Standon Preceptory
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Standon Preceptory was a Knights Hospitaller foundation located in the parish of Standon, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded before 1154,[1] probably shortly after the Knights became possessors of the Standon Church in 1151,[2] and dissolved before 1443–4.[1]
Gilbert de Clare gave the church of Standon, 140 acres of land, and his vineyard to the Hospitallers, who used it as a residence for sisters of the order until 1180.[3] The site was also used as a hospital and a school.[4] The building had a dormitory above and a refectory and kitchen below. It may have housed a dozen or more Knights.[2] At one time, two Sisters of the Order named Melisene and Johanna resided within the commandery.[5]
When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, the manor, rectory, and right to recommend an Anglican vicar at Standon were given to Ralph Sadler.[3] A fifteenth century timber-framed barn of aisle construction survives.[6]
