Dalby Preceptory, also known as Dalby and Heather Preceptory, was a preceptory of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

, in the village of Old Dalby,

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, England.

History

Land at Dalby was given to the Knights Hospitaller by

Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1104 – 5 April 1168) was Justiciar of England 1155–1168. The surname "de Beaumont" was given to him by genealogists. The only known contemporary surname applied to him is "Robert son of Count Rober ...

(1104 – 5 April 1168) in return for other land.'House of Knights Hospitallers: Preceptory of Dalby and Heather'
A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2 (1954), pp. 32-33. Date accessed: 16 June 2013 The Hospitallers are thought to have founded their preceptory on that land during the reign of King Henry II ''(reign 1154-1189)''; and it was definitely established before 1206. Before 1199 the Hospitallers had gained lands at

Isley Walton Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

, Heather, Ravenstone and Swinford, as well as gaining the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...

s of the churches of

Ashby Parva Ashby Parva is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The parish had a population of 211 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 233 at the 2011 census. The village is in the west of the district, ...

Buckminster Buckminster is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish within the Melton (borough), Melton district of Leicestershire, England, which includes the two villages of Buckminster and Sewstern. The total population of the civil parish ...

, Old Dalby and Swinford, before 1220. Around 1338,

Heather Preceptory Heather Preceptory (pronounced: ; ''He-ther'') was a preceptory of the Knights Hospitaller, established in the village of Heather, Leicestershire, United Kingdom. History Heather preceptory was established as a preceptory (monastery) of the K ...

came under the control of Dalby as a "camera", a lesser establishment dependent upon another. Heather preceptory was integrated with Dalby, the two then being referred to as the "Dalby and Heather Preceptory". Dalby seems to have taken the leading role, as it was where the joint preceptory was administered from and where the

Preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...

was based.HEATHER HOSPITALLERS PRECEPTORY
''English Heritage: PastScape'' Rothley Preceptory was similarly merged with Dalby before 1371.

Preceptors of Dalby

*Robert of Sutton, occurs under Henry III or Edward I. *Robert Cort, occurs 1326. *John Larcher, occurs 1338. *John Dingley, occurs 1363 and 1371. *John Langstrothyr, occurs 1448. *Thomas Newport, occurs 1503, died 1522. *Henry Babbington, occurs 1525. *John Babbington, died 1534. *Henry Poole, 1535/6 - 1540.

References

{{Monasteries in Leicestershire , state=expanded Monasteries in Leicestershire 12th-century establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Preceptories of the Knights Hospitaller in England Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation