Bulstrode Preceptory

Bulstrode Preceptory stands in the quiet countryside near Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. It was a small religious house run by the Knights Hospitaller after the Templars lost their lands in the 14th century. The site once belonged to the Templars, who held property across the county at Radnage and High Wycombe. In 1276 Brother John, the preceptor, was accused of taking a bribe to free a robber. By 1330 an inquest confirmed the Templars’ former ownership before the Hospitallers leased the manor for seventy-five marks. The preceptory’s history is brief and poorly recorded. It appears only in scattered documents from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. After the Hospitallers took control, they never built a full commandery there. Instead they let the manor to tenants and collected a fixed rent. The Templars’ earlier presence left little trace beyond a few references in manorial records. Today the site is marked by a low earthwork and a farm track that crosses the former precinct. A small stream runs close by, and the surrounding fields are still called Bulstrode. Visitors can walk the old lane where the preceptor once rode out to meet his tenants. The only standing remains are a brick barn built long after the preceptory vanished.