Templar Sites

ABOUT THE SITE

Dennis Garner writes:

The Capital Preceptor Cum Ebor, William de Grafton was arrested at Ribston though it was likely that he was only visiting from Faxfleet at the time. At The church of St Andrew at Ribston (not been myself yet) are reputed to be two Templar tombs either side of the alter.

At nearby Spofforth church there are two inlet stones thought to have come from the demolished preceptory, one low at the East end almost hidden by overgrown shrubbery, the other high up on the North East wall above the Aisle roof line, both depict Templar crosses.

Ribston has by far the best original documentation remaining and material from this has been published widely though not recently. An interesting snippet is from Weaters book The History of Temple Newsam published in 1889 concerning the arrest and punishment of the Capital Preceptor William de Grafton. After his trial by inquisition at York he was sent to Selby Abbey to undertake one year of penance, after this he was given release into the secular state by a document supposedly issued by the then English Grand Master this was dated in 1331, long after the official suppression. Weater quotes from the document.

" The Master of the Temple with the assent of his brethren absolves from his vow William de Grafton one of the brethren of the order and granted that having laid aside the habit of the Temple he may be allowed to turn himself to the secular state which King Edward the II and the present King have confirmed" (1)
 

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1. Weater, The History of Temple Newsam, 1889
2. various, The Gentlemans Magazine, 1857
3. various, Yorkshire Archeological and Topographical Journal, Vol.vii.& Vol.viii, 1882