Quenington Preceptory

Quenington Preceptory stands in the quiet village of Quenington in Gloucestershire. It was a small base for the Knights Hospitaller, an order of warrior monks who ran hospitals and fought in the Crusades. The manor of Quenington was given to them in 1193 by Agnes de Lucy and her daughter Sibilla. They later added the manor of Wishanger, donated by Asculf Musard. By the 14th century the order also owned several churches nearby. The preceptory grew in importance and took over the lands of another Hospitaller house at Clanfield in Oxfordshire. It became a working farm and centre for collecting rents and tithes. In 1540 the last Prior of Clerkenwell surrendered the preceptory to King Henry VIII’s officials. The order was dissolved and its buildings passed to the Crown. Today only earthworks and low stone walls remain on a grassy rise above the River Coln. A single large ash tree marks the site, which is peaceful and little changed since the Middle Ages. Visitors can walk around the quiet field where the refectory and dormitory once stood. The river valley offers views of stone barns and thatched cottages in the surrounding villages.