THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
OSSINGTON -
The Knights Hospitallers at Ossington: A Forgotten Commandery of Nottinghamshire
Tucked away in the rural landscape of Nottinghamshire, the Commandery of Ossington was established by the Knights Hospitallers in the mid-12th century. It played a modest yet historically significant role in the Order's network of estates across medieval England.
In the late 12th century, the manor of Ossington was granted to the Hospitallers by Roger de Buron, a local landowner and benefactor. However, complications soon arose. Roger later joined the Cluniac priory of Lenton and controversially granted the same land to them as well. This dual donation sparked considerable legal disputes between the two religious institutions, each claiming rightful ownership.
The matter was finally resolved in 1204 when Roger’s son, Walter de Buron, confirmed the original grant to the Knights Hospitallers, securing their claim and bringing an end to the litigation.
At its height, the Ossington Commandery managed around 600 acres of land and held additional estates in Danethorpe, Kneesall, and Winkburn. By 1230, it had also acquired the churches of Marnham and Sibthorpe, with their ownership confirmed by Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York. The commandery additionally oversaw the Camera of Winkburn—a term used to describe a smaller estate or residence used during official visits for administrative purposes.
In 1382, Ossington came under the jurisdiction of the larger commandery at Newland in Yorkshire. Over time, the once-active commandery faded into obscurity. Today, no visible traces of the original medieval buildings remain. The present-day Church of the Holy Rood, built in 1782, is believed to stand on or near the site of the former commandery.
Though little survives of its structure, the legacy of the Ossington Commandery remains woven into the ecclesiastical and territorial history of the Knights Hospitallers in England.
Ossington Also controlled the Advowson of the following Churches:
AVERHAM -
The Church of St Michael and Its Hospitaller Legacy
Before the year 1199, the Church of St Michael was granted to the Commandery of Ossington by Henry Hosatus. This historic church still bears the architectural legacy of its Norman origins, most notably seen in the classic herringbone masonry that survives in both the tower and parts of the main structure.
Inside the church are several intriguing stone effigies of unidentified knights, believed to be connected to the Knights Hospitallers who once occupied the site. These figures offer a glimpse into the medieval past and the Order’s presence in the area.
The effigy closest to the south porch stands out for its detail and preservation. Its style closely resembles effigies found at other Hospitaller preceptories, such as Temple Bruer and Rothley Temple—though this example is in notably better condition.
Another effigy, located near the chancel on the south wall, is depicted holding his heart—a symbolic gesture also seen in a similar effigy at Hampton-in-Arden in Solihull. This might suggest a knight who wished his heart to be buried separately, a practice not uncommon in the medieval period.
The third effigy, though more difficult to identify due to wear, bears faint and largely illegible inscriptions that hint at its historical importance.
Just beyond the rear of the church, the tranquil flow of the River Trent completes this deeply atmospheric setting—a quiet reminder of the site’s enduring spiritual and historical significance.
SIBTHORPE -
Sibthorpe: A Church of Templars, Hospitallers, and a Lost College
The Church of St Peter at Sibthorpe has a rich and layered history tied to two of the most powerful military orders of the medieval world. Before 1230, the church was granted to the Knights Templar and their preceptory at Eagle in Lincolnshire, a gift made by Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York.
Following the suppression of the Templars in the early 14th century, St Peter’s—like many of their former holdings—was transferred to the Knights Hospitallers. But its story did not end there.
In 1327, Sir Thomas de Sibthorpe, then rector of Beckingham in Lincolnshire, began an ambitious enlargement of the church. His dedication to Sibthorpe culminated in 1341 when he successfully negotiated the transfer of the church’s advowson (the right to appoint its clergy) from the Hospitallers. In exchange, he granted them lands in Berkshire and Somerset.
Today, within the church, one can still find a remarkable Easter Sepulchre flanked by effigies of two knights—possibly a symbolic nod to the church’s Hospitaller past.
Behind the church, traces of medieval life linger in the form of a well-preserved dovecote and visible earthworks. It was also in 1341 that the foundation charter for a college was granted, establishing a small religious community of eight priests and two clerks. Though the buildings themselves have not survived, it is believed they once stood to the east of the church, where a network of earthworks and fishponds can still be seen—silent remnants of Sibthorpe’s ecclesiastical prominence.
WINKBURN -
Winkburn: A Hospitaller Camera in the Heart of Nottinghamshire
Following the year 1199, the Manor of Winkburn—comprising some 600 acres—was granted to the Knights Hospitallers by Adam Tyson. Here, the Order established a Camera, a type of subsidiary estate linked to a larger preceptory. In this case, Winkburn was administered from the preceptory at Ossington, located nearly five miles (8 km) to the northeast.
Henry Hosatus, another benefactor of the Order, further endowed the Hospitallers with the churches of Winkburn and Averham, expanding their ecclesiastical influence in the region.
A Camera was not a full commandery but served as a satellite estate—managed by the Hospitallers for agricultural, administrative, or logistical purposes in support of their broader network. Winkburn’s strategic value and fertile lands would have made it an important local asset for the Order.
Today, the legacy of the Hospitallers lives on in the Church of St John of Jerusalem, which still stands beside the elegant 18th-century Winkburn Hall. The Hall is believed to occupy the site where the Hospitallers’ original hospital or residence once stood—a quiet echo of the site’s medieval past.
The Camera of Winkburn also held the Advowson of the local Church of St Radegund Originally a chapel of the Hospitallers called the Church of St John, until its renaming in 1895.
STRETTON - St Nicholas Church
Stretton (Nottinghamshire): Knights Templar & Knights Hospitaller
Stretton in Nottinghamshire appears in medieval records as part of the ecclesiastical income network associated with the Knights Templar.
A key 12th-century Templar record (c. 1185) notes:
“The church of Stretton, in the lord’s domain, which is the gift of Robert de Brus.”
This indicates that the church was granted through aristocratic patronage by Robert de Brus, and held within the lord’s domain before being integrated into Templar income structures. The Templars’ interest at Stretton appears to have been primarily ecclesiastical revenue rights (tithes and benefices) rather than full territorial ownership or a major monastic establishment on site.
Following the suppression of the Templars in 1312, their English assets were transferred to the Knights Hospitaller. At Stretton, this likely included any continuing rights to church income, which were absorbed into the Hospitallers’ wider regional estate management system.
There is no evidence that either order established a permanent preceptory, manor house, or surviving buildings at Stretton. Its importance lay in financial and ecclesiastical administration rather than physical occupation.
Today, Stretton remains a rural settlement, with its medieval significance preserved through documentary records rather than surviving structures.
FLAWFORD - Messuage
Ffauflour (probable Flawford) & the Knights Hospitallers in Nottinghamshire
The place recorded as “Ffauflour” in a 1388 valuation report of the Knights Hospitallers is most likely a scribal variant of Flawford (Nottinghamshire), a known medieval parish centre in the Ruddington area. While the identification is not absolutely certain, the spelling aligns closely with documented medieval forms such as Flaufore and Flawforth found in ecclesiastical records.
In the Hospitallers’ return, Ffauflour is described as a small estate consisting of a messuage and one carucate of land, held on a lifetime lease and generating an annual rent of 7 marks. This reflects the Order’s broader practice of managing dispersed rural holdings as part of a structured income system.
The Knights Hospitaller did not hold Flawford as a major commandery or ecclesiastical centre. Instead, if correctly identified, it formed a minor dependent manor within their wider Nottinghamshire estate network, likely administered through regional centres such as Ossington and Winkburn.
Importantly, Flawford itself is well attested in medieval ecclesiastical sources (including York diocesan and monastic records) as a parish “mother church” site. However, these records consistently place it within the normal parish system rather than under monastic or military order control.
As such, the 1388 reference to “Ffauflour” represents either:
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a Hospitaller-held minor manor likely corresponding to Flawford, or
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a closely related local holding with a corrupted or variant spelling.
In either case, it illustrates the fragmented nature of medieval landholding, where small estates were integrated into larger institutional networks through rents, leases, and ecclesiastical arrangements rather than direct territorial control.
THRUMPTON - Member of Ossington
LOW MARNHAM - St Wilifreds Church
The 1388 Report of the Knight Hospitallers Reads of Low Marnham
Church of Marnham, in the county of Nottingham.
The church of Marnham is held for its own use and is let on an annual lease to Sir Robert de Silkeston, knight, in the time of Brother Leonard de Tibertis, and it is worth 30 marks per year.
And it is paid in advance up to the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist in the year of the Lord 1340.
Low Marnham in Nottinghamshire appears in medieval records as part of the wider ecclesiastical and estate economy managed by the Knights Hospitaller.
By the 14th century, the church of Marnham was an appropriated ecclesiastical benefice, meaning its income was assigned to a religious institution rather than a resident parish priest. Documentary evidence shows the church was farmed out on lease, generating an annual income of around 30 marks, and administered through lay tenants under ecclesiastical oversight.
In this system, local knights and officials—such as Sir Robert de Silkeston in the mid-14th century—could lease the revenues, while higher ecclesiastical control remained with the order managing the benefice. Payments were recorded in advance terms, reflecting the structured financial administration typical of late medieval church estates.
While Low Marnham does not appear to have hosted a Hospitaller preceptory or major building complex, it formed part of the income-producing parish network that supported religious orders through rents, tithes, and leased church revenues.
Today, Low Marnham survives as a rural settlement, with its medieval importance preserved through documentary records rather than visible institutional remains.
TICKHILL -
25 May 1251, Reading
Henry III, king of England, commands Stephen de Feugeres, seneschal of Tickhill, to pay to the Grand Prior of England, or his representative, the arrears of the rents that are owed to him from the fief of Tickhill.
Witnessed as above, by the king himself [at Reading, on the 25th day of May].
Notes / Context
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Stephen de Feugeres, seneschal of Tickhill: The royal officer responsible for administering the manor/fief of Tickhill.
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Grand Prior of England: Head of the Knights Hospitaller in England.
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Fief of Tickhill: A landed estate under feudal tenure; the Hospitallers had rights to rents from this fief.
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Arrears of rents: Past due payments owed to the Hospitallers.
MAPLEBECK - St Radegund's Church -
The chapel of Maplebeck, associated with the church of Winckburn, appears in medieval records as part of the wider estate network of the Knights Hospitaller.
The church of Winckburn with the chapel of Maplebeck is recorded as generating a combined value of around 25½ marks, reflecting its role as a productive ecclesiastical holding within the Hospitaller estate system.
Key points:
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Maplebeck functioned as a dependent chapel within a larger parish structure.
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It formed part of the Hospitallers’ income-producing church network in England.
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Ecclesiastical properties were managed alongside farmland and pasture to support the order’s wider financial base.
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Such chapels demonstrate how even small rural religious sites were integrated into a broader, highly organised medieval estate economy.
Maplebeck therefore represents a typical example of how the Hospitallers combined spiritual responsibilities with structured land and church management across their English possessions.
NEWARK - St Michaels & All Angels
DEYNILTHORP -
The 1388 report of the Knight Hospitallers writes of Deynilthorp
Deynilthorp — a parcel (membrum).
There is there one dwelling-house, 68 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, and 8 acres of pasture, and these are let out on lease from year to year for 10 marks.
Also, the church of Winckburn is held for its own uses, with the chapel of Maplebeck, and they are worth 25½ marks.
Also, there is common pasture for 20 cows, and it is worth 40 shillings.
And there is common pasture for 50 sheep, worth 41 shillings.
The Knights Hospitaller were a major landholding order in medieval England, managing estates not only for religious purposes but also as a structured economic system supporting their wider international operations.
Deynilthorp was one such holding, described as a membrum (a dependent estate within a larger administrative unit). It functioned as a small agricultural and rental unit rather than a central manor.
Key details from the record include:
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One messuage (dwelling house)
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68 acres of arable land
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6 acres of meadow
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8 acres of pasture
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Let to farm on an annual lease producing 10 marks
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Additional income sources:
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Church of Winckburn with the chapel of Maplebeck: 25½ marks
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Common pasture for 20 cows: 40 shillings
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Common pasture for 50 sheep: 41 shillings
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Key points of significance:
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The estate combined agricultural land, ecclesiastical income, and grazing rights.
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Income was largely derived through leasing rather than direct cultivation.
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Churches formed an important financial asset alongside farmland.
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Even small estates like Deynilthorp contributed to a wider network of Hospitaller income across England.
KNEESAL
Kneesall in Nottinghamshire formed part of the medieval estate network of the Knights Hospitaller, one of the major religious and military orders operating in England during the Middle Ages.
By the 13th–14th centuries, Kneesall was held as part of the Hospitallers’ regional landholdings connected to their administrative centre at Ossington Preceptory. It functioned as a small agricultural manor, contributing income through rented farmland, grazing rights, and associated church revenues.
Historical records indicate that parts of the Hospitaller estate in this area were originally established through royal and noble patronage, including gifts and confirmations of land grants by the Crown and local landholders, which allowed the Order to consolidate property across Nottinghamshire.
A surviving financial record from the estate also shows a fixed annual payment to the rector of Kneesall for tithes (66s 8d), reflecting an agreed arrangement between the Hospitallers and the local parish church rather than direct ecclesiastical control.
Today
Little physical trace remains of the Hospitaller estate at Kneesall itself. The medieval manorial system has long since disappeared, and the area is now a rural village landscape. However, the historical footprint of the Hospitallers survives in documentary records, place-names, and the wider pattern of monastic landholding across Nottinghamshire.
THURMASTON - Manor
The manor of Thurmaston (historically recorded as “Thurmeton”) in Leicestershire appears in medieval estate records as part of the landholding network associated with the Knights Hospitaller.
At Thurmaston, the Hospitallers held a small but productive rural estate consisting of:
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one messuage (dwelling house)
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81 acres of arable land
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10 acres of meadow and pasture
The property was not directly farmed by the Order but instead leased out on an annual “at will” basis, meaning tenants held the land on short-term agreements without permanent security of tenure. This flexible arrangement was commonly used by monastic and military orders to maximise income while retaining control of their estates.
The manor generated an annual rent of 10 marks (£6 13s 4d), representing a steady but modest return typical of a medium-sized agricultural holding in medieval England.
Thurmaston illustrates how the Hospitallers managed dispersed rural estates across England: combining land, housing, and grazing rights into a structured income system that supported their wider religious and military activities.
