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.
