Knights Templar in Wensleydale

On the right hand side of the A684 between Swinithwaite & Aysgarth is a little known site, which once was the home of a great and mysterious power: it's the Preceptory of the Knights Templars. It's now almost a thousand years since the order was founded and yet we're still fascinated by these early medieval knights.

I had to look up the meaning of a preceptory - it's a monastery of the Order of the Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem.

If you take the footpath up to this little spot you'll still be able to see the remains of the small chapel, base of the altar and three stone coffins. It's thought that Roger Mowbray founded the Penhill preceptory around 1142, but by 1328 it was already ruined.

So who were the Knights Templar? After Jerusalem was captured from Muslim control during the Crusades, European Christian pilgrims started to visit the Holy Land but they faced many dangers along the way. A knight called Hugues de Payens created a military order in 1118 to protect travellers, and they established a base in Jerusalem, becoming known for their austere white habits bearing a simple red cross. They eventually had the blessing of the Pope and gained special rights such as being exempt from paying tax.

I was quite fascinated to find out that the Knights Templar set up their own banks and even had a system that enabled pilgrims to deposit money in their home country and then withdraw it in the Holy Land. They also lent money to European nobles. The order grew in status and they were able to establish new chapters but their assets were eventually seized by the King of France and then King Edward II of England.

Once you've discovered the Preceptory, you can wander back towards Swinithwaite to enjoy a drink or meal at Berry's Farm Shop. Thanks to Tim Durham from Wensleydale Experience for these photos.

6 Comments

Robert Mason

29/9/2019 06:28:51 am

Here's something written by John S McFarlane in February 1988

TEMPLE FARM AND THE ‘STONE COFFINS’

Temple Farm has been home to seven generations of Ewbanks. Robert Ewbank (b. 1772) came to Temple from Light Trees on Stainmore sometime between 1817 and 1832. His son John Ewbank (b. 1811) became the tenant after his father’s death. John’s son Richard (b. 1851) left the farm for a time after he reached maturity (to Liverpool) but returned as a tenant in 1884. He was followed by a son, John (b. 1887), who in turn passed the tenancy to his son, John (b. 1924). He died in 1974, and Temple Farm is currently being operated by his sons, Richard and Christopher who each have young families.

Wensleydale, including Temple Farm, is an historic area. Much has been written about the Knights Templar who in 1146 were given title to a building site on the north-eastern slope of Penhill for the construction of a chapel. They later acquired more land and the settlement eventually included about 20 men, mostly Wensleydale yeomen. Their motto was: ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us but to Thy name give the glory.’ No doubt, many of the men fought in the Crusades and the order unquestionably had a great influence in the Dales. In the 14th century the Knights Templar were accused of heresy and immorality by Philip IV of France, assisted by Pope Clement V, and were removed from their land.

The fraternity was quietly dissolved and through a 1324 Act of Parliament the property was transferred to the order of Knights Hospitallers of St John. During the reign of Elizabeth I the manor of Temple Dowshar (later known as Temple Farm) became the property of the Robinson family. In 1581 William Robinson of York sold the manor to Oswald Metcalfe and after various transmissions the historic property on the slopes of Penhill was purchased in 1849 by James Pilkington MP. Ownership passed on to Sir George Pilkington and later to Mr T Thornton-Berry. The present owner is Hubert Thornton-Berry of Swinithwaite, West Witton.

The exact date for the construction of the Temple Farm house is not known, but a portion is thought to have been built about 1608 by Peter Atkinson. The initials of Mr Atkinson and his wife, Mary, appear on the inscription which, for many years was visible above the back door. The inscription read:

WHOSO SHALL COM
INTO THIS HOUSE O L
ORD DO THEM PROTE
CT AND WHO DOTH P
AS FORTH OF THE SAM
E JESU THERE WAYE DE
RECT. P.A M.A. 1608

The house is thought to have been constructed over the ruins of some of the Knights Templar buildings and served for a time as a coaching house. Iron hooks for the hanging harness and bridles may still be seen in the ceiling of the old kitchen.

Over the years there has been much speculation as to what happened to the Knights Templar buildings and especially to the chapel. In 1840 John Ewbank instructed his nephew Thomas Ewbank to remove debris from a large mound in a field to the south of the farm buildings. During the digging he struck fragments of the old chapel. The site was later carefully uncovered and among the relics were some stone coffins. Some say that at least one skeleton was discovered and later buried near an apple tree at Swinithwaite Hall.

Thomas Ewbank, the eldest son of Richard Ewbank who was a tenant at Temple Farm from 1884 to 1906, made a careful study of the old chapel ruins. His findings and theories regarding the chapel were recorded in pen and ink, but were not published.

Thomas Ewbank’s original manuscript has been provided by his daughters and is reproduced below:

Early memories:

I think it was in the year 1884 that my father, Richard Ewbank, succeeded to the tenancy of Temple Farm. The previous tenants were John and Robert Ewbank who had both died. I was then a lad of almost eight years of age. At that time the old ruins known locally as ‘The Stone Coffins’ were open to the pasture, and cattle and sheep wandered through them at will. The landlord of Swinithwaite estate was James Pilkington Esq and it was he who had a wooden fence put round the ruins.

These ruins were uncovered (discovered) during the tenancy of the said John and Robert Ewbank. The unearthing was on this wise. The place was just a large mound or grass-covered barrow. One day the men ordered to cart the turf and soil of the mound away onto some bare patches in the ploughed field with the result that the ‘Stone Coffins’ were unearthed. They were not brought to light by ploughing operations as some have said. Any knowledge of ploughing would show that to be out of the question. My authorities for saying this were gathered from what was told to me by the wife of the late John Ewbank, by his sister, Mrs A Hugill, and by the three Miss Ewbanks, daughters of the late John Ewbank, and statements made by old men of the nearby village — men who knew what had taken place.

During the uncovering, a few things, very few, were

29/9/2019 06:30:45 am

During the uncovering, a few things, very few, were brought to light which indicated an occupancy of the place, one being a millstone for grinding corn. It was about six foot diameter. This was cut in two. One half of it was used as a stepping stone of the stable on the south side of the main road and was in position when I was a youth. The other half was probably broken when it was cut. The landlord had some slight attempt at excavation at the east end of the ruins when I was a youngster. It was done by the estate mason, Johnnie Dudley. He was not a man suitable for such a task and nothing came of it. This is an account of the discovery of the ruins, and one wonders why the question has never been asked why was the place buried so deeply.

The Long Silence:

The Knights of Templar were suppressed in 1312 and there is no record or history after that date about the place. As an attempt to account for the long silence and the use of the place, I offer the following:

Some years ago I was talking to a keen antiquarian about the ‘Stone Coffins’ on my father’s farm and he said: “You can often learn a lot about such places if you know the name of the pasture or field in which they were situated.” This at once seemed to offer a clue. The pasture is called Larius; Larius is just a contraction of Lazar House. Can it be that it became the home of a leper colony? This seems probable and would give a reason both for the presence of the coffins and the deep covering.

This view may find support in several ways:

1. The millstone which was brought to light when the place was uncovered indicated that the colony ground corn for their own use.

2. The hollowed stone in the south wall of the ruin was not a baptismal font (as some have suggested) but a stoup where contributions of food could be left for use of the colony. It will be noted that it is on the outside of the wall and not on the inside.

3. There are evidences that quite a portion of the pasture had been attached to the place; and that it was cultivated to grow foodstuffs for the colony. There was noticeably a ridge about 200 yards east of the ruins which ran from the narrow plantation on the south across the pasture to the wood on the lower side. This ridge looked as if there had been a hedge or fence at one time. An aerial photo would have shown this. The portion of the pasture to the west of this ridge would have been the portion cultivated by the colony.

4. There was an unfailing water supply for the leper colony. The spring in the wood above the Long Bank Pasture was never known to run dry and the water was brought via the made channel in the Long Bank, under the wall near the old sheep fold, and then by a small beck just west of the ruins and passed under the stone foot bridge into the wood below. This provided a sure supply of water for the place.

If the subsequent use of the chapel was that of a Lazar House it would give reason for the eventual deep burial. We know that it was so buried, and there is a deep trench in the wood just to the south of the place which had been the source from which soil was thrown over the ruins of the chapel. To bury out of sight what had been a leper colony would be motive enough for such an action.

Those Stone Coffins:

Much has been written about the ‘Stone Coffins’, their purpose and their origin, and no definite conclusion has been reached. It does not appear that they have been for the purpose of internment. They are too small for that. Moreover, no lids for them have been unearthed. Their origin may not present such difficulties. They are hewn out of a solid block of glacial matter, and there are several water troughs in use on Temple Farm hewn out of the same material. Three such troughs may be seen in the farmyard. All these would point to the same source, and that it would be local.

I wish to suggest that the source is Melmerby Moor. When I was a youth I wandered about at times over part of Melmerby Moor and came across evidences of the old craft which consisted of parts of water troughs that had been broken in the fashioning thereof. How the glacial matter came to be there is quite another matter. But when a trough had been hewn out it had then to be moved from the moor to wherever it was needed. It is here that the sunken road at the top of the Iversons’ allotment becomes important. Through it a sledge would be taken on the moor and on it the trough would be secured and brought down to any pasture where needed. There is no suggestion that a cart could be used on the rough uneven way. The hewing out of the troughs, etc from the blocks of materials seems to have been a craft in an age long since, and there does not appear to be any record or recollection of it.

The purpose of the coffins presents more difficulties. I can only suggest that they were placed in the building when it became a Lazar House, and that as a weird or macabre warning that death was the inevitab

29/9/2019 06:31:48 am

The purpose of the coffins presents more difficulties. I can only suggest that they were placed in the building when it became a Lazar House, and that as a weird or macabre warning that death was the inevitable ending of a leprous person.

We are still left with the unanswered question: What became of the super-structure?

Pamela Cottingham

13/5/2021 09:01:35 pm

I would love to discover if these Ewbanks mentioned in the article are relation to my Ewbanks. I am decended from Thomas Ewbank, born in Ampleforth, died in Giling East in 1804/5. Where is Light Trees on Stainmore?

14/5/2021 06:24:47 am

Light Trees is just off the A65 near North Stainmore, Brough (Cumbria)

Wendy H

13/9/2023 03:19:41 pm

Thank you for sharing this fascinating information, Robert. It sounds like an interesting site, and we plan to visit while we’re staying up here.

Knights Templar in Wensleydale

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