The Templar Estates in Lincolnshire, 1185-1565
Agriculture and Economy
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- Contents
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A new survey of major Templar landholdings offers fresh insights into key questions about their medieval history.
Much has been written about the history of the Knights Templar, the legendary Order of military monks. Far less attention, however, has been paid to the Templar estates in Western Christendom which supported their endeavours.
Set within the context of the turbulent history of medieval and Tudor England, the book follows the fate of the Templar estates in the county of Lincolnshire. Beginning with the survey of Templar property undertaken by Geoffrey FitzStephen in 1185, the story of the estates is followed through the primary sources of the estate accounts of 1307-1312, the Report of Philip de Thame of 1338, the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 and the 1557 letter patent of Mary Tudor. What emerges is the previously untold tale of the characteristics of the estates, the personnel who were involved and the nature of Templar agriculture in the early fourteenth century. A number of major questions are addressed, including how Edward II dealt with the Templar estates after the arrest of the Order in 1308; whether all the Templar estates were transferred to the Hospitallers as is widely supposed; and what happened to the Hospitaller inheritance of Templar lands during the English Reformation.
Much has been written about the history of the Knights Templar, the legendary Order of military monks. Far less attention, however, has been paid to the Templar estates in Western Christendom which supported their endeavours.
Set within the context of the turbulent history of medieval and Tudor England, the book follows the fate of the Templar estates in the county of Lincolnshire. Beginning with the survey of Templar property undertaken by Geoffrey FitzStephen in 1185, the story of the estates is followed through the primary sources of the estate accounts of 1307-1312, the Report of Philip de Thame of 1338, the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 and the 1557 letter patent of Mary Tudor. What emerges is the previously untold tale of the characteristics of the estates, the personnel who were involved and the nature of Templar agriculture in the early fourteenth century. A number of major questions are addressed, including how Edward II dealt with the Templar estates after the arrest of the Order in 1308; whether all the Templar estates were transferred to the Hospitallers as is widely supposed; and what happened to the Hospitaller inheritance of Templar lands during the English Reformation.
Introduction
The Inquest of 1185
The Lincolnshire preceptories and the former Templar estates, 1308-13
Arable farming on the former Templar estates, 1308-13
Livestock, excluding sheep, on the former Templar estates, 1308-13
Sheep farming and management on the former Templar estates, 1308-13
The people: workers, dependants, beneficiaries and the former Templar estates, 1308-13
The transfer of former Templar property to the Hospitallers, 1312-38
The Report of Prior Philip de Thame to Grand Master Elyan de Villanova, 1338
The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535, the dissolution of the Hospitallers and the subsequent fate of the former Templar estates in Lincolnshire
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography
Index
The Inquest of 1185
The Lincolnshire preceptories and the former Templar estates, 1308-13
Arable farming on the former Templar estates, 1308-13
Livestock, excluding sheep, on the former Templar estates, 1308-13
Sheep farming and management on the former Templar estates, 1308-13
The people: workers, dependants, beneficiaries and the former Templar estates, 1308-13
The transfer of former Templar property to the Hospitallers, 1312-38
The Report of Prior Philip de Thame to Grand Master Elyan de Villanova, 1338
The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535, the dissolution of the Hospitallers and the subsequent fate of the former Templar estates in Lincolnshire
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography
Index
"A cogent, well-written volume." SPECULUM
"Jefferson has produced a valuable survey of documentary flashpoints in the long history of the estates of the Knights Templar in Lincolnshire. His detailed analysis will provide scholars of a range of disciplines [...] this is a study that deserves to be widely read" H-NET REVIEWS
"The Templar Estates in Lincolnshire makes a very substantial contribution both to our knowledge of Templar agriculture and also to the broader rural world of medieval Lincolnshire." JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS HISTORY, LITERATURE & CULTURE
"The book is very well presented, with a comprehensive collection of maps and references, and it makes a fascinating analysis of a subject little known to the general reader." FACHRS
"Both the discussion and the useful, extensive, appendices represent truly valuable contributions to our understanding, both of Lincolnshire's medieval agriculture and of the history the Knights Templar." MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENT RESEARCH GROUP
"The Templar Estates in Lincolnshire is an important contribution to our comprehension of Templars and the impact that they had upon the rural landscape of England. By thoroughly investigating the primary written record, and skilfully dovetailing the archaeological and topographic evidence, Jefferson provides a fresh insight into the agricultural exploitation that underpinned the Templars more celebrated activities in the Holy Land. The detailed picture it provides of the Order's chronological development and economic arrangements will be valuable to many and is a particular welcome addition to the scholarship of medieval Lincolnshire." MIDLAND HISTORY
"This is a very useful study for anyone wishing to test theories about medieval estate management and agricultural practices, as well as anyone who wants to know more about the Templars." AGRICULTURAL HISTORY REVIEW
"Overall, this is a fine study in both parts: describing surviving texts, showing how their evidence fits into the wider picture of estate management in England, tracking down sources from 1308-1312 in the National Archives." THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW (TMR)
"Set to stand as a valuable monograph." Ross S. Kennedy, Nottingham Medieval Studies
Hardcover
9781783275571
October 2020
$125.00 / £85.00
Ebook (EPDF)
9781787447837
October 2020
£24.99 / $29.95
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