House of Knights Hospitallers: The preceptory of Clanfield

HOUSE OF KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS

22. THE PRECEPTORY OF CLANFIELD

The Hospitallers had a preceptory at Clanfield with an income of £60, according to the valuation of 1338, (fn. 1) but of this sum about £15 seems to come from lands which originally belonged to the Templars. As there is no chartulary for the possessions of the Hospitallers in this county, we can do little more than give the record of 1279 in the Hundred Rolls. They owned at that time 2 hides in Clanfield, 1 in Brize Norton, 1½ in Westwell, a meadow in Grafton, a tenement in Woodstock, and another in Oxford. (fn. 2) But their chief property was the manor of Gosford in Kidlington, containing 2 carucates, (fn. 3) now 250 acres, (fn. 4) where they had their own manorial courts, and a chapel for their own tenants, erected shortly before 1235. (fn. 5) This property was given by Robert d'Oilly, (fn. 6) and therefore before 1142. In 1547 it is described as 'the House of the sisters of the order of St. John at Gosford,' as though sisters of that order had not only owned it but resided there. (fn. 7) They held also the advowson of Westwell as early as 1230. (fn. 8) A small property in Kencott was attached to the neighbouring preceptory of Quenington, Gloucestershire. (fn. 9)