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Some Account Of A K.T. Preceptory At Dinmore, Herefordshire.

SOME ACCOUNT OF A K . T . PRECEPTORY AT DINMORE , HEREFORDSHIRE .

Soc : Rosier : in Anglia .

j | A Paper read before the York College , at a Regular Meeting held at York , on the 20 th November 1880 , by W . Frater Rev . W . G . Irakis , M . A . F . S . A ., V 1 I ° . F KATKES , —Under other circumstances than those under which I now appear before yon I shonld feel constrained to apologize for giving you this Paper . It is only a few months since I read a Paper to the

Fiatres , and in doing so I thought I should not be asked for a second nntil my tnrn came round again , which T imagined would bo in tho distant future . In obedience to the request of the Chief Adept , who himself never shirks any duty or labour in the promotion of Masonic science , I felt that I could not refuse to tread , in my own hnmblo way , iu the lootsteps of a leader so enthusiastic , energetic and learned as

he is . For this reason I do uot consider myself called upon to otl ' er one word of apology . I may add that even for the subject upon which I have been requested to address yon , onr Chief Adept is in some measure responsible , and I think that if he had been aware how very little there is to say upon it , he would have called upon another Frater to entertain and instruct you upon the present occasion . For

my poor starveling I must therefore crave your indulgence , and for myself your commiseration . The subject indeed is wholly unconnected with Rosicrucian Philosophy ; yet in its general hearing it is one in which Masonic students cannot fail to take some interest . The bare allusion to ancient

Templars will always touch the hearts of Englishmen and English Masons . The spirit of the Enles and Regulations of tbe military order so closely resembles that which pervades tbe sysiom of Masonry that our sympathy is aroused , and our feelings are moved , by recalling the circumstances which occasioned the rise , and conduced to the fall , of the illustrious Order .

It is not my intention , however , to conduct you over the very wide , and most interesting , field of Templar history , because it would be , to yon , fruitless as regards any new facts , and you are all probably better acquainted with it than I am myself . It constitutes one of the most astonishing outbursts of religious enthusiasm combined with military ardour that the world has ever witnessed , not excepting

Mahometanism , which has long outlived it . Whether within the walls of their preceptories , or on their journeys , or engaged in war , the Rules for the observance of the fraternity were excellent . The Templars were to be examples of wisdom , and to be fruitful in every good word and work . Truth , honour , godly fear , charity , sobriety , modesty , chastity—these were to be the guiding principles of their

lives and actions;—and , when not engaged in active military service , they were to be not slothfnl in prayer , serving the Lord . Further , voluntary poverty was absolutely required as a qualification for admission into the order . Hence you perceive the resemblance between this Guild and Freemasony ; for as , individually and collectively , the members of the former were to be just , and upright , and of strict

morals , and to act with gentleness and kindliness towards an erring brother knight , so the distinguishing characteristics of the latter are Honour , Obedience , Truth and Fidelity . A short while before the institution of the Templar Guild another Order had been established in the Holy City , called the Hospitallers

of St . John , who duties were professedly the care of sick pilgrims arriving there , and piety . At a later period they assumed a military character , tho younger and more ardent brethren preferring " the enterprise and activity of the camp to the monotonous life of the cloister . "

I have no need to tell yon , what you already know , whence the Templars derived their appellation , and for what purpose the Order was instituted . I merely allude to this matter in order to observe that it is a remarkable circumstance that two such bodies of men as the Templars and the followers of Mahomet , which were partly religions and partly military in their organisation , shonld have contended

for two centuries for the possession of the sacred Places , and Holy Temple of Jerusalem . Had poverty continued to distinguish the Christian Order , it would probabl y have survived to this day in some modified form . The great evils attending upon wealth and other causes , partly contributed to its downfall in the first half of the 14 th century . The pure spirit

which had characterised the early Knight-monks had gradually died out of the hearts of their descendants . With their growing wealth , luxury and sloth , jealousy and intrigues , laxity of discipline , vice and degeneracy crept in , infected , and weakened tho entire body . Divisions also arose among themselves , and the saying was fulfilled , " A house divided against itself falleth . " Nevertheless it is a vnlgar error to

suppose that arrogance , cruelty , and divisions within alone occasioned their ruin . Their suppression is to be attributed rather to the covetous eye of needy sovereigns and rulers outside the fraternity . Pope and King abolished the Templars , and Henry VIII ., of England , ^ that monster of iniquity " as he has been styled , and not unjustly , on the plea that the Order of Hospitallers of St . John had ceased to

Some Account Of A K.T. Preceptory At Dinmore, Herefordshire.

exist after tho loss of Rhodes , took possession of the Commandenes in his kingdom , " and seized their properly . One chief snurcoof their abundant wealth , which proved so tempting to greedy and straightened monnrchs , wns the voluntary impouring of the Knights' possessions into their common treasury , from out of which revenues used to be transmitted to Jerusalem . A great benefactor is waul to have been William , Archbishop of York — who 1 imagine was the sanio who is called St .

William . At the time when tho Temple Church of London was " consecrated , tho Snperior of tho Order had an inqnisition made of their lands , and tho amount of all kinds of property is simply astounding . Upon their great estates prioral houses wore erected for the uso of stowards who managed their manors and farms , and collected the ronts . These

prioral honses became regular monastic establishments , inhabited chiefly by sick and aged Templars who had fonght in Palestine , and retired hither to spond their few remaining days in peace and devotional exercises . They were cells to tho principal house iu London . Then there were smaller administrations , consisting of a Knight Templar , who had under him certain brothers , and a priest to celebrate for

them and not as almoner . The Knight was styled Preceptor of the Temple , and the distriot which he administered was called a Preceptory . I presume that mnoh the same arrangement was adopted by the Hospitallers of St . John . In Yorkshire tho Preceptories were at Temple Hurst , Templo Newsam , and other places ; and the Preceptories of the Knights of St . John wero at Beverley , Newland , Mt .

St . John , andRibston . I have , I fear , taken np too much of yonr time in introducing yon to an ancient Preceptory in the County of Hereford , about which I havo very little to say . If I have thrown the responsibility of this uninteresting paper upon tho shoulders of our Chief Adept , I must be honest , and take part of it npon my own . I happened , during the

course of last summer , to receive an invitation from a clergyman who was well known and deservedly esteemed in Leeds , who resides upon his estate at Dinmore , between Hereford and Leominster . Ou approaching the house , which stands upon a commanding elevation , the first object I saw was the small tower of a church rising above the trees . On the following morning I attended the family prayers , which

are said daily in the sacred building , and was then informed that this was the chapel formerly attached to a Preceptory of the Knights of St . John , whose domestic buildings occup ied the site of the present dwelling-house . The existing chapel appears to have been built about the year 1420 upon tho foundations of a more ancient building , though no traces of that building havo as yet been discovered . It is

rectangular in form , 48 ft . Bin . ' long , and 10 ft . Gin . wide ; and has a tower with short sp re at the west end . The tower arch is of very good proportion , and deeply moulded with a plain shaft on each side . The sanctnary was formerly separated from the rest of the building by an oak screen , which was removed many years ago , and formed into the present altar-table . There are no windows on

the north side , bub the wall appears to have paintings under the plaster . There are a large east window of three lights , and on the south side one of three lights , and two of two lights each , aud a qnatrefoil in the west wall of the tower . All the windows have the same plain decorated qnatrefoil tracery . Tho roof is of low pitch , and comparatively modern . There is a piscina of curious form , and a

holy water stoup at the north door , of Early Eng lish design , which evidently belonged to tho more ancient chapel . The real floor is 13 in . below the present one . The burying ground appears to have been on the south side , where hnman bones are constantly dug up . The only monumental stone , which seems to be ancient , is in the floor of the chapel , and is incised with a curious triple cross , upon which

a modern inscription has been placed . There is a patriarchal cross upon the east gable of the chancel , and in the cellars of the house I was shown ancient doorways and openings , now closed , constructed in the massive foundations . I immediately acquainted our Chief Adept with what I had seen , and his first thought was that a paper upon it would be appreciated by the Fratres . When I assented to his

suggestion , I hoped to find in Dugdale ' s Monasticon and other books some assistance , but have been disappointed , for not a single allusion is made to it . From other sources of information , however , kindly supplied by the owner of Dinmore , I have ascertained that King " Henry II ., son of the Empress Maud , gave to one Friar Thomas ( one of the Brethren of the Order of St . John of Jerusalem , called

Hospitallers , ) and his brethren a small quantity of land , part of the wood of Marden , called Dinmore , where he created a small Preceptory . " His illustrious son " Richard I ., after his return from the Holy Land , granted to the said Hospitallers his manor of St . John , at Hereford , and then the said Knights built a priory at Hereford , * to which the said King gave the Preceptory of Dinmore , as follows : —Richard ,

by the grace of God King of England , Duke of Normandy , & c , to the Archbishops , Bishops , Abbots , Earls , Barons , Justices , Sheriffs , and all his Ministers and faithful Snbjects of all England , greeting : Know ye that the Brothers Hospitallers of Jerusalem , and all their goods and possessions , are in onr custody and protection . We receive also into our custody and protection Friar Thomas , of Dinmore , and

his Brethren , and all their goods and lands and possessions , and their place of Dinmore , which , by their consent , we have granted to the aforesaid Brothers Hospitallers of Jerusalem , together with one corve of land as the the same was admeasured to thern by lawful Knights of the Country , in the time of our Father out of the Wood of Marden , to

wit , in length from the assert of the Presbytery of Marden , so as the way is asserted between our wood and the said our free alms , unto the lands of the Monks of Leominster of the Hope , and in breadth from the aforesaid way unto Colweye . And , therefore , we will , and strictly command that the aforesaid Brothers and Hospitallers of Jerusalem , and their place of Dinmore , with the aforesaid corve of land , with all