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THE TEMPLARS
IN HEREFORDSHIRE
Map of Templar Estates in Herefordshire
GARWAY
The Templars received five gifts in Herefordshire. Their preceptory at Garway, was the administration house of the order, forvthe area and they established another preceptory at Upleadon.
Three smaller properties at St. Wulstan in Welsh Newton, Rowlestone & Harewood were farmed out.
Nestled in the picturesque Herefordshire countryside, Garway is home to one of England’s most remarkable medieval treasures: a round church built by the Knights Templar. The site, historically part of the lands of Llangarewi (Garway), was not only a spiritual center but also a major administrative and military base for the Templar order in England.
A Preceptory of the Knights Templar
The Knights Templar, the famed military order of Jerusalem, established a preceptory at Garway during the 12th century. A preceptory functioned as a local administrative hub, providing both spiritual services and managing the order’s estates. Garway’s preceptory was among the Templars’ most important English holdings, covering 2,000 acres of land in the area.
On 9 October 1189, King Richard I confirmed a royal charter granting the Templars exemption from all forest fines and charges for clearing or cultivating land at Garway — a significant privilege that underlined the crown’s support for the order. The charter explicitly recognized the Templars’ right to manage their estate free from local taxation, including the fee known as essart fines, which were normally levied for clearing forest land.
The Unique Round Church
The centerpiece of the preceptory is the round church, a striking and rare architectural form inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Its circular nave, built in the early 12th century, symbolized the Templars’ connection to the Holy Land and their mission as defenders of the Christian faith.
A medieval survey of the estate reveals the church’s significance within the manor. It records the manor with its garden, water mill, arable and meadow land, pasture, and the income from the manorial court, alongside the church itself. The church, held in its own use, was valued at £10, a considerable sum at the time, reflecting both its spiritual and economic importance.
The church remains today as a Grade I listed building and is one of only four medieval round churches still in use in England, offering a tangible link to the Knights Templars and their unique legacy.
Garway’s Strategic Importance
The Templars’ estates at Garway were part of a wider network of English and Welsh holdings, providing revenue to support their military and religious activities in the Holy Land. The combination of royal protection, fertile land, and strategic location made Garway a key center for the order. Its castle and dependent lands — or castellarium — reinforced both its administrative and defensive role in the region.
Visitors to Garway today can explore not only the historic round church but also the rich landscape that once sustained the Templars’ work and mission. From the surviving medieval stonework to the evocative traces of the manor lands, Garway remains a vivid testament to the influence of the Knights Templar in medieval England.
St. WULSTAN (Church) - Welsh Newton
Welsh Newton lies on the border between Herefordshire (England) and Monmouthshire (Wales), in the old Welsh‑Marches region.
The area was within the wider sphere of the Garway preceptory of the Knights Templar. For example, one source notes that Welsh Newton “was a chapelry of Garway … the church and manor of which belonged first to the Templars” prior to their suppression.
The church at Welsh Newton
The church is St Mary the Virgin, Welsh Newton. Some key points:
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The current building of nave, chancel and tower dates from the 13th century (tower early 13th, porch 14th) and then later restorations.
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It belonged to the Templars until about 1312; after the suppression of the Templar order their holdings passed to the Knights Hospitaller.
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There are visible remains and features within the church and churchyard associated with Templar/Hospitaller burials and effigies.
Lands and property held
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According to one review of Templar estates in Herefordshire, Welsh Newton (also referred to as “St Wulstan in Welsh Newton” in some sources) was a smaller property of the Templars, described as having a “house with outbuildings, 100 acres of land and a pasture”.
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In the broader context of the Garway preceptory the Templars held not only Garway itself but a number of dependent hamlets and chapels including likely Welsh Newton (“Newton (probably Welsh Newton near St Wulstan)”) where they received tithes.
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The manor of Garway (which Welsh Newton was attached to) in 1312 had significant agricultural holdings: e.g., 20 acres of hay and 644 acres of grain, water mills at Garway and associated sites, gardens and dovecote at St Wulstan (which is closely associated with Welsh Newton) among its assets.
Significance & legacy
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The fact that Welsh Newton was under the Templars demonstrates their reach beyond simply the main preceptory at Garway into the surrounding territory, managing lands and collecting tithes from chapels and manor houses.
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The church at Welsh Newton is a tangible surviving link to that medieval order in the Marches region, complementing the more famous round‑church at Garway.
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The presence of Templar/Hospitaller graves and the architectural fabric serve as local evidence of the order’s economic and spiritual infrastructure (manor, chapel, tithe income, pasture, land holdings) in the Marches.
ROWLESTONE
Rowlestone was a small estate with a manor house and 200 acres, which was rented out. This was probably the present Court Farm, which dates back to the 14th century.
SUTTON St MICHAEL
In the rich agricultural landscape of the River Lugg valley, the parish of Sutton (comprising today Sutton St Michael and Sutton St Nicholas) stood out as a valuable resource for medieval religious-military orders. The Templars, and later the Hospitallers, recognised the potential of the fertile land, generous tithes and pastures of this area.
From Templars to Hospitallers
The church at Sutton, and its associated manor and lands, were originally connected with the Templars. After the suppression of the Templars in the early 14th century their properties passed to the Hospitallers, who managed them as a “member” estate of their commandery at Dinmore, Herefordshire. Sources show that by the late 12th century both Sutton Parishes were confirmed to the Hospitallers via the prior of St Guthlac’s, and by 1185 Sutton St Michael was recorded in their hands.
The parish history states:
“Towards the end of the 12th century, the Priory (of St Guthlac) made over its rights in St Michael to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John to form a large estate controlled from their headquarters at Dinmore.”
Lands and valuations: what the records tell us
From a medieval valuation we know the following about the Sutton estate:
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200 acres of arable land, valued at 8d per acre.
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150 acres of arable land, valued at 6d per acre.
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From fixed rents (assize) annual income of 60s 11d (£3 0s 11d).
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From the manorial court (placita & perquisita) annual income of 20s (£1).
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From pasture annual value of 40s (£2).
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From the church of Sutton (appropriated to the Order—in proprios usus) annual income of £10.
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From other small tithes annual income of 34s 1d (£1 14s 1d).
All together the land valuations and incomes totalled £10 8s 4d for the arable alone, and additional incomes thereafter.
This shows the Sutton estate was a significant asset — high-acreage arable, pasture and appropriate church income all combined under Templar/Hospitaller administration.
Why Sutton mattered
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High arable acreage: The large number of acres and relatively good valuations show Sutton was more than a small farm; it was a major manorial asset.
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Church appropriation: The church of Sutton being “in proprios usus” means the Order collected the rectorial tithes directly rather than these going to a local rector. That gave them significant economic advantage.
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Proximity and control: The Lugg valley location was both fertile and accessible, making the estate valuable for food-production, income, and for supporting the broader operations of the Order (whether hospitality, distribution of rents, or strategic landholding).
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What remains today
The churches of Sutton St Michael and Sutton St Nicholas still exist in the parish. The medieval landscape may be much altered, but the arc of continuity is visible: parish boundaries, church buildings, and the imprint of monastic/knightly landholding. The conservation area documentation for Sutton St Nicholas notes that both parishes date back to the 12th century and were owned by the Hospitallers.
Legacy and significance
The presence of the Templars (and later the Hospitallers) at Sutton tells us much about how medieval orders organised land, collected rents, and integrated local parishes into broader networks of property and income. Sutton stands out as a micro-cosm of that system: arable land, pasture, tithes, court profits, and ecclesiastical appropriation all feeding into the Order’s finances.
Visitors today to Sutton can look out for the church buildings, the broader parish landscape, and reflect on how this valley once formed part of a network of knightly-religious estates stretching across Herefordshire and beyond to Wales. The fact that the records record values like “8d per acre” or “£10 from the church” gives a tangible sense of how real this enterprise was.
HAREWOOD (END)
the Templars had a manor house, a watermill, 200 acres of land, a pasture, and an appropriated church. The estate was formerly granted by King John to Godscall, who transferred it to the Templars at Garway
Nestled in the rolling landscape of Herefordshire, Harewood Park (historically Harewode) carries a fascinating medieval legacy as part of the network of estates once held by the Knights Templar and later the Knights Hospitaller. The estate’s strategic location, fertile farmland, and connection to nearby Garway made it an important source of income and influence for these military-religious orders.
Medieval Holdings and Valuation
Medieval records provide a clear snapshot of the Templar and Hospitaller estate at Harewode:
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Messuage (house with yard/outbuildings): One messuage valued at 5 shillings per year.
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Arable land: 200 acres of farmland at 4 pence per acre, producing a total of 16 shillings 8 pence per year.
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Pasture: Valued at 10 shillings annually.
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Church: The parish church, held “in proprios usus” (for the Order’s own use), brought in 20 shillings per year.
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Woodland profits: Income from the underwood (subboscus) of Garwy and Harewode amounted to 20 shillings per year.
Altogether, the estate combined agricultural, ecclesiastical, and woodland revenues, demonstrating the integrated approach the Orders used to manage their English holdings.
Templar Ownership
The land at Harewood was part of a royal hunting estate, granted by King John in 1215 to the Knights Templar at Garway. At that time, it was already a productive estate with a hall, grange, and chapel. The Templars, whose mission combined military, religious, and economic objectives, would have managed the estate directly through:
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Resident Templar knights or brothers, likely overseeing the estate and representing the Order’s interests.
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Lay stewards or bailiffs to manage agricultural production and collect rents.
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A chaplain or priest serving the parish church, which provided tithes to the Order.
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Harewood’s woodland, pasture, and arable fields all contributed to the Templars’ regional income and supported their central preceptory at Garway.
Transition to the Hospitallers
Following the suppression of the Templars in 1312, the estate passed to the Knights Hospitaller, who administered it as a “member estate” of their nearby Dinmore Commandery. The Hospitallers continued to manage the manor, collect rents, and oversee agricultural production. The church and woodland rights remained integral sources of income, while tenants continued to work the land under the direction of the Order’s bailiffs.
Harewood remained under Hospitaller control until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, when it, like many monastic estates, passed into private hands.
Legacy and Landscape
Today, Harewood Park is part of a Duchy of Cornwall estate, preserving its historic parkland and landscape features. While much of the medieval fabric—such as the original hall, grange, and chapel—has been lost or replaced in later centuries, the estate’s fields, woodland, and place-name echo its medieval role as a Templar and Hospitaller holding. The woodland profits and pasture that sustained the Orders are now part of a managed rural landscape, reflecting centuries of continuity in land use.
Harewood stands as a vivid example of how military-religious orders shaped the countryside: combining religious, agricultural, and administrative functions to manage estates far from their central commanderies, and leaving a lasting mark on the landscape and heritage of Herefordshire.
UPLEADON
(Know know as Bosbury) lies the church of the Holy Trinity, a stones throw from another clue to the Templars prescence, a farm named Temple Court Farm. A report in 1338 records a manor house, with a garden, a dovecote, a watermill, 740 acres of land, 40 acres of meadow, ans several pastures.
Close to the Church is a curios barn, with an enlarged entrance, (nor bricked up towards the top) and another entrance next to it, which looks out of place for the barn itself, however could this have been a grander entrance to the Preceptory, with the Church at the side?
The Church itself is similar in design to that of its neighbouring preceptory at Garway, as in it has a seperate tower to the Church (Garways had been connected at sometime to the Church itself) Could this have been for storing relics or money?
Within the church also lies three marked Knights Templar/Hospitaller grave stones, in the south arcade.
It is clear to see that Bosbury was once a thriving Templar/Hospitaller community.
In Hereford, there was a short lived Templar presence at St Giles hospital, consisting of a chapel, and tenements. St Giles was founded in the 12th century, on St Owens street, but demolished in 1927, in order to widen the road. During demolition the foundations of the chapel were discovered revealing it to. be circular,
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TEMPLAR FIGURES AT HEREFORDSHIRE
Knights Templar at Herefordshire
Preceptors of Garway
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Meux (Philip de) - Knight, Garway Commander, arrested in January 1308, abjured on 9 July 1311 / JOINED IN 1304 - PRECEPTOR OF GARWAY
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Pocklington (William of) - Templar at Garway, arrested in January 1308, sent in penance to the priory of St Andrews at Northampton in the Diocese of Lincoln / JOINED IN 1306
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Thomas of Thoraldeby - Commander of Garway before Philippe de Meux. Arrested in January 1308 escaped after his first interrogation. Was sent penance to the Diocese of Winchester and was still alive in 1338
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John of Stoke - a Templar priest, claimed that he had been in the presence of Jacques de Molay with other brethren at Garway late in the previous century.
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Robert Cort - Hospitaller / appointed commander of Dinmore and Garway
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Thomas of Burle - preceptor of Dinmore and Garway, Prior of Ireland.
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William de Hereford - stated that he had been received into the Order at Garway ten years before his testimony.