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West Lothian Archaeology Group

Torphichen Preceptory

Scottish Headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem KAP

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Torphichen KAP

Torphichen Preceptory and Kirk (Cairnpapple top left).

The slack behind the Preceptory leads to the former site of Cathlaw Cottage and a 'ruin' (1860 OS map) and Cairnpapple Hill. To the right of the slack is the Cuningar.

 Castlethorn to the left of the slack is scheduled with Gormyre Hill just a little further left.

 The national archaeological and historic importance of these areas is substantial.

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The Order of St John (1) (2) (3) (4)

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The Museum and Library of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell

 

Title: Agreement between the abbot W. and convent of Holyrood on the one hand, and Walter "Magistrum" [master] and the brethren of "Torphean" [Torphichen, West Lothian] on the other, with regard to the dispute sent before the ecclesiastical judges about the teinds and obventions of Ogilfas [Ogilface, West Lothian]. By the authority of the judges, in presence of "W. de Bosch" [William del Bois (Wood)], the king's chancellor, and other knowledgeable men, the abbot and convent of Holyrood agree to concede to the brethren all the teinds and ecclesiastical incomes that they used to receive on the land of Ogilface. The brethren will hold it freely but will give back to Holyrood Abbey every year 4 marks of silver, 2 at the day of Pentecost and 2 at the day of St Martin. In order for this agreement to remain unchanged and not revoked, the ecclesiastical judges, the convent of the chapter of St Andrews and the chapter of the Hospital of Lundon [London] signed [no names]. June 1211 - November 1224.  Ref No: GD45/13/247. Repository: National Archives of Scotland

In 1298, during the Battle of Falkirk, Alexander de Welles, Master of Torphichen Preceptory, was killed. Based on the heraldic evidence* there is very little doubt that Alexander de Welles was a member of the Lincolnshire family. Also at Falkirk were Adam de Welle(s) of Lincolnshire (and of the Castle of Yester in Lothian to whom King Edward gave various properties - Ref No: GD45/27/141) and Philip de Welle(s)**

Alexander is said to have been replaced as Master by Ranulph de Lindsay***. It is interesting to note that in 1390, in Edinburgh, Baron John de Welles, of the same family, challenged David Lindsay (later 1st Earl of Crawford (2) ) to a duel, a joust on London Bridge in which Welles was unhorsed at the third pass. The last of this Welles line was John, Viscount Lord Welles (2) who died in 1499.

Any possible link between Alexander de Welles, Brother Richard of Welles (House of the Temple****, Perth), Walter de Welles (Aberdeen) and chaplain Galfridus (Geoffrey) de Wellys (Aberdeen) has yet to be established. However, it is probable that they too were English or of English descent.

More details are included here.

 

See also:

Torphichen and the Knights Hospitaller. W.J. MacLennan*, J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2003;33(Suppl 12):64-71.

* Professor Emeritus of Geriatric Medicine, The University of Edinburgh and member of the EAFS survey team at Woodend (Ogilface Castle).

 

Tomb of Lionel Lord Welles, Methley, Yorkshire.

On the 29th March 1461 at the Battle of Towton (1), near Tadcaster in Yorkshire, Lionel Lord Welles (1) (2) of the Lincolnshire line was killed and his body conveyed in secret to his tomb in Methley (2) near Leeds (home of his second wife). 

We have a research interest in the Well(e)s families of the UK, especially Robert Welles (2) of Galphay (in the parish of Kirkby Malzeard, which was the lower half of the Peculiar of Masham in Yorkshire), who leased a substantial property there for 45 years from Fountains Abbey (1) (2) in 1538 (shortly before its dissolution) paying 5 marks per annum (1 mark = 13 shillings and 4 pence = 66p). Lands in the Kirkby Malzeard area were once the property of the Mowbray (Moubray / Moubrai) family, who had a castle there just over 2km from Galphay (which was besieged in 20 Henry II [ie 1174] by Henry, the elect Bishop of Lincoln and soon after pulled down along with his other castle at Thirsk).

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* Bruce McAndrew, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot, 129, 663-752, (1999) (pdf) and Scotland's Historic Heraldry (2006), Boydell and Brewer Ltd: 'The seal probably has a crusilly background, to differentiate Alexander from the head of his house'.

George F. Black also cites references to Alexander's seal (A shield, lion rampant, S' F' ris - Bain, II, p. 202, 558), Richard de Welles (1240), Walter de Welles (1277) and Galfridus (Geoffrey) de Wellys (1317) in The Surnames of Scotland 1946, reprinted 1999.

**Probably of Essex as Philip de Welles of Lincolnshire was dead by 1282/3 (J. L. Knapp, pers. comm.). (NB John, son of Adam de Welles held the manor of Theydon Garnon, Essex Record Office: Note of Final Concord 1345/46, by service of 7s. with inter alia, land at Epping and claimed ten. at Sutton, Lincolnshire. John, Lord de Welles died in 1361, holding jointly with his wife the manor, a messuage, and lands in Theydon Garnon, Epping and Theydon Bois From: 'Theydon Garnon: Manors', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 4: Ongar Hundred (1956), pp. 262-269).

*** We know of no primary source indicating his appointment.

**** The House of the Temple could refer to the ancient site of the Temple of Mars which was situated on the site of the present corner of High Street and Watergate in Perth. Later, it was the site of the town house of the Mercer family. We would like to acknowledge the information provided by Steve Connelly (Archivist, Perth & Kinross Council Archive) relating to this property and to land owned by the Templars in Perthshire.
 

 

 

 

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