HOUSE OF KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
10. THE PRECEPTORY OF GREENHAM
The Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem had
a preceptory at Greenham, in the old parish of
Thatcham, a little to the east of Newbury. The
manor of Greenham was given to this order by
Maud, countess of Clare, in the time of Henry II,
and at the same time Gervase Paynell gave them
the village. (fn. 1)
The church of Brimpton in the adjoining
parish was appropriated to the Hospitallers, and
here, too, they had a house and lands called
Scaldford, or Shalford, which, though returning
separate accounts, was considered a member of
Greenham in the fourteenth century. Greenham was confirmed to the Hospitallers by King
John in 1199. (fn. 2)
In the Testa de Nevill (temp. Henry III) there
is an entry to the effect that the prior of the
Hospitallers held Greenham in demesne, which
had been of the fee of Earl Ferrers, and granted
in marriage to Ralph Paynell, and that his son
Gervase gave it to the brethren of St. John. At
the same time it is stated that the Hospitallers
held three hides of land in Brimpton, the gift of
Simon de Ovile. (fn. 3)
A note of Tanner's cites an entry in a Reading
cartulary naming a quit-claim, dated 1254, between Brother Luke, master of the Hospitallers
of Brimpton, and the abbey, as to a messuage in
Reading. He also mentions several undated
deeds to which Nicholas, master of Brimpton,
was a witness. (fn. 4) From this it would appear that
the more important house, or, at all events, an
independent one, was at Brimpton (or Shalford)
in the thirteenth century. Moreover, the
Hospitallers of Shalford are mentioned in the
Hundred Rolls of 1276.
The full return of all lands, tenements, &c.,
pertaining to the English language or province
of the Hospitallers made to the Grand Master in
1338, by Prior Philip Thame, of St. John's,
Clerkenwell, gives full particulars with regard to
the Berkshire preceptory of Greenham.
The garden was valued at 10s. a year; dovecote, 5s.; 360 acres of arable land, £7 8s.; and
100 acres of pasture, 62s. 6d. The rents from
free tenants ought to have brought in £11 11s.,
but that year, on account of the poverty of the
community and the tenants, and lack of money,
they had with difficulty raised £10 5s. The
labour of the customary tenants, in such matters
as reaping the corn and mowing the meadows,
was considered to be worth 22s.; but that year
it was valued at 6s. 8d. There was also four
marks from outside rents; 2s. 3d. in crop rents;
2s. in hen rents; and 4d. in egg rents, the eggs
numbering eighty, and thus worth a penny a score.
Manor court fees averaged 6s. 8d. Pensions from
the churches of Speen, Ilsley, Woolhampton,
Upton, Wasing, and Catmore produced £4 5s. 8d.
In addition to these regular items of income,
each preceptory had its Confraria or voluntary
collections made throughout the churches of the
county or district where it was situated; so that
the collectors for the needs of the central work
visited every parish in the kingdom. The preceptor of Greenham reported that the average
value of the collections made in the churches of
Berkshire was 27 marks; but that that year, on
account of the general poverty of the commonwealth of the kingdom, caused by the various
recent exactions made by the king for the
upholding of the navy etc., they had only been
able to raise the sum of £10, and that with
difficulty.
The receipts of Shalford, a member of Greenham, were entered separately. The house,
which was out of repair, with the garden, was
worth annually 16s.; 25 acres of meadow, 25s.;
360 acres of arable land, £18; rents of free
tenants, £10 2s. 8d.; a water mill 30s.; the
appropriated church of Brimpton, 60s.; 40 acres
of pasture, 25s.; hen rents, 2s. 6d.; a dovecote,
6s. 8d.; and the autumn labour of 48 customary
tenants, 8s. The woods had produced nothing
save that which was necessary for the sustenance
of the house.
A memorandum is attached to the Shalford
return, that nothing was entered under the head
of stock, as it had been sold in the time of brother
Thomas Lardner; but they were able to support
20 cows and 500 sheep.
At the head of the outgoings of the preceptory
of Greenham are entered three pensions. A life
payment of 20s. a year was made to one Master
William Auschelin, according to the ordering of
brother Thomas Lardner, lately prior of England; (fn. 5) William de Latton received a like life
payment as ordered by brother Leonard when
prior, (fn. 6) for saving to the order the advowson of
Blewbury; and William Le Port of Greenham
had a corrody at their table, by order of Prior
Lardner, worth 6s. 8d. The chaplain of the
house also received 20s. a year.
The following were the expenses of the house,
for the preceptor, his confrère, the chaplain, the
servants, and in the cause of hospitality: Thirty
quarters of wheat at 3s. 4d. a quarter, and ten
quarters of oats at 3s., £6 10s.; kitchen expenses
in addition to stock, 2s. 6d. a week, £6 10s.; for
the two days of the prior's visitation, 40s.; for
the archdeacon's visitation visiting yearly the
appropriated church, 9s. 4½d.; robes, mantles,
and other necessaries for the preceptor and his
confrere, 69s. 4d.; garments for the squire,
steward, bailiff, woodward, cook, baker, 50s.;
stipend for the chaplain of Shalford Chapel,
celebrating three times a week, and not boarded,
26s. 8d.; wages of the women, 6s. 8d.; wages
of the squire and three servants, 20s.; wages of
cook, baker, and carter, 15s.
All the expenses amounted to £34 8s. 8d.,
leaving the handsome balance of £41 4s. 10½d.
to be transmitted to the prior of England.
Brother Roger de Draycote is entered as preceptor of Greenham in 1338, with Brother
Robert Brayboef, knight, as his confrère. (fn. 7)
In a catalogue of Berkshire gentry, temp.
Henry VI, John Prendergast is mentioned as
preceptor of Greenham. (fn. 8)
The order of the Hospitallers was suppressed
in England in 1540. During its temporary
restoration under Queen Mary the preceptory at
Greenham was revived, with additional endowments, (fn. 9) but Queen Elizabeth speedily and finally
extinguished it.