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Paying the rent: the Templars’ tenants in Horspath

Posted on 7 January 2016 by Helen Nicholson

TNA E 142-13 Horspath translation only Horspath corrected without translation Horspath is a village in south Oxfordshire, east of the city of Oxford. The Templars held a manor here, adjoining their […]

Bristol is revolting!

Posted on 10 December 2015 by Helen Nicholson

SC6-851-10 Bristol 1309-14  Translation of Bristol particulars of account 1309-13 In 1309–10 William Randalf, custodian of the Templars' former properties in Bristol, was thrown out of the Templars' house. Mayor […]

Christiana goes to court

Posted on 7 December 2015 by Helen Nicholson

E 142-115 Christiana claims her rights In October 1310, King Edward II wrote to the sheriff of Worcestershire, instructing him to look into claims by one Christiana, widow of Sampson […]

The Templars in Northamptonshire

Posted on 4 December 2015 by Helen Nicholson

SC 12-13-47 Northamptonshire rentals with placenames short The Templars did not have any large estates in Northamptonshire, but at the start of 1308 they did have a number of tenants […]

Particulars of Account

Posted on 4 December 2015 by Helen Nicholson

Particulars of account for Upleadon years 1-3_TNA E 199_18_4-5  E 199-46-21 Particulars of Account Worcs 1309-9 The rotuli de particulis were the detailed records of receipts and expenses submitted by […]

Finding Henry – the Templars in Britain after July 1311

Posted on 2 December 2015 by Helen Nicholson

After the Order of the Temple was dissolved in Britain in July 1311, the Templars were sent to monasteries to do penance for their alleged sins. As no monastery received […]

No porridge for visitors

Posted on 16 November 2015 by Helen Nicholson

When the royal custodians of the Templars' estates presented their annual accounts at the exchequer, the accounts were checked, summarised and copied into the rolls which formed a permanent record of […]

The accounts for the Templars’ estates in Shropshire and Staffordshire, 1308-9 and 1311-13

Posted on 3 November 2015 by Helen Nicholson

Shrops and Staffs years 1 to 2 -- TNA E 358-20 rot 5 agreed to E 358-18 rot 4  Shrops and Staffs years 5 to 7 --TNA E 358-19 rot […]

Feeding the workers: potage and mixture

Posted on 6 October 2015 by Helen Nicholson

Let them eat porridge! In her study Temple Balsall, The Warwickshire preceptory of the Templars and their Fate (Chichester: Phillimore, 1995), Eileen Gooder discussed the payments to farm workers: cash […]

Calculating acreages: the problems of working from manuscripts

Posted on 30 September 2015 by Helen Nicholson

I have been blogging again about the Templars' estates at Gislingham: here. The two copies of the estate accounts for 1308 differ in the acreages sown with grain: one gives 35 acres […]