The Gatehouse website record for Temple Bruer Preceptory

In the civil parish of Temple Bruer With Temple High Grange. In the historic county of Lincolnshire (Modern Authority of Lincolnshire, 1974 county of Lincolnshire).

A preceptory of the Knights Templars was established at Bruer circa 1150 and richly endowed by a number of people, and an adjoining settlement was also created. A survey of Templars estates in 1185 gave a separate section to Bruer, treating it as a full manor; 37 tenants inhabiting 34 crofts were mentioned. There was also a weekly market. Granted a licence to crenellate in 1306. The preceptory passed to the Knights Hospitallers following supression of the Templars in 1312, becoming one of their richest houses; it was dissolved 1540-1. When Leland visited the site in 1538-9 he saw 'great and vaste Buildings, but an engraving of 1726 shows the ruins of the circular church. Today the only standing remains are a tower, formerly part of the church, local tradition recounting that Cromwell shelled the buildings during the Civil War. Excavations on the site were first conducted in 1833-4, and further work in 1908 revealed a walled precinct occupying most of the field to the west of the church, where building foundations have been encountered subsequently. Cropmarks of the precinct and buildings, together with the former settlement lying to the south east are visible on air photographs. A field system to the south west may be associated. Brooke writes had gatehouse and walls.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF00855370

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 349297
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 60735 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.