What happened in a Templar preceptory?

The Knights Templar needed money to finance the crusades in the Holy Land. To achieve this, they established a network of wealth generating hubs across Europe that we call ‘preceptories’. A preceptory was an estate comprising workshops, barns, mills, and farm land producing goods that were traded with the profits channelled to the frontline.

The Templar preceptory was also a recruitment centre. Young men from the local nobility would approach their nearest preceptory with a view to becoming a knight, while individuals from the peasantry could express an interest in becoming a sergeant. Many of those who joined the Templar order might never see military action. They would spend their days milking cows and herding sheep. But this was essential work to ensure the knights in Jerusalem had the resources they needed.

If you had visited a preceptory, it would have been a hive of activity. The chapel was the focus for the regular prayers that Templar knights were required to observe during the day between battle training. There was the central hall for meals and chapter meetings, a kitchen, and the living quarters where Templars slept.

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Smithing, tanning, and textiles production were conducted in workshops producing goods sold at local fairs. Stables and outbuildings housed the animals. Mills processed grains. There would have been areas for horse training and military drills as well as an armoury for storing weapons. The preceptory would also include a hospital or sick bay of some description.

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