THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
IN GLOUCESTER
TEMPLE GUITING -
The Knights Hospitallers at Temple Guiting
The commandery of the Knights Templars at Temple Guiting (then known as Templegutyng) was established in the mid-12th century. Among its earliest benefactors were Gilbert de Lacy, Roger de Waterville, Roger, Earl of Hereford, and Roger D’Oily, who endowed the estate with lands amounting to some 1,440 acres.
Following the dissolution of the Templars in the early 14th century, the property passed to the Knights Hospitallers, who maintained the site for several generations. Today, the remains of that medieval commandery are marked by Manor Farm, a handsome manor house dating from the late 16th century, which now occupies the site.
The Church of St Mary at Temple Guiting also owes its origins to this period. Founded in 1170, during the Templars’ tenure, it bears witness to its connection with the order through a Templar cross carved high on a corbel within the building – a subtle but enduring link to its foundation.
A remarkable chapter in the site’s later history is recorded in 1388, when Pancio da Controne, a distinguished Italian physician from Tuscany, resided at Temple Guiting. Pancio was a man of renown in royal circles, serving as physician to Queen Isabella of France (wife of Edward II), King Edward II, and their son Edward III. He accompanied them on travels and military campaigns, and a fee was granted to support his stay at Temple Guiting – further underlining the site’s importance in medieval England.
From its origins as a commandery of the Knights Templars, through its time under the Hospitallers, to its later role in royal service, Temple Guiting stands as a place layered with history – where traces of faith, power, and healing are woven into the landscape of the Cotswolds.
QUENINGTON -
The Knights Hospitallers at Quenington
The Manor of Quenington was granted to the Knights Hospitallers in 1193 by Agnes de Lacy and her daughter Sibilla, providing the Order with an estate of around 644 acres. Here they founded a commandery, which became one of the most important Hospitaller centres in Gloucestershire.
When the Knights Templar were dissolved in 1312, their estates at Temple Guiting were transferred to the Hospitallers at Quenington, further strengthening its role within the Order’s Gloucestershire network.
Today, Quenington Court stands on the site of the medieval commandery. Two impressive survivals still connect the village with its Hospitaller past: a 14th-century dovecote on a nearby farm, and the Knights Gatehouse, the original entrance to the commandery complex.
The Hospitallers also secured the Church of St Mary (rededicated to St Swithun in the 18th century). Above its doorway survives a remarkable Romanesque tympanum depicting the Harrowing of Hell. This carving predates Hospitaller ownership of the church’s advowson, but remains a vivid reminder of the site’s early medieval faith and artistry.
The Estates of Quenington Commandery
The Victoria County History records that the possessions of Quenington Preceptory included the manors of Quenington, Wishanger, Baunton, Calmsden, and Hampenne (likely modern-day Hampnett).
A 1338 survey, compiled by Philip de Thame, Prior of the Hospitallers in England, offers a detailed picture of the commandery’s wealth and holdings. It lists:
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The manor house, complete with a garden and dovecote.
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337 acres of land valued at 6d. per acre, and another 337 acres at 4d. per acre.
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Rents of assize collected annually.
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A water mill and a fuller’s mill (used for cloth production).
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The farm of one messuage and two carucates of land in Wishanger.
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The advowsons (patronage rights) of the churches of Lower/North Guiting, Southrop, Down Ampney, Siddington, and the manor of Calmsden.
This survey highlights not only the wealth of Quenington Commandery, but also the wide geographical spread of its influence. Through its estates, mills, and churches, the Hospitallers of Quenington held both economic and spiritual authority across much of Gloucestershire.
WISHANGER
LOWER GUITING
DOWN AMPNEY - Church of All Saints
The Knights Hospitallers and All Saints’ Church, Down Ampney
All Saints’ Church, Down Ampney was founded in 1265 by the Knights Templar, with the support of Sir Nicholas de Valers (or de Valery). De Valers, a Templar knight closely associated with the church’s origins, is commemorated within the south transept, where two medieval effigies lie beneath a graceful canopied niche. The foremost effigy is thought to be his: he is shown in full armour, one hand drawing his sword, his legs crossed in knightly fashion, and his feet resting upon a curious beast—likely a lion, symbolising courage and strength.
Following the suppression of the Templars in 1312, Down Ampney and its church passed into the hands of the Knights Hospitallers, who retained the advowson (the right to appoint the parish priest) as part of their extensive Gloucestershire holdings through the Preceptory at Quenington.
Inside, All Saints still preserves remarkable traces of its medieval life and artistry. The nave arches, elegant in their pointed design, are decorated with a striking pattern of red flowers. Some have suggested these floral motifs may symbolise the bubonic plague, recalling the sudden red rash that marked its victims. Perhaps most evocatively, one of the nave’s arches still bears a faintly painted Templar cross—a rare survival that directly links the building to its 13th-century founders.
Today, All Saints’ Church stands as a quiet witness to the dramatic history of the military orders in medieval England. Its effigies, carvings, and painted decoration make it not only a place of worship but also one of the region’s most atmospheric memorials to the Templars and Hospitallers alike.
SIDDINGTON - Church of St Peter
The Knights Hospitallers and the Church of Siddington
The Church of St Peter, Siddington, was granted to the Knights Hospitallers of Quenington around the year 1200, bringing this quiet Gloucestershire parish into the sphere of one of the most powerful religious-military orders of medieval Europe. The Hospitallers held the rectory and tithes of Siddington throughout the Middle Ages, and their presence shaped both the spiritual and agricultural landscape of the village.
The Tympanum of St Peter’s
One of the church’s most intriguing features is its carved tympanum above the doorway. Traditionally interpreted as a depiction of Christ in Majesty, some scholars suggest that it may instead represent St Peter, the church’s patron saint. If so, the figure may be shown holding the keys of heaven, seated in judgement over the two figures flanking him. The left-hand figure bears a halo, reinforcing the sense of divine authority and spiritual drama conveyed by this rare medieval carving.
The Medieval Tithe Barn
Adjacent to the church stands a remarkable tithe barn, believed to have been built shortly after the Hospitallers received Siddington. Tithe barns were a vital part of medieval rural life, used to store the tithes in kind—often grain or produce—paid by parishioners to the church or its patrons. For the Hospitallers of Quenington, the barn would have been a central hub in their ecclesiastical and economic administration of the manor.
Dating the Barn
Modern dendrochronological analysis (tree-ring dating) has revealed that some of the oak timbers used in its construction were felled between AD 1245 and 1247, placing the barn firmly in the mid-13th century.
Architecture and Carpentry
The barn is built on a five-bay plan, featuring two raised-cruck trusses in the centre and aisle trusses at either end—a design that bears comparison to great barns such as Middle Littleton Tithe Barn in Worcestershire. Elements of the stonework even suggest the possibility of an earlier, perhaps Saxon, structure occupying the site before the 13th-century build.
A Window into Medieval Life
Together, Siddington’s church and tithe barn illuminate the dual role of the Knights Hospitallers as both spiritual guardians and economic managers. The tympanum reminds us of the theological and symbolic weight carried by their churches, while the barn stands as a testament to the practical and agricultural foundations that sustained their order.
Even today, these two structures preserve the memory of how faith, land, and livelihood were deeply intertwined in medieval England, leaving Siddington with one of the most evocative Hospitaller legacies in the Cotswolds.
SOUTHROP - Church of St Peter
The Knights Hospitallers and St Peter’s Church, Southrop
The Church of St Peter, Southrop came under the patronage of the Knights Hospitallers of Quenington in the 13th century, when Alice de Clermont granted the church to the Order. Alice was also responsible for adding the chancel to what had originally been a small chapel standing just south of the manor house. In the early 14th century, the Hospitallers themselves expanded the building further, adding the southern transept.
By 1338, the importance of Southrop to the Hospitallers was firmly established. In his survey of the Order’s English properties, Brother Philip de Thame recorded St Peter’s Church as one of the churches attached to Quenington Preceptory, contributing directly to its income.
In medieval England, when a church’s rectory was appropriated by an order such as the Hospitallers, they benefited from tithes, offerings, and other ecclesiastical dues, while also assuming responsibility for maintaining the chancel. They frequently appointed the parish priest, giving them both spiritual authority and financial advantage. This arrangement was a common way for religious and military orders to sustain their work and expand their influence in rural communities.
According to the Victoria County History (Gloucestershire), records from 1535 confirm that the Hospitallers’ holdings at Southrop included:
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Manorial possession: the Manor of Southrop, managed through Quenington Preceptory.
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Ecclesiastical possession: the Rectory of Southrop, providing the Order with both secular and spiritual income.
The Norman Font of St Peter’s
Among the greatest treasures of St Peter’s is its remarkable Norman font, widely considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque carving in the Cotswolds. Carved in a French style and richly ornamented with beaded interlacing and acanthus leaves, the font is both a work of art and a theological statement.
The front three panels depict a dramatic allegory of the Old and New Covenants:
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Moses, with horns upon his head, holds the tablets of stone and stretches out his right hand, turning his back on Synagoga while approvingly looking towards Ecclesia.
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Ecclesia, representing the Christian Church, holds upright a staff with a pennon and Maltese cross in her right hand and a chalice in her left.
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Synagoga, symbolising Judaism, is shown collapsing in defeat: her pennon shaft is broken, the flag falls across her eyes, her crown slips from her head, and the lamp or jar she carries spills its contents.
The five rear panels present a powerful moral sequence, with personifications of the Virtues triumphing over the Vices:
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Modestia (Moderation) overcoming Ebrietas (Excess)
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Paciencia (Patience) overcoming Ira (Wrath)
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Largitas (Generosity) overcoming Avaricia (Greed)
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Temperancia (Temperance) overcoming Luxuria (Luxury)
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Misericordia (Pity) overcoming Invidia (Envy)
Each figure is identified by Latin inscriptions, with the names of the virtues carved clearly above them, while the vices are intriguingly inscribed backwards beside their figures—perhaps to suggest their distortion and corruption.
This extraordinary piece is not only a rare survival of Norman stone carving but also a vivid window into the moral, spiritual, and artistic world of medieval England.
Southrop Manor Today
The Hospitallers’ presence at Southrop survives not only through the church but also in its manor. Southrop Manor is today a Grade II* listed building, incorporating architectural features from the 12th to the 17th centuries. Among these are a Norman doorway, priests’ holes, and even an underground passage leading to the church—features that reflect the site’s layered history and enduring significance.
CALMSDEN
BAUNTON
HAMPNETTE
