Heather Preceptory facts for kids
The 14th-century St. John the Baptist Church, originally established as a chapel by the Knights Hospitaller.
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 Location in Leicestershire
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| Monastery information | |
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| Full name | From the mid 14th-century: Dalby and Heather Preceptory |
| Order | Knights Hospitaller |
| Established | before 1199 |
| Disestablished | 1540 |
| Mother house | Dalby Preceptory |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Ralph de Greseley |
| Site | |
| Location | Heather, Leicestershire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°41′36″N 1°25′29″W / 52.693299°N 1.424586°W |
| Visible remains | Fragments incorporated into cellars of later house. |
Heather Preceptory (pronounced: He-ther) was a special kind of religious house, like a monastery. It was run by a famous group of warrior-monks called the Knights Hospitaller. This important place was located in the small village of Heather, Leicestershire, in the United Kingdom. The Knights Hospitaller were known for helping sick people and protecting pilgrims.
Contents
The Knights Hospitaller and Heather
The Heather Preceptory was set up by the Knights Hospitaller. It was founded by a person named Ralph de Greseley. This happened a very long time ago, even before the year 1199. This was during the time when King John ruled England.
At first, Heather was an independent preceptory. This means it managed itself. But around 1338, it became smaller. It then depended on another, bigger preceptory. Heather was joined with Dalby. Dalby was another place run by the Knights Hospitaller in Leicestershire.
After this, the two places were known as the "Dalby and Heather Preceptory". Dalby was the main center. The leader, called the Preceptor, was based there. Another preceptory, Rothley, also joined them before 1371.
Land and Income
The Knights Templar, another group of knights, also owned land in Heather. By the 1300s, they mostly rented out their land. They only directly farmed land at Dalby and Rothley Preceptories.
Around the year 1500, all the land at Dalby, Heather, and Rothley was rented out. In 1535, these three combined places made a lot of money for the Knights Hospitaller. They brought in about £231 each year. This was a very large sum of money back then!
The End of the Preceptory
The government closed down many monasteries and religious houses in England around 1540. This event is called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Heather Preceptory, along with Dalby and Rothley, was closed at this time.
The land that belonged to the preceptory at Heather was then given to two people. Their names were Oliver St. John and Robert Thornton.
What Remains Today
Today, a large house from the Georgian era stands on the site of the old preceptory. You can't see any parts of the original preceptory above ground. However, the cellars of the current house still have parts of the medieval walls. Old paving stones from the medieval period have also been found in the area.
