THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE
COMMANDERY OF CHIPPENHAM
DENNY ABBEY -
Originally founded by Benedictine monks, the current abbey building dates back to before 1170. When the monks left Denny that year, the site was handed over to the Knights Templar, who repurposed it as a retirement home for elderly and infirm knights returning from the Crusades.
Although the detailed history of the Templar Preceptory at Denny is sparsely recorded, one surviving document from between 1229 and 1286 reveals that tithes from the nearby church at Great Witham—and from the Templar preceptory there—were used to support the aged knights living at Denny. Only one other known Templar infirmary in England existed, at Eagle in Lincolnshire, and both were once overseen by William de Forde, a respected Templar who clearly excelled as a guardian of the sick and elderly.
When the Templars were suppressed in the early 14th century, records indicate that at least fifteen knights were residing at Denny. They were imprisoned in nearby Cambridge Castle, and tragically, some did not survive to testify during the investigations. One of them, William de Marringe, died in captivity; two others possibly died before giving evidence in proceedings led by Roger de Ludlow and John de Hanville.
Today the Site is a Museuem run by English Heritage - After the Templars Dissolution the Abbey was handed to the Knights Hospitallers who showed very little interest in the location, partly due possibly to them having a similar property locally at Duxford
DUXFORD -
Early in the 13th Century, William de Colville founded a Hospital beside Whittlesford Bridge, split in two by the modern train station and railway. The Hospital is situated next to a small chapel, of St John the Baptist, which still exists today, managed by English Heritage, This Hospital & Chapel are to be distinguised from another Manor Granted to the Knights Templars, by different members of the de Coleville Family of 240 Acres of Land In Duxford, (or Dokesworth as it was known) Standing on the same bank, but nearer the village, Where they established Two Mills & A preceptory, close to what is today know as Temple Farm, near Temple Close which is where the Preceptory and Mills would have been located, traces of a rectangualr moat still exist today between the farm & the river
Take a look around Duxford Knights Hospitaller Chapel and Hospital on our YouTube Channel by clicking here
EATON SOCON -
The Manor of Eaton (now part of St Neots) was granted to the Knights Hospitallers from 1218 and became part of the Melchbourne commandery. It is thought that the Hospitallers may have acquired their rights to the manor from the influential Clare family, who held interests in the parish. By 1338, the manor included a residence with a garden, two dovecotes, 140 acres of arable land (valued at 12 pence per acre), 10 acres of meadow, and 16 acres of pasture.
The advowson of the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Eaton Socon was granted to the Hospitallers by the Beauchamp family in the early 13th century. The church stands in front of a set of medieval earthworks, believed to mark the location of the original manor site. Adjacent to this is one of the historic watermills on the River Ouse, which the Hospitallers are also thought to have owned.
Today, the medieval earthworks form part of a private residence, while the former watermill has been converted into a public house, offering visitors a unique connection to the area’s medieval past.
Eaton Socon Earthworks
Eaton Socon Watermill Site
Eaton Socon Church St Mary the Virgin
GREAT WILBRAHAM
SHINGHAY & WENDY -
The Manor of Shingay was granted to the Knights Hospitallers in 1147 by Sibyl de Rames, daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury, along with her son-in-law, Robert, Earl of Gloucester. The Hospitallers established a commandery at Shingay, just a mile from the village of Wendy, where they also held the advowson of the Church of St Mary—a gift from the monks of Ely. The significance of the site is underscored by the fact that the General Chapter of the Order met here in 1371.
At its peak, the commandery controlled over 700 acres of land, along with two dovecotes, a watermill, and a windmill. Today, the remains of the commandery survive as a series of earthworks located just south of a mill stream and northeast of the later manor farm. The original site is still moated on all four sides, with at least three sides retaining water, offering a clear outline of its historic layout.
The Church of St Mary in Wendy has a layered history of its own. The original medieval building fell into ruin in 1734 and was replaced by a new structure, which itself deteriorated and was eventually succeeded by yet another church. The present-day All Saints Church now stands in a different location, while the site of the original church remains marked by the graveyard opposite.
overlooking Shingay Commandery Site
Shingay Commandery Moat
