TEMPLE ELFORD - 

There were 192 Acres of Land here - gifted to the Templars after the Templar inquest of 1185 as there were no records of it then. There must have been a chapel attached to the house, since in 1308 there was a mention of a missal a grail chalice and vestment, implying there were brothers there, and a chaplain.

The manor of Temple Elfold (or Elfande) was recorded as belonging to the Knights Templar in 1263. The name "Temple Elfold" persists today in the name of an old house, which dates from the mid-16th century, though there was no preceptory (a major monastic-military establishment) attached to this manor in Capel itself.

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Temple Elfold: A Templar and Hospitaller Manor in Capel, Surrey

Temple Elfold, also recorded as Temple Elford, Temple Elfande, Elfant or Elphaud, was a medieval manor in Capel, Surrey, associated first with the Knights Templar and later with the Knights Hospitaller. The name survives today at Temple Elfande, Temple Lane, Capel, near Dorking.

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The estate appears to have come into Templar hands during the reign of Henry III. In 1279, Thomas de Elefold brought a claim concerning lands in Capel which his father, John de Elefold, had granted to the Master of the Knights Templar in England. Thomas eventually withdrew his claim, confirming that the Templars retained the property. As Temple Elfold does not appear in the 1185 Templar Inquest, it was probably a later acquisition, made sometime between the late 12th century and 1279.

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Temple Elfold was not a major preceptory, and there is no evidence for a resident community of Templar knights there. It was instead a manorial estate or manor-farm, most likely administered by a bailiff or estate officer on behalf of the Order. In 1308, when the Templar lands were seized following the arrest and suppression of the Order, the estate was recorded as having a house and an annual value of £4 11s. 2d. This suggests a modest but organised rural estate, probably with agricultural land, tenants, servants, barns, outbuildings and associated farm infrastructure.

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After the dissolution of the Knights Templar, Temple Elfold passed with many other former Templar properties to the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem. The Hospitallers retained the manor until their own suppression in the 16th century. In the early Tudor period, the estate was still in Hospitaller ownership; in 1524–25 the Prior and brethren of St John leased it to John Willet for thirty years at an annual rent of £5.

There is no clear evidence that Temple Elfold had a parish church or formal ecclesiastical benefice attached to it. The medieval chapel and later parish church at Capel had separate ecclesiastical connections, particularly with Dorking, Lewes Priory and Reigate Priory. However, a small private chapel or domestic oratory at the manor cannot be ruled out, especially if liturgical items were present in the estate inventory.

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Today, the medieval manor is represented by the site around Temple Elfande on Temple Lane, Capel. The surviving house is not a Templar building; it is a later post-medieval house, traditionally dated to the 16th century and associated with later private owners. Nevertheless, the name preserves the memory of a small Surrey manor once held by two of the great military religious orders of the medieval world: first the Templars, and then the Hospitallers.

ADDINGTON Temple

The Manor of Addington Temple was given to the order in 1241, by Walter de Merton. in 1249 it appears that the then Master of the Temple, Robert de Saunford received a gift of further land in Addington, It is eveident that the Templars did not farm this land itself, as the last master Brother William de la More leased the land to a John Blebury for 20s perr annum

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The Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller at Addington, Surrey

Medieval Addington (now part of modern Croydon) preserves a rare example of how land in England could be divided between major religious-military orders. In the 12th and 13th centuries, part of the manor passed into the hands of the Knights Templar, later transferring to the Knights Hospitaller, while another portion belonged to a London monastery.

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The Knights Templar at Addington (12th–14th century)

A portion of the medieval manor of Addington originated from the Domesday holding of Godric, which was later divided into separate estates. One of these was granted in the 12th century by Walter de Morton to the Knights Templar.

This grant consisted of:

• A moiety (half-share) of a manor in Addington

• Held under the overlordship of the Archbishop of Canterbury (via the manor of Croydon)

• Providing an annual rent of approximately 32 shillings and 1 penny

The Templars did not establish a major preceptory at Addington. Instead, they held the land as an income-generating estate, likely leasing it to local tenants and collecting rents rather than directly managing it on-site.

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Transfer to the Knights Hospitaller (14th century)

After the suppression of the Templars in 1312, their English lands were reassigned by royal authority. By the reign of Edward II, the Addington estate was transferred to the Knights Hospitaller (Order of St John of Jerusalem).

The Hospitallers:

• Inherited the former Templar moiety

• Continued to receive its rents and revenues

• Managed it as part of their wider English estates

This ensured continuity of ownership, even though the original Templar order had been dissolved.

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The Manor of St Mary Overy

The second half of the medieval manor was held separately by the priory of St Mary Overie Priory in Southwark.

This portion:

• Included the advowson (right to appoint the parish priest)

• Controlled additional land (including around 12 acres)

• Supported a requirement to maintain a lamp burning in the parish church

• Included a substantial medieval manor house with a hall and upper chambers

This demonstrates the dual nature of medieval Addington: part military-religious estate, part monastic ecclesiastical holding.

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What happened after the medieval period?

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in the 16th century:

• The Hospitaller and monastic holdings were confiscated by the Crown

• Both parts of the manor were later united in lay ownership

• They eventually came into the possession of the Leigh family, who held the combined estate for several centuries

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What survives today?

Modern Addington still preserves key traces of this medieval landscape:

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Addington Palace

Built later on or near the site of the medieval manor house, it represents the continuation of manorial residence on this historic estate.

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St Mary’s Church, Addington

The parish church retains medieval origins and reflects the ecclesiastical side of the manor, once linked to monastic control and the advowson held by St Mary Overy Priory.

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Landscape

Although heavily reshaped over time, the surrounding parkland and road layout still broadly follow the footprint of the medieval manorial landscape.

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Summary

Medieval Addington was not a single unified estate but a divided manor system:

• A portion granted to the Knights Templar (later Knights Hospitaller) by Walter de Morton

• A second portion held by St Mary Overy Priory, controlling the church

• Both estates later merged under the Leigh family after the medieval period

Today, Addington Palace and St Mary’s Church stand as the most visible reminders of this layered and fascinating medieval history.