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Summary

Preceptory at Temple Bruer

Full description

60735
PRN 60735
A Charter for the foundation of the preceptory at Temple Bruer was obtained in 1150-60, and land was donated by William, Lord of Ashby. Temple Bruer preceptory was a great estate centre, designed to farm efficiently large areas of countryside and to send the profits abroad. They seem to have used a version of the Cistercian grange system, working large blocks of land from specially constructed farmhouses as well as owning strips of land within the common fields in the more usual manorial system. The hard labour would have been carried out by paid servants and tenants. At Temple Bruer it seems that the Templars colonised the waste and deliberately established a village nearby to supply the labour (see 62765). The word ‘Bruer’ derives from Old French ‘bruiere’, meaning ‘heath’. {1}{9}{5}
In 1154 a Charter for a market was granted to the Knights Templar to be held at the manor. On 20th July 1259 King Henry III inspected this Charter, and, as the market had ‘hitherto not been made use of’, granted a change of day of the market to a Wednesday. A Charter for a fair to be held on the day of James the Apostle (25th July) was granted, also by Henry III on 20th July 1259, to brother Amadeus, the master and brethren of The Order (Knights Templars), to be held at the manor. {2}{3}
The Grand Prior of all England, William de la More was admitted to the preceptorship of Temple Bruer in 1300, when the Knights Templars owned over 10000 acres of land in Lincolnshire. However, in 1309 he was put on trial with his followers, and by 1312 the Order had been suppressed. After the suppression the preceptory passed to the Knights Hospitallers and was re-established as a commandery of that Order before its final dissolution in 1540-41. The Knights Hospitallers added the later buildings to the establishment. The property was subsequently given to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. {1}{4}{10}{6}
All that remains visible today is one of the church towers. Excavations in 1833 and 1908 revealed the foundations of a circular church, typical of the Knights Templars churches. The present farm buildings cover the site of most of the domestic buildings of the preceptory, such as barns and stables. The excavation in 1908 also demonstrated the presence of a second church tower and a crypt. Futher alterations and extensions to the building complex were also identified. Foundations were ploughed out to the west of Temple Farm (TF 006 536) in 1921, which may have included the precinct boundary. {1}{6}{7}{8}
For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {22}
Trial trenching at Temple Farm (TF 0900 5373) revealed a general background of medieval material, probably associated with the Preceptory. A crushed limestone floor surface of medieval date was also revealed. The surface was well compacted and very clean which may suggest that it belonged to a building which was well maintained and kept clean e.g. a dairy and was probably also associated with the Preceptory. Fragments of residual medieval tile indicated the presence of a tiled structure, again probably associated with the Preceptory. {23}{24}

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1150 AD to 1541 AD)
• PRECEPTORY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1150 AD to 1541 AD)
• TOWER (Medieval to Modern - 1150 AD to 2050 AD)

Associated Events

• Watching brief at Temple Bruer
• Aerial photographs of area around Temple Farm, 1952
• Aerial photographs taken of the area around Temple Farm, 1969
• Aerial photograph taken of the area around Temple Farm, 1991
• Site visit to the preceptory church tower, Temple Bruer
• Archaeological evaluation at Temple Farm, Temple Bruer

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument
• Listed Building
• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records

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