THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
DINGLEY
The Hospitaller Commandery at Dingley
Nestled in the heart of Northamptonshire, the site of Dingley Hall was once home to a Knights Hospitaller commandery, dating back to the reign of King Stephen. Originally comprising around 300 acres, the preceptory was founded with the support of William de Clopton and his wife Emma during the reign of Henry II. It served as a place of hospitality, spiritual life, and military readiness for the Order.
By the late 15th century, Sir Henry Halley was recorded as preceptor (court roll, 18 March 1482), and Sir Giles Russell was the last commander before the dissolution of the order under Henry VIII.
Though much of the medieval structure is now gone, Dingley Hall—now a private residence—still preserves elements of its monastic past. The original tower and porch remain, quietly echoing its former purpose. The hall was significantly rebuilt in the 1550s, with further alterations in the 1680s, and its west wing was removed in 1781–82.
Tucked away behind a medieval brick wall and a modest blue gate stands All Saints Church, built in 1292 by Hugh de Dingele. Once the spiritual heart of the commandery, it stands on the site of an earlier chapel and would have been closely tied to the Hospitallers during their time in Dingley.
Today, while the knights are long gone, the peaceful landscape still hints at a time when this was a place of care, refuge, and devotion.
Learn more about the Commandery of Dingley on our blog here
BLAKESLEY -
In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535, Blakesley is recorded as a camera — a lesser estate — of the Knights Hospitaller. The manor itself had been granted to the Order during the 13th century. Evidence of the medieval presence remains visible today: Priory Farm retains a medieval roof structure, and Blakesley Hall is also believed to contain remnants from that period. The advowson (the right to appoint the parish priest) of the Church of St Mary was given to the Hospitaller commandery at Melchbourne. The Valor Ecclesiasticus provides the following details about the estate's income and holdings:
Blacolneslee.—There is one manse, 3 carucates of land, 4 acres of Blacolnes pasture, 3 acres of meadow, 100 s. annual rent, and the church for its own use. They are let to the farm by the Prior and brothers, from year to year, for 1 mark.
BRADDEN
Bradden and the Knights Hospitaller
Although little is known about the Knights Hospitaller’s presence in Bradden, historical records confirm they held a manor in the village. The exact location is uncertain, but Bradden House, to the southwest, is widely believed to stand on the site of the original Hospitaller manor, and it retains elements of late medieval architecture.
Nearby earthworks offer further clues. A long rectangular area—partly enclosed by a 1.5-metre-high bank and an outer ditch—features an uneven interior and terracing, which may point to a former garden or manorial site. While the remains may belong to a different medieval manor, they could also mark the original location of the Hospitaller estate in Bradden.
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Bradden Manor Lidar, Detailing the Medieval site in the Village, and the possibly site of the Knights Hospitaller's Manor at Bradden
RUSHTON
Rushton: The Last Grand Master’s Resting Place
Just seven miles east of Dingley lies Rushton, a village with deep connections to Sir Thomas Tresham, the last Grand Master (or Lord Prior) of the Knights Hospitallers in England. After Queen Mary temporarily restored the order, it faced a second dissolution in 1558 under Queen Elizabeth I. Sir Thomas Tresham, who had been knighted in 1524, died in 1559 and was laid to rest in All Saints Church in Rushton. His Effigy can be found in the Church,
A short distance down from the Church, can be found Rushton’s mysterious Triangular Lodge. Located within the manor of Rushton Hall, the lodge is a striking testament to Tresham’s religious devotion and fascination with symbolism. The number three, representing the Holy Trinity, dominates the structure: it has three walls, each 33 feet long, three triangular windows per side, three gargoyles, and three floors. Inscriptions on the exterior quote Latin biblical passages, reinforcing the religious significance of the design.
The Effigy of Sir Thomas Tresham - The Last Grand Master of the Order upon its final disollution
GUILSBOROUGH
In 1338, the Knights Hospitaller established a camera (a small administrative estate) in Guilsborough. The advowson of the Church of St Etheldreda was appropriated to the Order’s commandery at Dingley. According to the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535, the camera comprised:
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One manse (a house with land),
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Two carucates of arable land (roughly 240 acres),
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20 acres of meadow,
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An annual rent income of 60 shillings,
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And the church of Guilsborough, along with the church of Ravensthorpe, held for the Order’s own use.
These holdings were leased out from year to year at the Prior’s discretion, bringing in 4 marks annually. However, the net annual profit from the camera was recorded as 3 marks.
TOWCESTER -
In the mid-12th century, Roger de Clare, Earl of Hertford, granted Towcester Mill to the Templars. Having succeeded to the title in 1152, Roger detached the manor from the crown and gifted the mill to the order, likely connecting it to the nearby Bradden Manor Preceptory, a Templar base just a few miles away.
Such donations were common at the time — part spiritual offering, part political strategy — and helped fund the Templars’ missions in the Holy Land. Though little physical trace remains, the legacy of this medieval transaction links Towcester to the wider network of Templar influence across England.
Today, Towcester Mill stands as a reminder of the town’s layered past — from noble patronage to the enduring mythos of the Templars
HARRINGTON -
Tucked just northwest of the main street in the village of Harrington, Northamptonshire, lies a remarkable piece of medieval history known as The Falls. Set on gently sloping ground, this site was once home to the manor house of Harrington, and its remnants — particularly the fishponds — are among the best-preserved medieval features in the county.
From 1288 until the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the manor was held by the Knights Hospitallers, a military and religious order renowned for their estates across Europe. It’s believed that the Hospitallers were responsible for constructing the complex system of three large ponds and water channels found at the site, carefully engineered to support medieval fish farming.
Fed by a combination of a main stream running through the valley and several natural springs from the hillside, these ponds would have been stocked with eel, bream, pike, and perch — a vital food source for the manor and possibly even for trade.
Today, The Falls forms part of Falls Farm and is protected as a listed archaeological site, offering a fascinating glimpse into the rural life and resource management of a medieval religious order.
The The Valor ecclesiasticus of 1535 describes Harrington value as below
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Hetherington.—There is one well-built manor house there, whose herbage and fruit are worth per annum - 7 Shillings (84 Pence)
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And two dovecotes are worth - 10 Shillings (120 Pence)
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Also five carucates of land containing five acres of land, the price of each of which is eighty d - £17 6s. 8d
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And thirty acres of meadow, the price of an acre two s. - £3 (60 Shillings)
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And of the rent of the assize of both freemen and natives - £20 13s. 4d
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Works and customs are worth per annum - £5 (100 Shillings)
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Pleas and purchases of the courts are worth - £2 10s (50 Shillings)
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Pasture there is worth - 180 Pence
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And a profitable stallion is worth twenty cows - £3 (60 Shillings)
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And a profitable two-toothed horse used to be worth fifteen marks per annum, and now nothing, because the lord king seizes all the wool to help his war. -
Total amount received and profit tell the chamber = £53. 2s
The Expenditures include the following,
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From there, for the expenses of the provost, the reaper, the day, the woodward, and others of the family who came to him, twenty-six quarters of wheat and rye, the price of a quarter being two hundred and six d. - 8 pounds and 15 shillings
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And in beer to be brewed, 26 quarters of brewed dragee, the price of a quarter is 2 s. - 2 pounds and 12 shillings
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And for the kitchen expenses - 1 pound and 15 shillings (£1 15s)
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And for all the wages, half a mark to each - £1 6s 8d
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And in the stipends of the chaplain celebrating in the chapel, for the souls of the founders of the said chamber, because they are not at the table - 3 pounds and 7 shillings (£3 7s)
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And in one steward holding the courts and carrying on the business of the house - 1 pound (£1)
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The sum of all expenses and solutions - 13 pounds, 15 shillings, and 4 pence
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Sum of Value. — And thus remain to be paid to the Treasury for the burdens to be borne - £39 6s 8d
From these figures we can see that Harrington was a profitable manor for Hospitallers annually.
The Original Manor House & Gardens Earthworks can still be easily made out
The original layout of the manor and Gardens
The Earthworks of the three Medieval fishponds are still easily identifiable adjacent to the original manor house in the bottom field
The post medieval garden design or "the steps" as they were known - looking up from the site of the original manor house
RAVENSTHORPE - St Dennys Church
