HOUSE OF KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS
18. THE PRECEPTORY OF DINGLEY
There was a preceptory of the Knights
Hospitallers at Dingley as early as the reign of
Stephen. William de Clopton, and his wife
Emma, gave to this preceptory in the reign of
Henry II. a messuage, with divers rents and 169
acres of land, all in Clopton. To the same
preceptory William, earl Ferrars, and Letitia
Ferrers gave much land in Passenham; and
Roger, earl of Hereford, a mill at Towcester. (fn. 1)
In 1296 Hugh de Dingley held one manor
at Dingley, and the Knights Hospitallers another
and smaller manor; this division continued till
the dissolution of the order. (fn. 2) The lords of the
principal manor presented to the rectory of
Dingley until 1448, when the prior of St. John
of Jerusalem presented; (fn. 3) the presentation remained in the knights' hands until their suppression.
The report of Prior Philip de Thame to the
Grand Master Elyan de Villanova, for 1338,
giving full particulars of all the English possessions
of the order, is fortunately extant, and was well
edited for the Camden Society in 1857; it
shows for this commandery a total income of
£79 4s., and a total expenditure of £37 0s. 4d.,
leaving the handsome balance of £42 3s. 8d. for
the general treasury of the grand prior of
England. This return also specifies that Sir
William Waldechef was preceptor or commander,
and that the two who held corrodies in the
house were Hugh le Chaplain and Robert de
Braibrock, 'scutifer.'
The order of St. John was divided under
three separate heads—knights, chaplains, and
serving brothers. The serving brothers were
sub-divided into two classes, the one included
those who entered this rank of the order with
the hopes of winning their spurs under the White
Cross banner, and afterwards advancing to the
class of knights, whilst the other was formed of
men of lower birth, who had no such expectation. To the former of these two divisions
Robert of the Dingley preceptory must have
belonged, for he is termed both 'armiger' and
'scutifer.' At a chapter-general, however, held
in 1357, this sub-division was abolished, it being
ruled that no serving brother should henceforth
be eligible for knightly rank.
A court roll of the Hospitallers' manor of
Dingley, dated 18 March, 1482, names Sir
Henry Halley as preceptor. The chief finding
of the jury on that occasion related to the
ruinous condition of a spring (fons) called 'a
horse-well,' used by the whole town; it was
ordered to be repaired before the next feast of
Trinity, under pain of a fine of 6s. 8d. (fn. 4)
Sir Giles Russell was the last commander of
Dingley; he was also commander of the preceptory of Battisford, Suffolk. He was summoned on 16 February, 1530-1, by Sir William
Weston, prior of St. John of Jerusalem, to attend
the provincial chapter at Clerkenwell, on
Thursday after Whit-Sunday, and to pay his
dues to the common treasure. (fn. 5) Russell was
evidently a man of considerable importance in
the order, for two days after the summons was
dispatched the prior's secretary writes to him
saying that if he has any business of importance
to bring before the chapter, and will let him
know, such matter should be expedited. (fn. 6) A
year later the prior wrote to Sir Giles in favor
of John Launde, an old servant of the religion,
who held by copy a tenement called Freres, in
Russell's commandery, and received a speedy
reply. (fn. 7)
In May, 1532, the prior wrote to Sir Giles,
stating that a bull, under lead, had arrived from
the council in Malta, ordering the payment of
their responsions for 1532. He desires him to
pay as soon as possible, 'for the religion has
right great need.' (fn. 8)
In September of the same year Sir Giles, who
was then in London, received a letter from Sir
Ambrose Cave, commander of the preceptory of
Stydd, Derbyshire, asking him whilst in town to
arrange for a visitation of Stydd, and expressing
a hope that he (Sir Giles) may be one of the
visitors. He deprecated the visitors bringing a
large company with them, for if they did so it
meant dice and cards at the fireside for their
servants. (fn. 9) Sir Robert Croftes, commander of
Baddesley, Hants, wrote to Sir Giles in the
following November, consulting him as to the
non-payment of tithes on apples, pears, ducks,
and walnuts. (fn. 10)
In a debtor and creditor account of the sums of
money called 'responsions,' paid by the knights
of St. John in England to the common treasury
of the order for the year 1535, the name of Sir
Giles Russell is entered as paying for Dingley
preceptory. The Valor Ecclesiasticus of this
year yields no information with regard to this
preceptory. The Northamptonshire return states
that the necessary information would be given
under Battisford, Suffolk, as Sir Giles held both
preceptories, but nothing is entered pertaining to
Northamptonshire under that head.
In 1539 Sir Giles Russell was nominated
lieutenant turcopolier. Turcopolier was a title
peculiar to the head of the ancient langue or
province of England, and was much valued.
This officer was commander of the turcopoles or
light cavalry, and had also the care of the coast
defences of the island of Rhodes, and afterwards
of that of Malta. There are two interesting
letters extant from Sir Giles at Malta, one to
Sir John Mablesteyn, sub-prior of the order in
England, and the other to his brother, Lord
Russell, both dated 27 October, 1539. (fn. 11) In the
latter he refers to the stuff at his Dingley preceptory, stating that it was good and ought to be
recovered, and added that he was writing to the
parson of Dingley and his chaplain, Thomas
Borow, on the same subject. The parson or
rector of Dingley at that time was another
brother of Sir Giles, Thomas Russell, who had
been presented by him to the rectory in 1530. (fn. 12)
Sir Giles Russell died in 1543; at his death it
was decreed by the chapter-general at Malta that
there should be no further nomination to the
dignity of turcopolier until the (Roman) Catholic
religion should be re-established in England.
It is infinitely to the credit of the knights of
St. John that they refused the degrading terms
offered them in 1538 by Henry VIII. to save
their broad acres in England. In 1540 the
whole of their property in this country was
confiscated, and those who declined to yield
spiritual obedience to the king were bitterly
persecuted and imprisoned, whilst several suffered
death on the scaffold. Those who yielded had
pensions assigned them out of the confiscated
property. Among these occurs the name of
Sir Giles Russell, who is entered for a pension
of £100. (fn. 13)
The priory manor of Dingley was granted by
the crown in 1540 to Edward Hastings for
twenty-one years; the reversion of the manor
and the advowson of the rectory were purchased
of the crown in 1543 by Edward Griffin for
£360 8s. 2d. The patent mentions the dovecote, garden, orchard called 'Paradyse,' and
cemetery, as well as arable, pasture, and woodlands. (fn. 14)
On the accession of Queen Mary there was
a brief revival of the order, by patent of 2 April,
1557. This revival was of special interest in
Northamptonshire, for Sir Thomas Tresham, of
Rushton, was appointed grand prior of St. John
Angliæ.
There were 'cameræ' belonging to the
order at Harrington, Blakesley, and Guilsborough, Brother Nicholas occurring as 'the
master of the hospital' at the last-named place
in 1285. (fn. 15)