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.
Details
The monument is the site of a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers and
includes the standing remains of the 13th century chapel of St Mary and St
John the Baptist, the buried remains of other buildings of the preceptory
which, together with the chapel, lie within a moated site, and a fishpond
which lies adjacent to the north eastern corner of the moat. At the centre of
the moated site is Stydd Hall which is a 17th century house altered in the
mid-19th century and built on medieval foundations. In addition to these, it
includes a substantial quantity of upstanding medieval masonry in its south
wall and, together, these medieval elements represent the remains of one of
the domestic buildings of the preceptory. The hall is not included in the
scheduling, however, as it is currently occupied and more appropriately
protected by its status as a Grade II* Listed Building. Further remains
relating to the preceptory, such as enclosures and the buried foundations of
such ancillary buildings as barns and workshops, will survive outside the
moated site but have also not been included in the scheduling as their extent
and state of preservation is not sufficiently understood.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
23335
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
