History of Rothley Would Be Complete Wi Thout
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’ ' by A . H AMI L I UN b . 5 . A . The obj ect of the following acc o unt of the history of the manor and church of Rothley h as already been explained in the notes o n three other Leicestershire manors recently published in ns c ti ons our Tra a . The manor of Rothley is o f special interest as one of considerable size and importance , with widely scattered members , and with customs which give it a peculiar individuality . The questions of j urisdiction and tenure which arise in connection with it are of more than local importance , appealing particularly to the general student of manorial history and local government . On another side of the subj ect , the relation of the manor and church to the tw o military religious orders of medieval England is illustrated in a concrete form by the survival of the house and chapel of the Knights Templars in the parish . These buildings Fo ro ok are described in the following pages by Mr . sb e , while Mr . Watts is responsible for the description of the church . Ecclesiastically , the parish , with its distant chapelries , while not unique , is at any rate quite exceptional . The list of incumbents has been drawn up from records o f institutions kindly supplied ’ R . ev . by the C . W Foster , prebendary of Leicester St Margaret s n in the cathedral church o f Lincoln . U fortunately , owing to the fact that the priests of the various chapels were appointed by the vicars o f Rothley at their pleasure , according to the universal custom in such cases , so that there is no consecutive record of o f . their appointments , no satisfactory lists can be made them n Their names , however , eve if they could be obtained , would be of little or no value to the historian . 5791g9 ENGLI SH LOCAL ROT HLE Y Fo brook F A H. s e . The preceptory , by T . , S E arnham F A The descent of the manor , by George , . S . Re . v . The church , by J Wallace Watts A R . o F . A H . The vicars of othley , by amilton Th mpson , S ~ P E I. T HE R C EPT O RY F H. osbrook F A By T . e, . S . There is probably no manor in the co unty o f Leicester which o fiers greater attractions to archaeolo gists than the manor o f Rothley . Certainly no other manor boasts so large a number of th e o f o members within orbit of the j urisdiction its l rd , the soke o f Ro th e thley at the time of Domesday s urvey of 1086 , com prising manorial rights in no less than twenty tw o outlying R The hamlets , besides othley proper . student of ancient customs connected with manorial Courts as well as the lover of ancient R buildings will find in othley a field (for his investigation , the former in the peculiarities of gavelkind and tenants holding “ ancient de mesn e lands , the latter by inspecting the thirteenth century chapel and the other remnants o f the home o f the Knights o f the Temple . N From Edward the Confessor , through orman and Plan ta n t h H ge e kings , t e Knights Templars , the Knights ospitallers , and a long lin e of Babingtons who hailed from Chilwell and R t Dethick , the very names of the lords of the manor of o hley add to the interest connected with the place ; while in later times its associations with lord Macaulay , whose birthplace o o f it was , with Wilberforce , the champi n for the abolition R slavery , who , amid the groves of othley Temple drew up in conjunction with his friend and host Mr . Babington , his long ffi indictment o f the cruelties practised in this inhuman tra c , and R t o lastly with lord Kitchener , summoned from a visit at othley R conduct his campaign in Egypt , will always render othley fa mous . L E IC E S TE R S HIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL S O CIETY . T he village of Rothley is situated h alf a mile to the west of t h e main road wh ich leads from Leicester to Loughborough and A e quidistant f rom both places . bout a quarter of a m ile furt her w est stands t h e manor h ouse known as t h e Temple from its con ne c t io n w ith th e Templars . Th e situation of the Temple is typically monastic , lying low amid pastures of vivid green through which the Rothley brook winds its course from the hills of Ch arnwood to j oin the river Soar near Cossington , the ancient preceptory , surrounded by fine timber and charming gardens , greatly enlarged and much t modernised , makes a deligh ful residence . T H NI H AR E K G TS TEMPL S . Th e manor and soke of Rothley were granted to the Knights Tem plars by King Henry III . in the year 123 1. This famous Order was started during the first Crusade , in 1118 th e year , by nine French Knights , wh o took the vows of poverty , chastity and obedience , and depending solely on the alms “ ” o f w At the faith ful , they ere termed Poor Knights . one time their poverty was so great , t h at only one horse was allowed to every two knigh ts , a condition portrayed on their seals where t w o e A A Knights are seen riding on one horse . (S e ppendix . ) The special obj ect of the fraternity was to protect pilgrims on their way from th e coast to the Holy Sepulch re at Jerusalem . They also undertook to wage perpetual war against the infidel in defence * II . of th e Cross . Baldwin , King of Jerusalem , assigned to them * Be h e i 1153 h a s e n a w on e S t . na d e a a w o n r rd Cl irv ux , di d , giv d rful picture o f th e K night s Te mpl a rs in h is di s co urse o n th e Ne w Chi v alry “ Th e soldi e rs o f Chri s t live toge th e r in co mmo n in a n a gre e a bl e but a m a n e o w e a nd w o e n a nd a frug l n r , with ut iv s ith ut childr ; th t no n m a b w a e a n e a e e o n e w e thi g y e nti ng to v g lic l p rf cti , th y d ll e e o o e o f a ny n in o n e o se n e o ne e tog th r with ut pr p rty ki d , h u , u d r rul , c a re ful to pre se rv e th e u n ity o f th e spirit in th e b o nd o f e e is o n e o ne so a s e a o ne in n o Th r but e h a rt a nd ul , ch e s e o w e e h i o w w o r es e is r p ct f llo th a ft r s n ill d ir , but e o h e e a re e e e dilig nt t t e w ill o f t h e M a st r . Th y n v r idl n o r a m n a o a w en e a re no t in th e e r bli g br d , but h th y fi ld , a e m ay n o t e a t e e a in e ne s s e a re a nd th t th y th ir br d idl , th y fitting e a e a m o a nd e o n o r e m o n e m se ve s r p iring th ir r ur th ir cl thi g , pl yi g th l in s o a s e e e o r e uch occupa ti ns a s t h e w ill o f th e M t r r quir th , th ir o mmo n e e s s e e n e n Amo n e m e e is no c n c iti s r d r e xpe di e t . g th th r s n o o f e so ns e e s a nd m o s v o s di ti cti n p r ; r s pe ct is pa id to th e b t t irtu u , ’ no t th e m o e i a o e s o no e s no . e y a a t bl Th p rtici p te n e ch th r h ur , th y ’ ea o n e a no e s e ns a th e v ma v th e la w o f C s . b r th r burth , th t fulfil hri t ROTHL EY . T HE P RE C EPTORY .