Aslackby Preceptory
Encyclopedia
The site of Aslackby Preceptory, Lincolnshire
is now occupied by the village of Aslackby. The structure of one of the houses includes parts of a Templar building. Temple Farm is built on the site of, and using material from, the ruins of the round church.
The Preceptory dates to the reign of Henry II
. In 1164 the church of Aslackby with its chapel was presented to the Templars by Hubert de Rye. After the order was suppressed in the first decade of the 14th century the property passed to Temple Bruer
.
photo of Aslackby Preceptory Church
photo of Aslackby Manor
which lived on one of the order's estates in the charge of its preceptor. From that its meaning was extended to include the estate and its buildings. The one at Aslackby was founded in 1192. Little of its structure survives but early descriptions and sketches indicate that its church was like that at Temple Bruer
, a chancel with apsidal
east end and a round nave to its west. This was a standard design for Templar churches in imitation of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The best-known example in England is the Temple Church
at the western end of the City of London
. Later, towers were built at both the Lincolnshire churches, the one at Aslackby apparently around 1200 and on the south side of the round nave.
In 1192 there was already a village with a small castle. The honour of Craon was divided and one third of a knight’s fee was granted to the Templars who managed it from Aslackby CW - U.T.
. Whereas the Templars had been established to protect people on pilgrimage
s to Jerusalem, the Hospitallers had the additional concern of providing accommodation for them. Under the Hospitallers, the equivalent of a Preceptory was a Commandery but Aslackby was not managed by the Hospitallers in this way. After 1312, the property was managed by leasing it out. Until the dissolution of the Hospitallers' order in England in 1540-41, the Aslackby estate was supervised from Temple Bruer so the buildings lost their higher status use from the early fourteenth century, unlike most English monastic buildings which were in use until the sixteenth. In 1539, the buildings were said to be in ruins. After the Hospitallers' houses in England were dissolved, the Aslackby lands were transferred into the secular hands of Lord Clinton.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
is now occupied by the village of Aslackby. The structure of one of the houses includes parts of a Templar building. Temple Farm is built on the site of, and using material from, the ruins of the round church.
The Preceptory dates to the reign of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. In 1164 the church of Aslackby with its chapel was presented to the Templars by Hubert de Rye. After the order was suppressed in the first decade of the 14th century the property passed to Temple Bruer
Temple Bruer
Temple Bruer is in a farm-yard in the civil parish of Temple Bruer with Temple High Grange, England. It is one of the few Knights Templar sites left in England where any ruins remain standing. Its name comes from its Templar ownership and its position in the middle of the Lincoln Heath, bruyère ...
.
photo of Aslackby Preceptory Church
photo of Aslackby Manor
The Templars
The word 'preceptory' is used for the community of the Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
which lived on one of the order's estates in the charge of its preceptor. From that its meaning was extended to include the estate and its buildings. The one at Aslackby was founded in 1192. Little of its structure survives but early descriptions and sketches indicate that its church was like that at Temple Bruer
Temple Bruer
Temple Bruer is in a farm-yard in the civil parish of Temple Bruer with Temple High Grange, England. It is one of the few Knights Templar sites left in England where any ruins remain standing. Its name comes from its Templar ownership and its position in the middle of the Lincoln Heath, bruyère ...
, a chancel with apsidal
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
east end and a round nave to its west. This was a standard design for Templar churches in imitation of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The best-known example in England is the Temple Church
Temple Church
The Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church...
at the western end of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. Later, towers were built at both the Lincolnshire churches, the one at Aslackby apparently around 1200 and on the south side of the round nave.
In 1192 there was already a village with a small castle. The honour of Craon was divided and one third of a knight’s fee was granted to the Templars who managed it from Aslackby CW - U.T.
The Hospitallers
When the order was disbanded in 1312, most of the property was transferred to another order, the Knights HospitallerKnights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
. Whereas the Templars had been established to protect people on pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
s to Jerusalem, the Hospitallers had the additional concern of providing accommodation for them. Under the Hospitallers, the equivalent of a Preceptory was a Commandery but Aslackby was not managed by the Hospitallers in this way. After 1312, the property was managed by leasing it out. Until the dissolution of the Hospitallers' order in England in 1540-41, the Aslackby estate was supervised from Temple Bruer so the buildings lost their higher status use from the early fourteenth century, unlike most English monastic buildings which were in use until the sixteenth. In 1539, the buildings were said to be in ruins. After the Hospitallers' houses in England were dissolved, the Aslackby lands were transferred into the secular hands of Lord Clinton.