THE KNIGHTS OF ST LAZARUS
IN LEICESTERSHIRE
The Order of St. Lazarus, a medieval crusading order, had a significant presence in England, particularly around Leicestershire. Their main English house was located at Burton Lazars, near Melton Mowbray, which was a leper hospital founded in the 12th century
TILTON-ON-THE-HILL
The hospital at Tilton was given to that at Burton Lazars by William Burdet before 1184.
A Leper hospital was founded at Tilton before 1189 and was annexed to Burton Lazars in the same county. Site not ascertained. However two possible locations are muted in the small village, the first is a recorded medival moated site, next to a dammed Medieval fish pond, the second is possibly where the Manor farm house now is situated - with evidence of a fish pond once on the lands, visable on lidar, and also an outbuilding still standing, known locally as "the chapel" which could have once been a fragment of the small monastic hospital.
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BURTON LAZARS - Lands & St James Church
Burton Lazars: Home of the Leper Knights
Nestled just two kilometres south of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, the peaceful village of Burton Lazars holds the remnants of a once powerful and sacred site — the principal English hospital of the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.
Who Were the Order of St. Lazarus?
Known as the "Leper Knights," the Order of St. Lazarus was a unique monastic and military order, founded during the Crusades with a dual mission: caring for those suffering from leprosy and defending the Christian faith. Unlike other knightly orders, the Lazarites were renowned for offering refuge and medical care to lepers — including among their own ranks.
The Foundation of Burton Lazars
Founded between 1138 and 1162 by Robert de Mowbray, Burton Lazars became the most important leper hospital in medieval England. The site served not only as a refuge for the sick but also as the administrative centre for the Order’s English holdings, overseeing other houses across the country. This made Burton Lazars a key hub for both medical care and the Order’s strategic operations during and after the Crusades.
The Site Today
The remains of the medieval hospital complex still lie in the fields west of the village. Now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, the site includes:
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Moated enclosures and a series of fishponds — believed to have been used for curative bathing.
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Earthworks outlining the former chapel, infirmary, cloister, and main preceptory buildings.
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A naturally occurring sulphurous spring, possibly used in the treatment of leprosy.
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Remnants of what may have been a gatehouse and a bell tower.
Excavations, including those in 1913 by Charles Lindsay and the Duke of Rutland, revealed significant structural remains such as tile kilns, paving, and carved stonework. The site's layout and complexity confirm Burton Lazars’ status as a large and sophisticated medical institution of its time.
Legacy and Relics
Although the hospital was damaged by fire in the 14th century and finally dissolved in 1546, its legacy survives in both the landscape and the local church.
Adjacent to the hospital site, St James' Church, while not directly linked, houses several artefacts thought to originate from the leper hospital. These include:
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Fragments of Norman architecture, such as octagonal columns once believed to have lined the hospital chapel, richly decorated with maple leaves and fleurons — compared by some to the famous Apprentice Pillar in Rosslyn Chapel.
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A poignant stone corbel known as Roger the Leper, dating to the mid-13th century. It depicts a man with facial features distorted by advanced leprosy — a haunting yet compassionate reminder of those the Order served.
Visiting the Site
Today, the site of Burton Lazars lies on private farmland. While the earthworks are still visible, visitors are encouraged to seek permission before exploring. Though the buildings are gone, the site remains a place of historical importance and quiet reflection — a testament to an order of knights who chose compassion over
conquest.
Dugdale writes about Burton Lazars in his Monasticon Anglicanum (1655–1673)
" Roger Mowbray, in the time of King Stephen, giving two caracutes of land, a house, Mill, (sic) to the Lepers of St Lazarus, without the walls of Hierusalem, laid the foundations of a well endowed Hospital, consisting of a master and Eight sound, as well as several poor leprous bretheren, which was the chief of all spittles or Lazare Houses in England, but dependant upon the great house at Heirusalam"
The Site of the Possible Gatehouse at Burton Lazars Order of St Lazarus Hospital Burton Lazars
The Site of the Fishponds at Burton Lazars Order of St Lazarus Hospital Burton Lazars
The Site of the Church/Chapel at Burton Lazars Order of St Lazarus Hospital Burton Lazars
The Site of the Possible Gatehouse at Burton Lazars Order of St Lazarus Hospital Burton Lazars
LOWESBY - All Saints Church
The Burdet family founded Loseby parish church and generously granted its advowson to the Order of St Lazarus, based at nearby Burton Lazars, supporting the Order for many generations. Around 1290, however, tensions arose when the Order began claiming a portion of the parish’s tithes. Over the following years, disputes escalated into riots, the parish vicar was excommunicated, and in 1297, William Burdet’s actions reportedly “polluted” the churchyard with bloodshed. Eventually, order was restored: in 1298, Sir William Burdet funded the reconsecration of the church and reaffirmed his family’s earlier grants to the Order. Despite this resolution, the relationship between the Burdets and the Order would never fully recover.
GAULBY
St James Church, Burton Lazars. - Effigy Roger Beler Patron of the Order
Adjacent to the former hospital site stands the Church of St James, a later parish church not officially connected to the hospital — yet it holds tangible links to the lost medieval complex.
Within its walls are stone fragments and carvings believed to have come from the original chapel at Burton Lazars. Among the most striking is a carved stone corbel known affectionately as “Roger the Leper.” This mid-13th century figure is depicted with sunken eyes, a collapsed nasal bridge, and an open mouth, characteristic of advanced leprosy. It is a rare, haunting, and compassionate portrayal of someone who may have lived — or been treated — within the walls of the hospital.
Also found at the church are octagonal columns and foliated carvings resembling the ornate style seen at sites like Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. Historian David Marcombe, in his book Leper Knights, notes these flourishes may once have lined the hospital chapel, reflecting the Order’s considerable resources and cultural ambition
Queniborough
Melton Mowbray - The Anne of Cleves Inn:
Tucked in the heart of the historic market town of Melton Mowbray, the Anne of Cleves Inn is far more than a charming, family-run pub—it’s a rare surviving remnant of one of medieval England’s most extraordinary orders: the Knights of St Lazarus, also known as the Leper Knights.
Less than two miles away lies the village of Burton Lazars, once home to the grand leper hospital and headquarters of the Order of St Lazarus in England. Founded in the 12th century by Roger de Mowbray, a crusading nobleman, the hospital at Burton Lazars became a centre of care for those suffering from leprosy—a feared and misunderstood disease at the time. The Leper Knights, members of the Order of St Lazarus, were dedicated not only to military and religious duties but also to caring for society’s most vulnerable.
In 1384, what is now the Anne of Cleves Inn began its life as an important manor house for the order. It served as the residence for fourteen chantry priests who ministered to the lepers at the hospital nearby. This building was part of a broader spiritual mission, as the priests offered prayers and administered the sacraments for both the living and the dead—a vital part of medieval Christian practice.
Today, the Anne of Cleves Inn retains the warm character of its medieval origins while offering the comforts of modern hospitality. With its exposed oak beams, historic stonework, and inviting atmosphere, the inn provides a unique opportunity to dine and relax in a setting steeped in centuries of history. Whether you're enjoying a local ale by the fireplace or exploring the town’s rich heritage, you are walking in the footsteps of knights, priests, and pilgrims who shaped this corner of Leicestershire.
A visit to the Anne of Cleves is not just a trip to the pub—it’s a journey back through time, where medieval faith, service, and community spirit are still quietly echoed in its walls.
WYCOMB
STATHERN
COLD NEWTON
KIMCOTE
MELTON MOWBRAY - Anne of Cleeves
Just outside Melton Mowbray, the Anne of Cleves pub sits on ground with a remarkable medieval story.
In the Middle Ages, this area was closely connected to the Order of St Lazarus, a religious order often known as the “Leper Knights”. Their main English centre was the nearby leper hospital at Burton Lazars, founded in the 12th century to care for people suffering from leprosy.
The building now known as the Anne of Cleves originally played a supporting role in this wider system, housing clergy who ministered to the hospital and its community. While it is not a knightly stronghold itself, it forms part of the landscape of care and faith that the Order of St Lazarus helped establish in medieval Leicestershire.
Today, it stands as a rare surviving link to a time when Melton’s countryside was quietly connected to one of medieval Europe’s most unusual religious orders.
GREAT DALBY
The Order of St Lazarus and Great Dalby
Great Dalby, a medieval village in Leicestershire, lay within the sphere of influence of Order of Saint Lazarus, whose English headquarters was at nearby Burton Lazars.
Founded in the 12th century, the Order was dedicated to the care of lepers and supported through a network of scattered lands and rents rather than large estates.
What did the Order hold in Great Dalby?
Evidence from the Valor Ecclesiasticus shows that Burton Lazars received income from Great Dalby, recorded as:
“De redditu in Dalby Magna…”
(“From rent in Great Dalby…”)
This indicates that:
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The Order did not own the manor
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Instead, it received a fixed annual rent from land in the village
Who gave this land—and when?
The original grant is not recorded by name, but it was almost certainly:
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Given between c. 1150–1250
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Donated by a local freeholder or minor landowner
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Intended as a pious endowment to support the hospital at Burton Lazars
The land itself remained in private hands, but the rent became a permanent obligation attached to it.
After the Dissolution
When the Order was dissolved in 1544, its income—including the Great Dalby rent—passed to the Crown and was later absorbed into local estates. The original holding has not yet been identified, but the rent likely continued under new ownership.
What remains today?
No visible Lazarite property survives in Great Dalby. However:
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The site of Burton Lazars still exists as earthworks
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Great Dalby retains its medieval layout and church
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The connection survives in historical records rather than buildings
Summary
Great Dalby’s link to the Order of St Lazarus was small but significant:
a single medieval rent, granted by a local landholder, which supported one of England’s most important leper hospitals for centuries.
KNIGHTON - Lands
The Order of St Lazarus, via the Hospital/Preceptory of Burton Lazars, had a small rent or estate income in Knighton, but there is no clear evidence of a Lazarite hospital, commandery, chapel, or resident community at Knighton itself.
