THE TEMPLARS

IN WORCESTERSHIRE

The Knights Templars had a notable presence in Worcestershire during the medieval period, as they did in many parts of England. Their wealth and status often meant they played a role in local politicsand also economic, as well as providing some level of security or acted as landlords for the areas they controlled. The Templars role in the area, would have been that of controlling land and agriculture to collect funds for the crusades. The Templars were major land owners and would have managed agricultural estates within the area,

The Manor in Worcester may have been controlled by the Preceptory of Balsall, as it were when the Hospitallers took over the states from the Templars after the surpression.

TEMPLE BROUGHTON

Hidden within the parish of Hanbury, near Broughton Green in Worcestershire, lies one of the more quietly intriguing estates associated with the medieval military orders: Temple Broughton. Though it never developed into one of the great preceptories, its name and surviving landscape clues preserve the memory of a manor once held by the Knights Templar, and later by the Knights Hospitaller.

The manor is recorded under several medieval forms, including Broghton and Temple Brocton. Its later name, Temple Broughton, reflects its connection with the Templars, who held the estate by the late 13th century.

Early Ownership of the Manor

Temple Broughton was probably originally part of the wider manor of Hanbury, which was recorded in Domesday in 1086. According to the Victoria County History, the estate later passed through several important secular hands. It was said to have been granted by Bishop Theulf of Worcester, who held office from 1115 to 1123, to Peverell de Beauchamp. In the reign of Henry II, it was held by Peter de Beauchamp.

The manor appears to have been forfeited by Walter de Beauchamp around 1170–71 and remained in royal hands until at least 1189. It was apparently restored by Richard I to Peter de Beauchamp, Walter’s uncle, but was later taken by King John and granted to Hugh Pantulf and Hamo Cocus.

It was through Sir Hugh Pantulf that Temple Broughton entered the possession of the Knights Templar.

The Templar Estate

By 1299, the Red Book of the Bishopric of Worcester recorded that the estate of Temple Broughton, then consisting of five hides, was held by the Knights Templar by the gift of Sir Hugh Pantulf.

A hide was not a fixed acreage, but a fiscal unit used to assess land. An estate of five hides was substantial, suggesting that Temple Broughton was not merely a small isolated holding, but a meaningful manorial estate with agricultural value.

The precise date of Sir Hugh Pantulf’s gift is not known, but it may have been made before 1237. In that year, Henry IIIgranted the Templars 2½ acres of clearing in the royal forest of Feckenham, land which had previously been held by William Fitz Robert for a rent of 6d per year. This grant was likely connected with the Templars’ existing interests around Hanbury and Temple Broughton.

The Templars’ holdings at Temple Broughton therefore appear to have included:

the manor or estate of Temple Broughton, assessed at five hides;
associated lands and tenant holdings;
at least 2½ acres of assart or clearing in Feckenham Forest;
and probably the normal buildings of a manorial estate, such as farm buildings, tenant tenements, barns and an administrative centre.

No surviving record yet clearly identifies a Templar chapel, mill or preceptory building at Temple Broughton. The evidence points instead to a rural manor or estate held as part of the wider Templar landholding network.

From Templars to Hospitallers

Following the suppression of the Knights Templar, their estates were transferred to the Knights Hospitaller in 1312. Temple Broughton appears to have passed with the rest of the Templar possessions and remained in Hospitaller hands until the Dissolution. VCH records that by the 16th century it was included within the Preceptory of Balsall in Warwickshire, rather than being valued separately.

This suggests that under the Hospitallers, Temple Broughton was treated as an outlying manor or estate attached to Balsall, rather than as an independent commandery.

The 1338 Hospitaller report gives a brief but important glimpse of how the property was managed. It states that certain lands and tenements at Broughton were leased to Roger de Belli for the term of his life, by deed of the Chapter, in the time of Brother Thomas Larcher, for an annual rent. The wording indicates that the Hospitallers were not necessarily farming the estate directly, but had leased at least part of it for a fixed yearly income.

In translation, the entry reads:

“Certain lands and tenements there are let to farm to Roger de Belli, for the term of his life, by deed of the Chapter, in the time of Brother Thomas Larcher, for [100 shillings] per year.”

This confirms the continued value of the estate after the Templar period and shows that Temple Broughton had become part of the Hospitallers’ income-producing estate network.

What Did They Own Here?

The surviving evidence does not provide a detailed inventory of Temple Broughton comparable to some other Templar or Hospitaller estates. However, the records allow us to identify the main elements with reasonable confidence.

The Templars and later Hospitallers held the manor of Temple Broughton, consisting of five hides, together with associated lands and tenements. The term “tenements” could include tenant houses, farmsteads, yards, crofts and other occupied holdings. The 1237 royal grant also added a small area of cleared land in Feckenham Forest.

What remains uncertain is the exact location of the medieval manor house or administrative centre. There may have been a grange or manorial farm, but no surviving documentary source yet securely identifies it.

Modern Landscape Clues

The most likely modern focus for the Templar and Hospitaller estate is the area around Temple Broughton Farm, Temple Barn, Harmans Hill and Broughton Green, near Hanbury.

Temple Broughton Farmhouse is now a Grade II listed building, preserving the name of the former manor. Nearby Temple Barn, on Harmans Hill, is also listed and preserves the same historic “Temple” association in the local landscape. Although the surviving buildings are later than the Templar period, their names point strongly to the former medieval estate.

Another important nearby site is Broughton Court, now known as Becknor Manor, which may represent a separate medieval estate or later manorial centre in the same landscape. This should be treated as a secondary site of interest, rather than automatically identified as the Templar manor itself.

The Temple Oak

One of the most striking survivals in the area is the ancient Temple Oak near Harmans Hill, Broughton Green. The tree is recorded as a pedunculate oak and is known locally and historically as the Temple Oak. Monumental Trees identifies it as standing near the public footpath by Harmans Hill. The Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory records it as an ancient pollard with a girth of 9.50 metres, noting its historic name as “Temple Oak.”

The Temple Oak cannot be used as proof of a Templar building, nor can it be safely claimed that the tree was planted by the Templars. However, it is a valuable landscape clue. Ancient oaks often marked boundaries, routes, greens, meeting places or estate edges. In this case, its position within a landscape full of “Temple” names makes it highly suggestive as a memory marker of the former Templar estate.

Its significance lies not in proving a precise site, but in preserving the identity of Temple Broughton in the local landscape.

The Templar Account of Broughton Notes the following:

Broughton

Wheat

Also he accounts for 1 quarter and 6 seams/sesters of wheat received from the issue of the grange by the servant, and with 7½ quarters received by purchase, as below.

Total: 9 quarters and 2 seams/sesters.

From this, for the yearly allowance of one man, during the said year, similarly for 27 weeks, 2 quarters and 7 seams/sesters were taken, at the rate of 1 quarter for 12 weeks.

And for the allowance of the servants: 7 quarters.

Total as above.

Peas

Also he accounts for 7 quarters and 6 seams/sesters of peas, received by purchase, as below.

Total: 7 quarters and 6 seams/sesters.

From this, for seed: 1 quarter and 7 seams/sesters were sown on 6 acres, namely at the rate of 1½ seams/sesters per acre.

And for the allowance of the servants: 5 quarters and 7 seams/sesters.

Total as above.

Oats

Also he accounts for 6½ quarters of oats, received from the issue of the grange and threshed by the servant, and for 4 quarters received by purchase, as below.

Total: 10½ quarters.

From this, for seed: 9 quarters were sown on 18 acres, namely at the rate of ½ quarter per acre.

And 1 quarter was made into meal/flour for the servants’ pottage.

And for the provender of the draught-horses: ½ quarter.

Total as above.

Grain used for allowances

Also he accounts for 6 quarters of wheat and 5 quarters and 7 seams/sesters of peas, received for the allowance of the servants, as above.

Total: 12 quarters and 7 seams/sesters.

From this, in allowances to one carter and four ploughmen during the said term, he accounts for 11 quarters and 2 seams/sesters, namely for 27 weeks, each taking 1 quarter for 12 weeks.

And in the allowance of the maidservant during the same time: 1 quarter and 5 seams/sesters, taking 1 quarter for 16 weeks.

Total as above.

Stock

Draught-horses

The same man accounts for one male draught-horse found in the manor, valued at 5s.

And for one mare with a foal, found there, valued at 5s, which he delivered to John de la Haye by writ of the lord King and by indenture.

Oxen

The same man accounts for 15 oxen found in the manor, each valued at 8s, and he delivered them to John de la Haye by writ of the lord King and by indenture.

Cow

The same man accounts for one cow found in the manor, valued at 5s, and he delivered it to the said John by writ of the lord King and by indenture.

Delivery of goods

Walter delivered to the said John all the following goods found in the said manor, namely:

one wooden plough/cart item, valued at 9d;
one wooden cart, valued at 2s;
one bronze/metal pot, valued at 12d;
one bronze/metal pitcher, valued at 10d;
one bronze/metal pan, valued at 8d;
one plough with iron fittings, valued at 2s;
one iron harrow, valued at 16d;
30 acres of land sown with wheat, each acre valued at 20d;
6 acres of land sown with peas, each acre valued at 10d;
18 acres sown with oats, each acre valued at 12d.

Broughton — rents and income

The same man accounts for 60s, corrected or noted as 58s 1d, received from assize rents for the term of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

And for 10s from 5 acres of meadow sold for herbage.

And for 2s from a certain separate piece of pasture there.

And for 2s 6d from common pasture there.

And for 30s from underwood there sold, as is contained there.

And for 10s from customary works there released, as is contained there.

And for 20s from pleas and perquisites of court during the same time, as is contained there.

Total receipts: £6 12s 7d.

Expenses

Costs of ploughs

From this he accounts for iron and steel bought for two ploughs during the said term: 4s 6d.

And for the wages of the smith: 6s 4d.

And for two plough fittings/pedalia: 4d.

Total: 8s 2d.

Costs of the cart and shoeing

Also he accounts for 8 clouts/clout-nails or iron fittings: 4d.

And for grease: 1d.

And for shoeing the draught-horse: 10d.

Total: 20d.

Purchase of grain

Also he accounts for 7½ quarters of wheat bought for the servants’ allowance: 45s, at 6s per quarter.

And for 7 quarters and 6 seams/sesters of peas bought: 25s 10d, at 3s 4d per quarter.

And for 7 quarters of oats bought: 12s, at 3s per quarter.

Wages

Also he accounts for the wages of one carter and two holders/tenants from the term of the Annunciation: 6s.

And for the wages of two drivers: 3s.

And for the maidservant: 6d.

Total: 9s 6d.

Total expenses: 101s 9d.

And he owes 30s 10d.

From this there is allowed to him 9s 6d for the surplus of the manor of Hullecromb, as is contained there.

And he owes 21s 4d.

What this tells us about Broughton

This is a very useful account because it shows that Broughton was a working agricultural manor, not simply a rent-paying estate.

The manor included:

a grange producing wheat and oats;
wheat, peas and oats under cultivation;
30 acres sown with wheat;
6 acres sown with peas;
18 acres sown with oats;
meadow sold for herbage;
separate pasture and common pasture;
underwood;
assize rents;
customary labour services, here converted into cash;
pleas and profits of the manorial court;
working animals, including oxen, a draught-horse, a mare with foal, and a cow;
ploughs, carts, harrow, ironwork and household vessels;
servants including a carter, ploughmen/drivers and a maidservant.

In short, the Broughton account shows a substantial Templar estate with arable land, livestock, meadow, pasture, woodland, labour services, court income and estate buildings centred on a grange or manor farm.

Conclusion

Temple Broughton was a genuine Templar manor in Worcestershire, held by the Knights Templar by the gift of Sir Hugh Pantulf and recorded in 1299 as an estate of five hides. It likely entered Templar hands before 1237, when Henry III granted the Order additional cleared land in Feckenham Forest.

After the suppression of the Templars, the manor passed to the Knights Hospitaller and was later administered as part of the Preceptory of Balsall. By the time of the 1338 Hospitaller report, lands and tenements at Broughton were being leased to Roger de Belli for life, showing that the estate continued to provide income to the Order.

Today, the strongest indicators of the medieval estate survive not as visible Templar ruins, but through the place-names and landscape around Temple Broughton Farm, Temple Barn, Harmans Hill, Broughton Green and the remarkable Temple Oak. Together they preserve the memory of a small but significant Templar and Hospitaller manor in the Worcestershire countryside.

The 800 Year Old Templar Oak nr Hangmans Hill Broughton - Possibly a boundary marker for the edge of the Templars Manor at Temple Broughton

The Knight Hospitaller report of 1188 Writes about BROUGHTON.

Queclam terre et tenementa ibidem dimittuntur ad firmam Rogero de Belu, ad terminum rite sue, per factum Capituli, tempore fratris Thome Larcher, pro per annum . . . . . c s

BROUGHTON. Some lands and tenements there are let to the farm of Roger of Belu, for the term of his right, by deed of the Chapter, in the time of brother Thom Larcher, for per annum

FECKENHAM - Temple Arden

The village of Feckenham in Worcestershire preserves a fascinating, if fragmentary, link with the Knights Templarthrough a property known as Temple Arden, also recorded as Temple Ardley. Unlike the better-documented Templar manor of Temple Broughton near Hanbury, Temple Arden appears in the records as a smaller estate or capital messuage associated with the Templars’ regional administration at Temple Balsall.

Feckenham itself was an important medieval settlement within the landscape of the royal forest of Feckenham. This was not simply woodland in the modern sense, but a legal and administrative forest zone, containing villages, farmland, waste, woodland, hunting rights, and forest courts. It was within this wider forest landscape that the Templars came to hold land.

The Templar Holding

The key evidence comes from the Testa de Nevill, also known as the Book of Fees, which records land in Feckenham as having been alienated by William son of Robert de Feckenham to the Knights Templar of the Preceptory of Balsall.

The Victoria County History later identifies this land as probably being the property known as Temple Ardley or Temple Arden. It describes Temple Ardley as a capital messuage in Feckenham. A capital messuage was the principal house of an estate, usually including its yard, outbuildings, and associated land. This suggests that the Templars’ holding at Temple Arden was probably a small estate-house or manorial farm, rather than a full independent preceptory.

The surviving record does not provide a detailed inventory. We cannot currently say with certainty that the Templars held a chapel, mill, dovecote, or named fields at Temple Arden. What can be said is that they held land in Feckenham, probably centred on a capital messuage, and that this holding was connected to the larger Templar house at Temple Balsall.

Temple Arden and Feckenham Forest

Temple Arden may also belong to a wider pattern of Templar landholding within the old Feckenham Forest area. In 1237, Henry III granted the Templars 2½ acres of clearing in the royal forest of Feckenham, land formerly held by William Fitz Robert at a rent of 6d per year.

This is intriguing because the Temple Arden holding was associated with William son of Robert de Feckenham. The similarity between the names makes a connection possible, though it cannot yet be proved. The 1237 grant may have been linked to Temple Arden, to Temple Broughton, or to another small Templar holding within the forest.

What is clear is that the Templars had more than one interest in this part of Worcestershire. Their presence was not necessarily marked by a great commandery, but by smaller estates, clearings, and income-producing properties managed through the regional Templar network.

Later History

By the early 17th century, Temple Ardley had passed into private hands. In 1616–17, a capital messuage in Feckenham called Temple Ardley was inherited by John Hanbury from his mother Margaret. It later appears to have passed from the Hanbury family to the Neales, probably through the marriage of Anna Maria Hanbury to Henry Neale near the end of the 17th century.

The property is mentioned again in the will of Mary Neale, who left it in 1805 to Edward Vansittart. The exact route by which the former Templar holding passed from the military orders into the hands of the Hanbury family is not currently known.

The Possible Modern Site

The exact modern location of Temple Arden has not been firmly proven from the surviving published records. However, local tradition and landscape evidence point towards Feckenham village, particularly the area of the historic moated site now associated with the recreation ground or playing fields.

This site has been linked locally with Temple Arden and has surviving earthwork significance. If the identification is correct, it may represent the site of the former capital messuage or estate centre. However, this should be treated as a probable rather than certain identification until confirmed by Worcestershire Historic Environment Record entries, tithe maps, estate papers, or early Ordnance Survey evidence.

Conclusion

Temple Arden was a genuine medieval property-name in Feckenham and was probably connected with land granted by William son of Robert de Feckenham to the Knights Templar of Balsall. The evidence suggests a modest but significant Templar estate, likely centred on a capital messuage rather than a full preceptory.

Its importance lies in showing how the Templars operated within Worcestershire: not only through major centres such as Temple Balsall, but also through smaller rural holdings embedded in the forest and manorial landscape. Today, while no visible Templar building can be securely identified, the name Temple Arden preserves the memory of a once-important estate within medieval Feckenham.

TEMPLE LAUGHERNE -

The Knights Templar are known to have owned the estate from 1249, and it remained in their possession until 1311 when it was granted to the Knights Hospitaller. It is most likely to have been the manor for arribal and farming in Mercia, The chapel could have been constructed to display the patronage of the new owners. Other such small chapels are known, particularly in Warwickshire, Recent Archeological digs at the site, report four possible built structures including a larger strucutre which was a possible chapel, lying traditional east to west, and potential lodgings for the order, and layman, although very little information or details about the manor remain, and the site has now been built on by a local housing estate,. Head over to our blog site to learn more about Temple Laugherne here

Below is a working translation of the Lawerne, year two account. one of the former Templar estates administered after the arrest of the Order.

Lawerne, year two

Walter de Berethorp hands over grain, stock and chattels to the Prior of Worcester.

Grange

Also he accounts for 3 quarters of wheat found in the grange in sheaves, by estimation, valued at 4s per quarter. And the whole account he delivered to the Prior of Worcester by the King’s writ and by indenture.

Rye

The same man accounts for 10 quarters of rye found in sheaves by estimation, valued at 3s per quarter. And the whole he delivered to the said Prior, as before.

Dredge / mixed grain

The same man accounts for 20 quarters of dredge, found as before, valued at 2s 6d per quarter. And the whole he delivered to the said Prior, as before.

“Dredge” usually means a mixed crop, often barley and oats grown together.

Oats

The same man accounts for 21 quarters of oats, found as above, valued at 20d per quarter. And the whole he delivered to the said Prior, as before.

Peas

The same man accounts for 2 quarters of peas, found as above, valued at 2s 6d per quarter. And the whole he delivered to the said Prior, as before.