

THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
IN LEICESTERSHIRE
DALBY & HEATHER
ROTHLEY TEMPLE
SWINFORD
Beaumont Leys
The Knights Hospitallers established a manor, or camera, at Beaumont Leys near Leicester, holding it from around 1240 until 1482. The estate was granted to them in the mid-13th century by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. Previously, the land had been held by the Earls of Leicester and briefly passed to the Knights Templars, who later lost possession. In 1482, the Hospitallers exchanged Beaumont Leys with King Edward IV in return for the more lucrative rectory of St Botolph in Boston, Lincolnshire.
The manor at Beaumont Leys was a working agricultural estate, managed by a bailiff and a wood keeper, reflecting active use of woodland and farmland. A 1338 survey describes it as a dependent manor of the Hospitallers’ preceptory at Old Dalby, 11 miles away. The estate comprised a house, 220 acres of arable land, as well as meadows, pasture, and an apple orchard—amounting to about 960 acres in total. It likely operated primarily as a sheep farm.
Archaeological investigations have uncovered extensive earthworks and remains at the site, revealing evidence of a medieval fishpond used to support the manor's diet. Excavations have also unearthed the stone foundations of a substantial medieval building—probably the manor house—measuring approximately 8 meters wide and 15–20 meters long. This timber-framed structure featured a slate roof adorned with green-glazed ridge tiles, indicating a degree of wealth. The building stood on a shallow stone plinth, with a central hearth suggesting that part of it served as an open hall.
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Re-Creation of suggested Beaumont Leys Earthworks, detailing the Knights Hospitallers properties at their time here. Image Courtesy of British Archeology News Resource

KNIGHT HOSPITALLER FIGURES AT LEICESTERSHIRE
Leicestershire & the Hospitallers: Learn Who Shared Their Chapter of History Here
Knights Hospitallers in Leicestershire
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Sir John Babyngton - Knight of the Preceptory of Dalby - 1526
Sir Thomas Newport - Commander Dalby & Heather -