

 were valued at £716 16s. 6^d. The Inventories give a very precise 

 list of household goods in the guardians' chamber, in the hall, cellar, 

 kitchen, granary, bakehouse, stable, and smithy of each preceptory; 

 of farming implements and stock, with ecclesiastical ornaments, 

 garments, and books. The details are interesting. In the Kilclogan 

 preceptory, the bed of Walter de Joneby was valued at one mark, that 

 of the chaplain at ten shillings, while the bed of Adam de Langport 

 was only worth half a mark. The servientes probably had no beds at 

 all. The minute detail of the inventories is shown by the fact that 

 the items range from a fork, value Id., one cruet of pewter, value Id., 

 and six rakes, each l^d., to a missal worth 40s. Of books, except those 

 for ecclesiastical purposes, we find but little mention, the most interest- 

 ing being " un' lib' galic' script' de Evangelicis," which was found 

 in the preceptory of Clontarf. But it is extremely surprising to find 

 the abodes of a military order so poorly equipped with arms. Thus 

 in Clontarf we only find three swords, price 3s. ; in Kilsaran, a 

 military cloak; in Kilclogan, two lances, each worth 6d., one iron 

 helmet, worth 12d., a balister and two baudreys, price 3s., and a bow, 

 worth Id. Instead of the luxury we should have expected, the 



1 Memoranda Roll, Excheq., 1 Ed. II, m. 19. 



2 Accounts, &c. (Excheq. Q. R.)> Bundle 239, No. 13, Pub. Rec. Office, London. 



