The Knights Templar at Temple Sowerby, Westmorland

The Knights Templar at Temple Sowerby: 1308

According to the records in the National Archives of the UK, Kew

This transcription is copyright (c) Helen J. Nicholson, 2013. This is a draft transcription of the records. It is free for public use, but it must not be reproduced online or in any publication, or circulated, without the copyright holder's permission. 

As this is a draft, it contains errors! The transcriber would be grateful to know of any errors spotted by readers.

The National Archives: E 142/11 mem 4

The numbers represent the lines on the membrane.The document is severely damaged down the left hand side and the text is heavily abbreviated. Words within square brackets have been added by the transcriber.
12 September 1308:  in accordance with a writ patent from King Edward II, an investigation has been held into the property of Walter de Langton, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, and of the Master and Brothers of the Knighthood of the Temple. The jurors state that Walter de Langton owns nothing, but that the Templars have possessions at Temple Sowerby, and they list these (including a water mill and a series of tenants) and the income that they produce. 

1. ] Westm[ins]t[er'] die Jovis p[ro]x[imo] post festu[m] Nativitatis b[eat]e Marie anno regni Regis 
At Westminster on the Thursday after the Nativity of the Blessed Mary in the second year of the reign of King

2 [Edwardi filius Regis Edwardi s[e]c[un]do cora[m]... ] cl[er]ico assignato p[er] br[ev]e Regis patens ad inquirent' de t[e]rr[is] + ten[en'] Walt[er]i de 
[Edward son of King Edward] in the presence of [illegible] the clerk assigned in the King's writ patent for enquiring into the lands and tenancies of Walter de

3. [Langeton' Coventr' + Lic[hfield] E[isco]pi et Magist]ri + Fratrum Milicie Templi in Angl[ie] + de bonis + catall[is] in eisdem existentib[us]
Langton, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, and of the Master and Brothers of the Knighthood of the Temple in England and of the goods and chattels which are in the same 

4....]fuerunt in man[ibus] Reg[is] p[ro]ut in b[r]e[v]i Regis p[re]d[ic]to plenius continent[ur] p[er] sacr[a]m[entum] Rob[er]ti 
which were in the king's hands as is more fully contained in the aforesaid king's writ, through the oath of Robert

5...[name of jurors].]fil[ius] Alex[andr]i, Henr[ici] de Clauso, Hugonis fil[ius] Laur[encii], Thome Le Sagher, Henr[ici] 
[continues the list of the names of the jurors] fitz Alexander, Henry de Clauso, Hugh fitz Laurence, Thomas le Sagher, Henry

6. [names of jurors] ]inco, Mich[ael]is Belle, Ade fil[ius] Ivonis + Joh[ann]is le Carpent[er]. - - 
]inco, Michael Belle, Adam fitz Ivo and John the Carpenter [who say]

7. ...per sacramentum] suu[m] q[uo]d p[re]d[ic]tus Ep[iscop]us non h[ab]uit aliquas terras seu ten', bona 
on their oath that the aforesaid bishop did not have any lands or tenancies, goods [or chattels in the said county at the time that the said king]

8. ...] terr' + ten', bona + cat[all'] eiusdem E[pisco]pi c[er]tis causis capi fecit in man[um] 
had the lands, tenancies, goods and chattels of the same bishop taken into the king's hand for certain causes

9. Regis .... ma]g[ist]ri + f[rat]res h[ab]ueru[n]t apud Temple Soureby in eod' Com' temp[or]e que 
[and the same] master and brothers have at Temple Sowerby in the same county at the time that [the said king had the lands, tenancies, goods and chattels taken into his hands]

10. ...e]es in se unam rodam + dimid.' Et valet p[er] annu[m] 
... in it one and a half roods. And it is worth annually ... 

11. ...s]ustentac[i]o[n]em Mag[ist]ri ei[us]dem Loci seu seneschalli per 
... sustenance of the Master of the same place or his seneschal through ...