THE TEMPLARS

IN CORNWALL

CORNWALL KNIGHTS MAP

TEMPLE (Fawimore) -

Tucked away in the high, windswept reaches of Bodmin Moor lies the tiny hamlet of Temple, a place steeped in the medieval legacy of the Knights Templar. Its origins can be traced back to a modest land grant described in the 1185 Templar estate report, which refers simply to:

"In Cornubia, apud Fawimore: una terra que reddit dimidiam marcam."
(In Cornwall, at Fawimore: a piece of land which yields half a mark.)

This half-mark — equivalent to 6 shillings and 8 pence — may not seem much, but it marked the beginning of a significant Templar presence in Cornwall.

Temple and the Templar Preceptory

Temple, along with the nearby manor of Trebeigh, formed part of what became the Templar preceptory of Trebeigh. This rural administrative centre helped fund the Templar order’s operations across Europe and the Holy Land. At its peak, the Templars controlled much of what we now call Bodmin Moor, then known simply as Temple Moor.

The Templars likely established their main manor to the north of the present church, in the area now occupied by modern farms and homes. From this remote outpost, the Templars raised income from sheep farming, fisheries, and possibly later, tin mining.

The Templar Church: St Catherine’s, Temple

The Church of St Catherine stands on the site of the original Templar chapel and hospice, founded around 1120. A few stones from the original structure survive, now resting in a small outbuilding beside the present-day church.

The church’s lonely setting on the moor is fitting. For centuries it was neglected, and by the mid‑19th century had fallen into ruin. In 1882–83, it was carefully restored by Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail, who aimed to recreate the original structure as closely as possible using surviving materials such as the foundations and tower arch.

Templar Symbols and Archaeology

Despite its modest appearance, the church preserves several unmistakable signs of its Templar past:

A red Templar cross (cross pattée) fills the upper light of the east window.
A small window in the tower’s north wall features a depiction of a Knight Templar on horseback.
Stone crosses and cross-slabs recorded in the churchyard — eight in total according to Arthur Langdon (1896) — some of which were later incorporated into nearby buildings.

These clues give modern visitors a tangible connection to the site's sacred military history.

Pilgrims and Travellers

In addition to its role in managing land and revenues, Temple likely served as a hospice or safe haven for pilgrims and travellers. Pilgrims journeying across Cornwall to St Michael’s Mount or heading overseas via Fowey would cross the moor and find rest and protection here. Travellers from Ireland and Wales may have also taken this inland route across Bodmin Moor.

This function echoes the original mission of the Templars — to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land.

The Wilderness of Temple Moor

In the 19th century, guidebooks described Temple Moor as a “howling wilderness… a desert heath”, with the hamlet of Temple as its isolated heart. It was a place truly at the edge of the known and civilised world — just as it had been in Templar times.

Today, St Catherine’s Church remains off-grid, with no electricity and only a few services held each year. Yet this very isolation gives it a unique and powerful atmosphere — a spiritual silence that echoes across centuries of faith, war, and survival.

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TREBEIGH -

The Preceptory of Trebeigh and the Hamlet of Temple

In the heart of Cornwall, nestled near the modern village of St Ive, lies the historic estate of Trebeigh (also recorded as Trebythe or Trebyghen) — once a thriving centre of the Knights Templar’s presence in the region. Together with the nearby Church of St Catherine and lands at the isolated hamlet of Temple on Bodmin Moor, Trebeigh formed the Preceptory of Trebeigh: a local administrative and spiritual hub of this powerful medieval military order.

A Royal Gift: Foundation of the Camera at Trebeigh

In 1150, King Stephen granted the lordship of Trebeigh Manor to the Knights Templar, establishing their authority in eastern Cornwall. From here, the Templars managed lands, collected rents, supported religious obligations, and likely provided shelter to travellers and pilgrims journeying across Cornwall to places like St Michael’s Mount or overseas via Fowey.

Following the dissolution of the Templars in 1312, the estate passed to the Knights Hospitaller (Order of St John), who maintained and expanded its functions.

The Estate at Trebeigh in 1185

As Recorded in the Templar Inventory

In the 1185 report of Templar holdings, Trebeigh is listed with detailed income and assets, reflecting its significance within the Order's holdings in Cornwall. The Latin entry reads:

Est ibidem unum mesuagium cum gardino et colum bario, et valent per annum xvj s. iij d. Item unum molendinum aquaticum, et valet x s. viij d. Item cc. acre terre et pasture, pretium acre iij d., valent. Is. Item iij. acre prati et dimidia, que valent iij s. Item de redditu assiso ibidem xxx Et gleba ecclesie Sancti Ivonis iij d Item de gleba Sancti Maderni ix d. Item de gleba Sancte Clare j marca. Item de pensione vicarii ecclesie Sancti Maderni . . iiij marce Item de ecclesia Sancti Maderni appropriata xliiij marce Item de ecclesia de Trebyghen appropriata xxviij marce Item confraria ibidem solebat valere xxxij marcas, et nunc in presenti vix possunt levari xxviij marce Summa totalis recepti et proficui dicte bajulie cxiij marce iiij s. viij d

Translated Breakdown of the Trebeigh Estate (c. 1185):

1 messuage (dwelling house) with garden and dovecote, valued at 16 shillings 3 pence per year.
1 water mill, valued at 10 shillings 8 pence annually.
200 acres of arable land and pasture, valued at 3 pence per acre, totalling 50 shillings.
3½ acres of meadow, worth 3 shillings.
Assized rents from tenants: 30 shillings per year.
Income from glebe lands (church land) of:
- St Ive – 3 pence
- St Maddern – 9 pence
- St Clare – 1 mark
From the pension of the vicar of St Maddern: 4 marks
From the appropriated church of St Maddern: 44 marks
From the appropriated church of Trebeigh itself: 28 marks
Confraternity dues (alms and offerings): formerly 32 marks, now just 28 marks
Total income from the bailiwick (estate): 113 marks, 4 shillings, and 8 pence

This extensive list demonstrates that Trebeigh was not just an agricultural holding, but a multi-functional estate with ecclesiastical revenues, mills, structured rent, and spiritual income.

The Water Mill at Trebeigh: Likely Site at Bicton

The water mill recorded in the 12th-century estate inventory may correspond to what is now known as Bicton Mill, located on the River Lynher within the parish of St Ive. The site sits roughly 1–2 km east/northeast of Trebeigh Manor, and is recorded in Cornwall’s Historic Environment Record. The mill wheel still survives in situ, attached to a converted house.

OS Grid Reference: SX 3215 7000
Historical continuity: While the recorded structure is 19th-century, many Cornish mills trace their origins to the medieval period.

From Preceptory to Private Estate

By the 17th century, after the Reformation and the dissolution of the Knights Hospitaller’s estates, the manor at Trebeigh was converted into a private residence for the Wray family, incorporating parts of the original medieval structure. Today, it remains a manor farm, located near Trebeigh Wood and close to the main Liskeard road.

Though its days as a preceptory are long past, the landscape still bears traces of its Templar and Hospitaller legacy — in the form of ancient boundaries, place names, and surviving architecture.

A Legacy Shared with Temple

The estate at Trebeigh was closely connected to the hamlet of Temple on Bodmin Moor — the site of the Templars’ Church of St Catherine, a hospice and chapel established around 1120. The lands and religious buildings at Temple, along with Trebeigh, formed the Preceptory of Trebeigh, Cornwall’s primary centre for the Templars.

MADRON (Church St Madern)

CONNERTON (Gwithian)

LAUNCESTON -

Launceston, one of Cornwall’s most historic towns, played a small but notable role in the medieval presence of the Knights Templar. Among the Templar holdings recorded in the 1185 Templar estate survey was a mill at Launceston, an asset likely connected to their broader network of properties across the county.

A Strategic Asset

While much attention is often given to the Templars’ more prominent sites—such as their preceptory at Trebeigh, and the Church of St Catherine at Temple on Bodmin Moor—the Launceston mill reveals another important dimension of their operations: the exploitation of urban or semi-urban economic assets.

Mills were vital to the medieval economy. They provided a steady income by charging local people to grind their grain, and they often served as focal points of local trade and food production. The presence of a mill at Launceston suggests that the Templars, like many other land-owning orders, drew income not just from farmland, but from infrastructure tied to local communities and markets.

Part of a Larger Estate Network

Although Launceston was not a Templar commandery in its own right, the mill appears to have been managed as part of the Templar estate centred at Trebeigh, around 20 miles to the southwest. This reflects a broader Templar strategy: their preceptories (administrative centres) often oversaw multiple satellite properties, including mills, pastures, churches, and fisheries, spread across a wide area.

After the suppression of the Templars in the early 14th century, such properties were typically transferred to the Knights Hospitaller, the Templars’ successor order.

Where Was the Mill?

The exact location of the Templar mill at Launceston is uncertain, but historic records and archaeological clues point to the area north of the town, near the Church of St Thomas. This area was once home to the Augustinian Priory of St Stephen, long since vanished but still detectable through earthworks and scattered brick and stone remains.

It is likely that the Templar mill was situated close to the River Kensey, which runs through this part of Launceston and would have provided a reliable water source for a watermill.

This location near the medieval priory, a church, and the riverside, fits the pattern seen across Cornwall and England, where ecclesiastical and knightly orders often clustered near productive land and local population centres.

STOCKLAND (St'Celade)

YARCOMBE (Artecumba)

BROADCLYST

TEMPLETON

CHITTERLEY

CHERUBEER

WALLON

TEMPLAR FIGURES IN CORNWALL