| Templecombe Preceptory | |
| Order: | Knights Templar then Knights Hospitaller |
| Established: | 1185 |
| Disestablished: | 1539 |
| Founder: | Leofwine |
| People: | Odo of Bayeux |
| Location: | Templecombe, Somerset, England |
Templecombe Preceptory (or Combe Templariorum) was established in 1185 in Templecombe, Somerset, England.
One of the manors within the parish was held by Earl Leofwine. It was awarded to Bishop Odo of Bayeux after the Norman Conquest. It was his descendant Serlo FitzOdo who granted it to the Knights Templar[1] who established a preceptory in the village in 1185.[2]
The preceptory served as an administrative centre for the lands held by the Templars in the south west of England and Cornwall. It may also have been used to train men and horses for the Crusades.[3]
After the Knights Templar were suppressed following the 1307 order by Pope Clement IV,[4] it was granted to the Knights of St John who held it until the dissolution of the monasteries.[1]
An attempt to discover 'the village of the templars' was made by archaeological television programme Time Team.[5]
. Robin Bush (historian). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. 1994. 206. 1-874336-26-1.