Reasons for Designation
A preceptory is a monastery of the military orders of Knights Templars and
Knights Hospitallers (also known as the Knights of St John of Jerusalem). At
least one preceptory of the Knights of St Lazarus is also known to have
existed in England. Preceptories were founded to raise revenues to fund the
12th and 13th century crusades to Jerusalem. In the 15th century the
Hospitallers directed their revenue toward defending Rhodes from the Turks. In
addition, the preceptories of the Templars functioned as recruiting and
training barracks for the knights whilst those of the Hospitallers provided
hospices which offered hospitality to pilgrims and travellers and distributed
alms to the poor. Lazarine preceptories had leprosy hospitals attached. Like
other monastic sites, the buildings of preceptories included provision for
worship and communal living. Their most unusual feature was the round nave of
their major churches which was copied from that of the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem. Indeed their use of such circular churches was unique in medieval
England. Other buildings might include hospital buildings, workshops or
agricultural buildings. These were normally arranged around a central open
space, and were often enclosed within a moat or bank and ditch. From available
documentary sources it can be estimated that the Templars held 57 preceptories
in England. At least 14 of these were later taken over by the Hospitallers,
who held 76 sites. As a relatively rare monument class, all sites exhibiting
good survival of archaeological remains will be identified as nationally
important.
The remains of the preceptory and medieval settlement at Temple Garth,
Willoughton, survive well as earthworks and buried deposits. The site has
been largely under pasture since the preceptory was dissolved and has never
been excavated, indicating a high level of survival for below-ground remains.
Valuable evidence of the relationship of the preceptory to the settlement
which preceded it, as well as to the field systems and other features of the
medieval landscape, will thus survive intact. Understanding of the
monument has been increased by a detailed archaeological survey and there is
also some valuable early historical documentation relating to the site.
Details
The monument is situated at Temple Garth Farm, Willoughton, about 500m
south west of the church of St Andrew, and includes the remains of the
preceptory of the Knights Templars founded in the mid 12th century by Roger de
Builli or Bussei and Simon de Canci. With substantial endowments it became
the richest of the English preceptories, acting as an administrative centre
for the Templars' estates in north Lincolnshire. Following the suppression of
the order in 1308-12 the property was temporarily managed by a warden; by
1338, however, it had been re-established by the Knights Hospitallers for the
administration of their central and north Lincolnshire properties. The
preceptory was finally dissolved in 1540 and the site became part of a working
farm. The remains of the preceptory, which are themselves imposed upon part
of an earlier settlement at Willoughton, are therefore overlain by traces of
post-medieval occupation including farm buildings and dwellings. The monument
includes the remains of the preceptory's inner precinct moat with an area of
building remains, a series of ditched enclosures representing the remains of
the preceptory's outer precinct, and associated earthworks including traces of
an earlier settlement and a representative area of ridge-and-furrow
cultivation.
To the north west of Temple Garth farmhouse is a deep, water-filled ditch
which is up to 12m wide and forms a linear, L-shaped feature. The north-south
arm is approximately 150m in length with a break across the middle and an
enlarged, eastward curve at its southern tip. The east-west arm is
approximately 172m in length and has two southerly extensions. These features
represent the remains of the preceptory's inner precinct moat which has been
re-cut in post-medieval times. In a corresponding position to the south and
east of the farmhouse is a deep, dry ditch of roughly L-shaped form, with a
steep inner scarp over 2m high, running for a length of over 270m with a break
near the south eastern corner. These features represent further remains of the
moat of the preceptory's inner precinct, which can thus be seen to have
occupied a roughly rectangular area approximately 255m by 240m. In the north-
eastern corner of the precinct is a raised area occupied by a pair of
cottages; the north eastern boundary of the precinct is believed to be
represented by the present course of Northfield Lane.
In the southern part of the inner precinct, between the farmhouse and the
moat, is an area of shallow earthworks, some of which are on the same
alignment as the present house. This part of the precinct is considered to be
the site of some of the main preceptory buildings including a chapel, living
quarters and ancillary domestic and agricultural buildings.
Immediately south of this area of shallow earthworks on the southern side of
the inner precinct moat, is a further, roughly square enclosure approximately
100m by 100m. It is linked to the inner precinct at its north eastern corner
by a causeway and is bounded on the east and west by an extension to the moat
forming a dry ditch on the east, and a linear, water-filled pond on the west.
On all four sides are the remains of an internal bank. The enclosure is
subdivided by a shallow east-west ditch and a smaller, north-south ditch. This
enclosure is believed to be an extension to the inner precinct, subdivided
into smaller closes for domestic cultivation such as gardens and orchards.
To the east of this enclosure is another, larger close, approximately 150m by
130m, bounded on each side by a ditch and with an internal bank on the south
and east. Inside this close are the earthworks of ridge-and-furrow
cultivation. To the north are the remains of a further ditched enclosure, with
an internal bank on the west. These two closes form part of the preceptory's
outer precinct, where small fields for cultivation and animal enclosure would
have been situated. The closes are separated by a linear, east-west bank with
a channel on each side, which meets the gap near the south eastern corner of
the inner precinct moat. This is considered to represent a causeway leading to
an entrance into the inner precinct.
To the south of the enclosures which form part of the preceptory's outer
precinct are the earthworks of two further ditched enclosures, a large pond,
and a hollow way. The enclosures occupy the south western corner of the site
and contain shallow hollows. In the south eastern corner of the site is a
hollow way which represents an earlier course of Gainsborough Lane. Between
the closes and the hollow way is a large, spring-fed pond containing an
island. This pond has been enlarged in post-medieval times through
clay-digging for brick-making. This area of earthworks is considered to
represent part of the remains of an earlier, secular settlement which
pre-dates the preceptory.
To the west of the preceptory precinct is an area of ridge-and-furrow
cultivation which is a small surviving fragment of the medieval field system
which formed part of the preceptory estate. A sample strip of this
ridge-and-furrow, approximately 50m wide, is included within the scheduling to
protect the stratigraphic relationship between the preceptory site and the
associated field system.
In 1545, following the dissolution of the preceptory, the property was granted
to John Cook and John Thurgood. By 1610 it had been sold to the Saundersons
(Earls of Scarborough) who let it to a succession of tenants and finally sold
it, as a unit, in 1925. The estate created by the Templars and Hospitallers
has thus survived largely intact until the present day.
Excluded from the scheduling is the farmhouse which is Listed Grade II, also
the stables and outbuildings at Temple Garth Farm, the pair of cottages in the
north eastern corner of the monument and all walls and fences, although the
ground beneath these features is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
This list entry was subject to a Minor Enhancement on 23 May 2023 to amend the description
