Ossington 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 military order. It was headq ...
, near to the village of
Ossington in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
, England.
History
Foundation and endowment
The preceptory was founded in the mid-12th century.
[ At, or shortly after foundation, "Archbishop William" (probably Saint William FitzHerbert, Archbishop of York; 1143-54) granted the preceptory the church at Ossington. At sometime before 1199 the churches at Averham and ]Winkburn
Winkburn is a small village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district, in Nottinghamshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Caunton
Caunton is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire o ...
, both in Nottinghamshire, were donated by Henry Hosatus.[
Towards the end of the 12th century, the village of Ossington was granted to the preceptory by Roger de Buron. However, later in his life Roger joined the ]Cluniac Order
Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter.
The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churches ...
, and bestowed the village on Lenton Priory
Lenton Priory was a Cluniac monastic house in Nottinghamshire, founded by William Peverel ''circa 1102-8''. The priory was granted a large endowment of property in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire by its founder, which became the cause of violent di ...
. This caused "considerable litigation" between the two monasteries. In 1204 Roger's son, Walter Smallet, confirmed the grant of Ossington to the preceptory, but Lenton did not drop their claim until 1208.[
By 1230 the preceptory had also gained the churches at Marnham and Sibthorpe, as their right to them was confirmed in that year by Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York.][
]
Later history
In 1338 the preceptory is recorded as having an annual income of £85 8s. 8d. and outgoings of £77 7s.[ At the time there were only two knights in residence (one of whom was Preceptor).][
Ossington controlled Winkburn Camera.][ A camera is ''"A residence used during short visits by an official and attendants of the Knights Hospitallers for administrative purposes on their estates."'']
Dissolution
In the Valor Ecclesiasticus
The ''Valor Ecclesiasticus'' (Latin: "church valuation") was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII. It was colloquially called the Kings books, a s ...
of 1534 "Ossington Bailiwick" is listed as generating £20 annually for Newland; Winkburn generated £19.['House of Knights Hospitallers: The preceptory of Ossington']
A History of the County of Nottingham: Volume 2 (1910), pp. 142-144.
The preceptory was dissolved in 1534 as part of King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.[
]
After Dissolution
In 1782 Holy Rood Church, Ossington was built. It is thought to stand on, or very near to, the original site of the Preceptory church.[
]
References
{{Monasteries in Nottinghamshire , state=expanded
Monasteries in Nottinghamshire
Preceptories of the Knights Hospitaller in England