Torphichen Preceptory

Torphichen Preceptory stands in the village of Torphichen in West Lothian, Scotland. It began as a church in the 1140s around an earlier Christian site. The Knights Hospitaller, an order founded during the Crusades, made it their Scottish headquarters. By the 13th century the complex included a cruciform church with a central tower, transepts and choir. Domestic buildings such as a hospital were added, and in the 15th century a cloister was built on the north side of the church. After the Reformation the nave became the parish kirk while the rest fell into ruin. The site holds layers of Scottish history. William Wallace held his last parliament here before the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. Edward I of England was treated here after being injured before the same battle. The preceptor Sir William Knollys served as Lord High Treasurer under James III and James IV. The last preceptor, Sir James Sandilands, surrendered the lands to Mary, Queen of Scots in 1564 and received them back as Lord Torphichen. The sanctuary stones around the kirkyard mark a boundary that may date back to Neolithic times. Visitors find the remains of the central tower and transepts still standing. The crossing shows some of Scotland’s best-preserved 12th- and 13th-century masonry. The kirkyard contains 17th- and 18th-century headstones carved with symbols of mortality and tools of trades. The surviving sanctuary stones stand in their original positions one Scots mile apart. The later T-plan kirk built in 1756 holds early 19th-century box pews and galleries. The whole site lies within a large kirkyard that preserves both medieval and later history.