Witham Preceptory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids South Witham Preceptory |
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Site of South Witham Preceptory at Temple Hill
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| Location | Temple Hill |
| OS grid reference | TF 08643032 |
| Founded | 1164 or earlier |
| Demolished | After 1540 |
| Reference no. | 325499 |
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The Witham Preceptory was a special kind of religious house. It was like a headquarters or a farm for the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar were a famous group of Christian knights. They were active during the Middle Ages.
This preceptory was one of the smallest in England. It was built before 1164. You can find its remains at Temple Hill, near South Witham, in Lincolnshire. The Knights Templar left the site in 1308. After that, the land was mostly used for grazing animals. The preceptory was completely abandoned in the early 14th century.
Contents
Building the Preceptory
The South Witham Preceptory started small. It was just a simple hall with a few other buildings. This was before the year 1164. Two important people, Margaret Percy and Hubert de Rie, helped set it up. They gave a lot of money and support.
In the early 1200s, the site grew bigger. It became a well-organized farm. This farm had two halls, a chapel, and kitchens. It also had buildings for farming and making things. The River Witham flows at the bottom of the hill. The river's source is also nearby. The site also had a water-mill and ponds for fish. These features helped control the water.
The Chapel at South Witham
The chapel was built between 1200 and 1220. It was shaped like a rectangle. This was a bit unusual for a Knights Templar chapel. The Templars often built round churches. They wanted them to look like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This round style was unique in medieval England.
The chapel was about 12.8 meters (42 feet) long and 5 meters (16 feet) wide. It had a staircase in one corner. This stair might have led to a bell tower. Two large stone bases were found near the altar. These might have been for an Easter Sepulchre or a wall safe.
During digs in the 1900s, human remains were found inside the chapel. One body was found in the south part. It had been in a wooden coffin that had rotted away. Another body was found in the north. This one was in a stone coffin without a lid. A stone coffin lid from around 1250 was found nearby. It had been used as part of a footbridge over the River Witham since the 1550s. In 1905, it was moved to the church of St John the Baptist in South Witham.
Life in the Late 1200s
In the late 1200s, the preceptory grew even more. The main hall and chapel were rebuilt. The farm area got bigger. A wall was built around the whole complex.
At its largest, the preceptory was like a small village. It had a main courtyard. There was a gatehouse on the north side. Large barns were on the west. The living area, with the hall, rooms, chapel, and kitchen, was on the southeast. An area for workshops, with ovens and kilns, was on the east.
Archaeologists have found foundations for eighteen buildings. These buildings varied in size. Some were 4 by 8 meters (13 by 26 feet). Others were as large as 10 by 24 meters (33 by 79 feet). They also found signs of a kitchen garden. There was even a "hall keep." This was a strong building meant as a safe place during dangerous times.
Leaving the Preceptory
In 1308, the Knights Templar were arrested. Their lands were taken by the King. Records show that the preceptory was then run by farm workers. There were eight farm servants, twelve ploughmen, a manager, and three shepherds. They were all paid from a nearby Templar estate called Temple Bruer.
The Knights Templar order was officially ended by Pope Clement V in 1312. The Witham preceptory was completely empty by 1324. Its lands then went to another group of knights, the Knights Hospitaller. In 1338, the Hospitallers owned a dwelling, eight areas of ploughland, and half of the South Witham church. However, they probably did not live at the old preceptory. They likely added the land to their estate at Temple Bruer.
What Happened Later
In 1563, after the monasteries were closed down, the property was called 'Great Temple'. Elizabeth I gave it to Stephen Holford in 1562. Later, it was owned by Thomas Wimberley and his family. They kept it until about 1761.
By the late 1700s, the preceptory site was empty. It then passed to Lord William Manners. Later, it went to Lionel Tollemache, 8th Earl of Dysart. He owned it in the mid-1800s. In 1837, Thomas Moule wrote that only the foundations of the buildings remained. These foundations spread over several acres.
In the 1960s, archaeologists started digging at the site. Since the land had mostly been used for pasture, it had not been disturbed much. They found interesting items. These included a gilded ring, a knight's head belt buckle, arrowheads, and horseshoes.
Another archaeological dig happened in April 2002. This followed some earlier work in 2000. Evidence from the 11th to 15th centuries was found. It suggests that a lot of ironwork and bread-making happened in South Witham. These goods were likely made to supply local religious houses.
Images for kids
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Site of South Witham Preceptory at Temple Hill
Lincolnshire preceptories
Until their disbandment in 1312, the Knights Templar were major landowners on the higher lands of Lincolnshire, where they had a number of preceptories on property which provided income, while Temple Bruer was an estate on the Lincoln Heath, believed to have been used also for military training. The preceptories from which the Lincolnshire properties were managed were:
- Aslackby Preceptory, Kesteven (TF0830)
- Bottesford, Lindsey (SE8907)
- Eagle, Kesteven (SK875672)
- Great Limber, Lindsey (TA1308)
- Horkstow, Lindsey (SE9818)
- Witham Preceptory, Kesteven (SK928205)
- Temple Bruer, Kesteven (TF0054)
- Willoughton Preceptory, Lindsey (SK923931)
- Byard's Leap (SK990494) was part of the Temple Bruer estate.
