Bottesford Preceptory
Encyclopedia
Bottesford Preceptory, Lincolnshire was sited just to the south of Scunthorpe
, in Lindsey
. It lay in a small valley in the Lincolnshire limestone ridge called the Lincoln Cliff
.
The word 'preceptory' is used for the community of the Knights Templar
which lived on one of the order's estates in the charge of its preceptor. From that its meaning was extended to include the estate and its buildings.The present Bottesford Manor house is believed to have been the gatehouse to the preceptory.
Templars Bath, a spring in the field behind Bottesford
manor is now hardly discernible, being simply a gathering of stones. The bath has been attributed to the Romans but others believe it was a dipping bath or well used by the Templar workers. It was in previous times used as a ‘magic’ health-giving spring. Travellers would drink its waters and leave cloth offerings (a ‘rag well’). This healing property was probably associated with the fact that a Templar hospital stood on or near the site. The only distinctive Templar artefact found here was an ancient gravestone with a large cross upon it. It was covering a body buried in a grave that had been placed at the angle formed by the north wall of the chancel and the east wall of the north transept, though this description does not indicate a normal Templar round church.
An inadequate dig was made in 1983 on the Templar fields nearby. Little was found and the land was backfilled. CW U.T.
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
, in Lindsey
Lindsey
Lindsey was a unit of local government until 1974 in Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it...
. It lay in a small valley in the Lincolnshire limestone ridge called the Lincoln Cliff
Lincoln Cliff
The Lincoln Cliff is the portion of a major escarpment that runs north-south through Lindsey and Kesteven, in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county...
.
The word 'preceptory' is used for the community of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
which lived on one of the order's estates in the charge of its preceptor. From that its meaning was extended to include the estate and its buildings.The present Bottesford Manor house is believed to have been the gatehouse to the preceptory.
Templars Bath, a spring in the field behind Bottesford
Bottesford, North Lincolnshire
Bottesford is a small town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is joined to southern Scunthorpe, and is defined by the B1501 road to the north and Bottesford Beck to the south. The River Trent lies to the west, with a boundary line approximately along Grammar School Walk, Richmond...
manor is now hardly discernible, being simply a gathering of stones. The bath has been attributed to the Romans but others believe it was a dipping bath or well used by the Templar workers. It was in previous times used as a ‘magic’ health-giving spring. Travellers would drink its waters and leave cloth offerings (a ‘rag well’). This healing property was probably associated with the fact that a Templar hospital stood on or near the site. The only distinctive Templar artefact found here was an ancient gravestone with a large cross upon it. It was covering a body buried in a grave that had been placed at the angle formed by the north wall of the chancel and the east wall of the north transept, though this description does not indicate a normal Templar round church.
An inadequate dig was made in 1983 on the Templar fields nearby. Little was found and the land was backfilled. CW U.T.