It's About Lincoln and Lincolnshire

The Temple on the Heath

I remember when I first knew about the Temple Bruer Preceptory, I was studying my Dad's tatty of cloth Lincoln area Ordnance Survey map as a child in the 1950s, across the bottom of the map in large letters were the words "T E M P L E B R U E R", I was very excited to know that here in Lincolnshire we have a temple. Soon after my Dad took me to see my newly discovered temple, initially I was disappointed not to see a façade of Doric columns, until my Dad told me the history of the Templars.

I have visited many times over the years and still get a feeling of excitement when I see it.

The Templars

The preceptory of Templum de la Bruere, or Temple on the Heath, otherwise known as Temple Bruer was founded in the 12th Century by Lady Elizabeth de Calz on land donated by William of Ashby. William was soon afterwards admitted into the fraternity of the house, he later increased the original endowment. Among the other benefactors are John d'Eyncourt, Robert of Everingham, William de Vescy and Gilbert of Ghent. The house appears to have been of considerable size and importance being the administration centre for many of the Templar houses in the area.

In 1306 permission was granted to crenellate the great gate. By 1308 it was the second richest Templar house in England.

The End of the Templars

The story of the suppression of the Templars is well-known, a plot devised by King Philip IV of France with the help of Pope Clement V; Philip owed a considerable financial debt to the Templars.

The suppression of the Temple Bruer preceptory was carried out on 10th January 1308 by the Sheriff of Lincolnshire, John de Cormel, following orders from Edward II. William de la More - the last Preceptor of Temple Bruer, and Grand Prior of all England, together with his knights were imprisoned, with those of other Templar houses in the district, in Claxlede Gate and other places in Lincoln. The Templars were held until their trial began on 25th November 1309, the Knights were arraigned in the Chapter House of the Cathedral and tried on the following charges :

That they concealed the mysteries of their Order from the rest of the world. To this charge they pleaded guilty, but argued that it was not a crime; and that, as they were bound by solemn vows to keep the rites of their Order from public view, it was unfair to assail them on a point which it was impossible for them to resist.

That the novice on his admission was compelled to spit on the cross and blaspheme and renounce the Saviour.

That they were addicted to all manner of debauchery, cruelty, and infanticide, destroying their own children in the ﬁre.

That the most infamous excesses, crimes, and abominations were practised in their Preceptories.

That they secretly worshipped idols—one in the shape of a cat—another in human shape, with three heads, called Behemoth.

To all these charges they pleaded not guilty, and said that “if their brethren in France had confessed such things they lied, to screen themselves from the torture of the rack.”

Most of the charges were without any foundation, it was their immense wealth that the king wanted.

William de la More would not provide any incriminating evidence to his inquisitors and spent the rest of his life in the Tower of London.

Fuller, a historian, wrote, “their wealth was the principal cause of their overthrow. We may believe that King Philip would never have took away their lives, if he might have took their lands without putting them to death; but the mischief was, he could not get the honey, unless he burnt the bees.”

The remaining Templar knights allied with the Hospitallers.

Preceptors of Temple Bruer

1221. John de Lupus.
1239. Robert de Screcton, or Sutton.
1260. Fr. Amadeus.
1282. Robert de Turville.
1287. Brian de Jay.
1290. Guido de Forcsla.
1300. William de la More.

The Knights' Hospitallers

Following the suppression of the Templars, the Knights Hospitallers took over the Preceptory and in 1338 a commandery of the Hospitallers Order under the same preceptor who commanded the house at Eagle.

In 1338 the revenue of the house was £177 7s. 7d., including the churches of Ashby and Rowston, the free chapel of Bruer, with lands at Bruer, Rowston, Wellingore, Ashby, Brauncewell, and North Kirkby; the expenses were £84 0s. 2d. The clear value of the house at the dissolution was £16 19s. 10¾d., including the bailiwick of South Witham and the farm of half the rectory and the grange of Holme in Heckington, with perquisites of a court

During the 15th century the de Launde family, descendants of William of Ashby, made several attempts to recover the church of Ashby from the Hospitallers, the situation was still unresolved in 1531.

In 1539 Sir Giles Russell was made commander of Temple Bruer, but finding that the house was in a ruinous condition he did not live there and made some effort to get it repaired and put in a better condition. In 1539 he was in Malta, he probably saw little of his commandery before its dissolution in 1541.

Commanders of Temple Bruer

Robert Cort, from1338
John Seyvill, from1415
John Boswell, from 1493
Thomas Newport, from 1503
John Babington, from 1531, died in 1534
Giles Russell, (last commander, from 1539 to 1541)

The fifteenth-century seal of the preceptor of Temple Bruer is a pointed oval representing a castle elaborately designed, with an outer wall of masonry embattled, circular keep embattled, and on it an Agnus Dei.

The Visit of Henry VIII

Tower and Medieval House

Henry VIII with his queen, Catherine Howard, commenced a grand tour of England in 1541, to hold a conference with his nephew, the King of Scotland and secondly to visit Lincolnshire and Yorkshire to observe that the counties were at peace after the disruptions caused by the "Pilgrimage of Grace". The king had a meeting and Sleaford on the 9th of August and dined the same day at Temple Bruer on his way to Lincoln.

Buck's drawing of the preceptory as it existed in 1736

Archaeological Surveys

The Tower c.1800

There have been three surveys of the site, the first was in 1832/3. Henry Chaplin of Blankney owned the property and asked amateur archaeologist and vicar of Scopwick, George Oliver, to examine the site. It seems Rev. Oliver got into the spirit of the allegations made against the Templars and found tunnels and dungeons:

"Some of these vaults were appropriated to purposes that it is revolting to allude to. In one of them a niche or cell was discovered which had been carefully walled up; and within it, the skeleton of a man, who appears to have died in a sitting posture, for his head and arms were found hanging between the legs, and the back bowed forward. (See Plan a.) Immuring was not an uncommon punishment in these places; and an instance of it was discovered a century ago, in one of the walls of Thornton Abbey, in this county. Another skeleton of an aged man was found in these dungeons, with only one tooth in his head. His body seems to have been thrown down, as if from a trap door; for he lay doubled up; and in the fore part of his skull were two holes which had evidently been produced by violence. Underneath the cloisters, between the Church and the Tower, (see Plan 6.,) many human bones were discovered which appear to have been thrown together in the utmost confusion, and lying at different depths; some being very near the surface. Amongst these were the skeleton of a very young child; and the skull of an adult, with a round hole in the upper part, into which the end of the little ﬁnger might be inserted, and which was probably the cause of death. Several large square stones were taken up with iron rings attached; and altogether, the ruins exhibited symptoms of violence. We can scarcely forbear entertaining the opinion that these are the remains of unhappy persons who had been conﬁned in the dungeons of the Preceptory, for the Templars and their successors were always in feud with their neighbours; and, as they possessed the power of executing criminals within their own liberties, they would not be very likely to remit, what they might conceive to be the merited punishment of delinquency.

"The circular Church (see Plan) was ﬁfty-two feet in diameter within; and was supported on a peristyle of eight cylindrical columns, with massive bases and capitals, and a series of circular arches profusely ornamented with zig-zags and other Norman enrichments, forming a circular area which occupied exactly one-half of the diameter. And the aisle or space betwixt this colonnade and the exterior walls occupied the other half. The aisle, it appears, had a groined roof ; and a portion of it on the north side contained the tomb of the Founder. On the west was the principal door of entrance, with an ascent of stone steps, and a magniﬁcent porch, the foundations of which remain perfect. In the ﬂoor are two cofﬁn-shaped stones, one plain, the other charged with a cross botony in relief."

The light tint shows the vaults and passages beneath the church

The next archaeological excavation was in 1907, under the supervision of Sir William Henry St John Hope. Hope found two sets of stairs leading to the crypt, but he didn't find the cellars or passages referred by Oliver, but there is a suspicion that the purpose of the excavation was to disprove Olivers' findings. Hope did plot more of the site, enabling more accurate artists impressions of the site.

The latest archaeological evaluation was in 2005. Pottery was found dating to the 9th-10th century, and flooring of the time period of the preceptory.

There is a triangle of trees south of the nearby public road, just east of the trees was a small settlement that probably grew up because of the Preceptory.

The surviving tower is now in the care of Lincolnshire County Council.

View a fly-through video reconstruction of the Preceptory by Heritage Lincolnshire
Click here to view the video

Cold Bath House

Post updated
Go to
https://itsaboutlincoln.blogspot.com/2020/02/cold-bath-house-parish-was-created-in.html

Cottam's Mill by W N Tollerton
(Lincoln Central Library Collection)

Lincoln Markets

In this age of online and supermarket shopping, it is hard to think of a time before national retail chains when the Lincoln shopper had a wide choice of small businesses from which to buy their food. Street markets are one the oldest forms of retailing and Lincoln had a good choice of such markets.

The Meat Market was on the High Street, it stretched from Dernstall Lock to St. Lawrence's Lane, near the King's Arms Yard. This market moved in 1774 across Clasketgate (then known as Butchery Street) to an area called the Butchery; next to the earlier Crown Inn. The Butchery had shops on its periphery with stalls in the centre, it also had its own slaughterhouse. A cloth market, the Drapery, had existed on St Martin's Lane since the 13th century, it was then known as the Parmentaria.

Newland, the location of the Butter Cross

On Newland stood the Butter Cross, where other products such as milk and egg were sold. John Lobsey, Mayor of Lincoln in 1736, proposed that the Corporation suspend their Civic Banquet for 10 years in order to cover the cost of building a Butter Market that would offer protection from the elements. The Butter Market was built to the north of St Peter at Arches church, which stood on the corner of High Street and Silver Street. Before the building of the Buttermarket, the Skin Market or Peltry occupied part of the site.

If our Lincoln ancestors wanted to buy fish for their Friday dinner they would head for the fish market at Fish Hill (now Michaelgate), the market stood on the grounds of the present Chad Varah House, formerly the County Hospital. The fish market later amalgamated with the meat market at The Butchery. The Poultry Market was on the lower part of Steep Hill.

The 1847 Corn Exchange

Bread made from wheat was too expensive for the ordinary people, they would buy their bread ingredients from the oat market at the junction of High Street and St Mary's Lane (now Street). Unsurprisingly the corn market was on the site of the present Cornhill. This is where farmers would trade their produce. In 1847 the first Corn Exchange was built on the Cornhill, this building included space on the ground floor for market stalls, relieving the congestion caused by stalls along the High Street from the Cornhill to the Butter Market. A new building was erected to replace the Corn Exchange and market in 1879. The Butter Market was demolished in 1938 and the front facade was incorporated into the New Market, where it still stands today.

This is More Important than the Magna Carta

West gate of the Castle

Lincoln Castle reopened in April 2015 following the completion of the £22 million renovation and improvement of the castle. One of the most important features of the work is a new building where Magna Carta will be preserved in ideal conditions and may be viewed by the public.

The improvements to the castle were timed to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta in 1215. Magna Carta will not be the only charter on view: Lincoln is the only place where Magna Carta can be viewed alongside The Charter of the Forest, although there is also a copy of The Charter at Durham.

The Charter of the Forest was sealed by the young King Henry III on 6th November 1217. This charter dealt with the rights of the common man, whereas Magna Carta covered issues affecting the barons. “Forest” in this context included not only wooded areas but, more commonly, royal hunting grounds and fields. From Henry II's time these areas had grown and people were regularly outlawed for breaking forest law. The Royal Forests were an important source of wood for fuel and charcoal making, turf for fuel and for the grazing of animals.

The Charter set out a requirement for the King to give up the Royal Forests and to free up the lands that Henry II and King John had made Royal Forests, uniquely giving back to the common man freedom to use those areas.

Charter of the Forest

A clause in The Charter specifically stated that "Henceforth every freeman, in his wood or on his land that he has in the forest, may with impunity make a mill, fish-preserve, pond, marl-pit, ditch, or arable in cultivated land outside coverts, provided that no injury is thereby given to any neighbour."

The death penalty was abolished for capturing deer and mutilation as a lesser punishment was banned, although law breakers were still imprisoned or fined. The laws of The Charter were enforced in the forests by Verders' Courts.

Magna Carta is seen as the foundation of human rights in countries such as the United States, but the Charter of the Forest may be a more important document for the 'common man' of England and deserves its own celebration in 2017.

(First published 30th September 2014)

Click here to read about Lincoln Castle

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The South Common, Lincoln's Southern Entrance

Lincoln Cathedral from the top of the South Common

Common Lands are a survival of the medieval age, commons were an essential part of the manorial estate, tenants of the lord of the manor would be allotted a part of the common. Most of today's common lands are solely for grazing, but previously the land would have had many uses, ie, rights to take wood, graze pigs in the autumn, take sods for fuel. Much of the common land of this country was lost at the enclosures, it was seen as an opportunity for landowners to claim common land for themselves. The total common land today in this country totals no more than 4% of the total land area.

The South Common is one of three surviving common lands in Lincoln, the others are the West Common and the Cow Paddle. The Lincoln commons are "owned by the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Lincoln". Until 150 years ago there were two other commons, Monks Leys Common, the bulk of which was sold for housing and the remainder was used for the Arboretum; Holmes Common, this was sold to The Great Northern Railway.

Any householder living south of High Bridge had a right to graze cattle on the South Common, although Freemen had rights to graze a greater number. The area of the common is approximately 180 acres, although may have been reduced because of the recent modifications on the hill section of Canwick Road.

The Promenade

In 1843 iron fencing was used to surround the South Common and at about the same time a new pathway was established which ran across the crest of the hill and was called the "Promenade", the picture to the right is a postcard that was posted in July 1909

At a location near the top of the common stood a cross, it was here that the mayor, sheriff and other civic dignitaries would greet important visitors to the City. By 1600 the cross had been removed by "some evil disposed person", the corporation ordered that a stone be placed at the spot as a marker, this too has been lost.

At the south east corner of the South Common once stood the city gallows.

The first Roman legion is believed to have erected a fort on the South Common, it would have been a wooden palisade structure. Ermine Street crossed the A15 just below Cross O' Cliff Close, running down the common, crossing South Park west of Queen's Park. Ermine Street divided at the top of the common, a direct route so that troops could be moved quickly to any troublespot, and an easier route for carts, etc.

First published 17th May 2015

Where was the Bail Gate?

A King's Crowning at St Mary's Guildhall

St Mary's Guildhall from the courtyard

Lincoln was a very important place during much of the medieval period, visited by kings throughout the medieval period, several parliaments were held here and King John visited on no less than six occasions.

Henry II visited in 1157 and held a crowning ceremony on Christmas Day at St Mary's Guildhall, which is believed to have been constructed for Henry as a royal townhouse. Henry probably used this second crowning as a way of securing the support of his noblemen prior to his departure for Flanders, where he was guardian of the lands of Dietrich of Alsace. His Coronation had taken place in London on 19th December 1154.

A medieval Christmas was a much different affair to Christmas today, the word Christmas is derived from the Saxon “Cristes Maesse”, meaning “Festival of Christ”, the Church ensured it was a true religious holiday, gift-giving was banned by the Church as a pagan custom and the tradition of outdoor carol singing began because the church would not allow carols to be sung in churches, the archaic meaning of the word carol is “to sing or dance in a circle”.

The rich would eat goose and venison on Christmas Day and, with the king's permission, swan; woodcock was another popular bird. Turkey did not arrive in England until the mid 16th century. The poor would have a much meaner Christmas, their lord may donate the “humbles” or offal of his Christmas deer and they would eat "Humble pie".

A food that has come to us from this time is the mince pie, made with shredded or minced assorted meats, spices and fruit, the pie would be in the shape of Christ's crib. It was considered lucky to eat one mince pie on each of the twelve days of Christmas.

December 25th was originally a pagan festival to celebrate the forthcoming better weather and longer days, first adopted by the Romans as "Saturnalia" and later by the Roman Catholic church as Christmas or, as it was sometimes known, Xmas, the X is the Greek letter for "Chi" and Christ.

Boxing Day was traditionally a time when the rich provided gifts for the poor, usually money in a pot with a slit in the top, these pots were called “piggies”. Christmas day was a quarter day when rents were usually due, so this Boxing Day tradition was generally welcomed by the poor.

It's About Lincolnshire has its own group on Facebook where you can read about the county and contribute to the growing knowledge of our members or just read the posts. Click here to join the group.

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