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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 65 SW 156
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:DUKES PLACE

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1400 to 1799. Manor House incorporating, former preceptory of Knights Hospitallers. Medieval house which belonged to the Knights Hospitallers. It is often referred to as a Preceptory, although this description is not accurate.


Grid Reference:TQ 6483 5268
Map Sheet:TQ65SW
Parish:WEST PECKHAM, TONBRIDGE AND MALLING, KENT

Monument Types

  • HOUSE (Medieval to Modern - 1400 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (I) 1070672: DUKES PLACE; Scheduled Monument 1007460: PRECEPTORY AT DUKES PLACE

Full description

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Description from record TQ 65 SW 16 :
[TQ 64825268] Dukes Place [NAT] (1) West Peckham - a house of Knights Hospitallers. Founded probably Temp. Henry IV, dissolved in 1540; nothing is known of its history. (2) Founded either by John Colepepper for the Templars before their dissolution in 1307 or by John Colepepper temp. Henry IV. (3) Before 1066 the manor of West Peckham was in the possession of Leofwine. It was given to Odo and thereafter occurs in different Lands until c.1332 when it seems to have been separated into moieties.One moiety has since followed the descent of the manor of Mereworth but the other came into the possession of the family of Colepepper and Sir John Colepepper gave it to the Knights Hospitallers in 1408. They established a preceptory which contained part of their possessions until the dissolution. The manor thereafter occurs normally to the present day. (4) Philpot says that it was a Templar foundation before it was preserved by the Hospitallers, but this is impossible as the name does not occur in the Malta Return of 1338, of lands formerly belonging to the templar. [Brief history]. (5) Preceptory valued in 1535, including the manor of West Peckham at 63 pounds, 6 shillings and 8 pence yearly. (6) [Area centred TQ 64605253] "The remains of the preceptory are yet standing on the south-east side of the church near the vicarage, and consists of a range of timber buildings forming two sides of a square ... old and dilapidated .. now... Labourers' cottages." Other buildings which belonged to the preceptory are standing at 'Rats Castle' [TQ 65 SW 30] [Account quotes Auths 3 and 4 and describes Hasteds foundation date as "more probable".] (7) Dukes Place, an L-shaped range of half timbered buildings on a stone plinth; now restored. The north range consists of a main hall oriented NE-SW, open to a fine King post roof. It is close-studded with plaster infilling. The mullioned windows have been restored and the main north front exhibits a modern bay window in Tudor style. The doorways are true four centred and that of the main front has a rose carved in the spandrels.This is the only decoration exhibited by any of the external woodwork.Two short gabled cross wings at either end of the main hall are also close studded. Their upper storeys are jettied and partly brick nogged but the eastern wing has pargetting in the top gabel end (the other gable end matched it prior to the 1948 restoration). The roofs and chimney are modern. The east range consists of two intercommunicating but separate buildings. Both are of wider spaced timbers with plaster infilling on the west side, but are of very close set studding on the east. The most northerly building of the two (that nearest the main hall) is jettied on its west front. It has Tudor style fireplaces on both floors and and external chimney shaft in stone projecting from the east wall. The southernmost building has an internal chimney stack in thin brick. Above the roof line it is modern. The house has been restored over the past 10 years and is now a private residence in excellent condition. None of its features have been obscured and from these it would seen that the main north wing with its hall and cross wings was almost certainly the original preceptory and of 15th c. date. The south extending east range represents additions probably of 16th c. date. See GPs AO/59/285/2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. (8)

Description from record TQ 65 SW 43 :
Medieval house which belonged to the Knights Hospitallers. It is often referred to as a Preceptory, although this description is not accurate.


From the National Heritage List for England:
"Details
The monument includes a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers situated on the eastern edge of the modern village of West Peckham. The preceptory includes a 15th century timber-framed building, Listed Grade I, the buried foundations of associated medieval buildings and other associated medieval remains below ground level, contained by a moat of which one arm is still visible. The standing remains, which are excluded from the scheduling, comprise an L- shaped range of half-timbered buildings on a stone plinth, with close-studding and plaster infill. The back range has been dated to the early 15th century while the north range, including the hall and solar, was rebuilt in about 1500 after being burnt out. To the south is a section of ditch 40m long aligned north east to south west. This has become partially infilled over the years but is visible as a slight earthwork up to 4m across. The area around the building, which has remained undisturbed since its construction, contains the buried remains of activities undertaken during the medieval period and directly associated with the use of the preceptory. These are likely to include the remains of outbuildings such as workshops, barns and stables, as well as the gardens. Documentary sources record that lands at West Peckham were granted to the Knights Hospitallers in 1337 by Elizabeth de Burgh. These lands were then incorporated into the magisterial camera. The preceptory is believed to have been founded in 1408. Excluded from the scheduling are the inhabited building, fences, gates and posts, although the ground beneath all these features is include.

Reasons for Designation
A preceptory is a monastery of the military orders of Knights Templars and Knights Hospitallers (also known as the Knights of St John of Jerusalem). At least one preceptory of the Knights of St Lazarus is also known to have existed in England. Preceptories were founded to raise revenues to fund the 12th and 13th century crusades to Jerusalem. In the 15th century the Hospitallers directed their revenue toward defending Rhodes from the Turks. In addition, the preceptories of the Templars functioned as recruiting and training barracks for the knights whilst those of the Hospitallers provided hospices which offered hospitality to pilgrims and travellers and distributed alms to the poor. Lazarine preceptories had leper hospitals attached. Like other monastic sites, the buildings of preceptories included provision for worship and communal living. Their most unusual feature was the round nave of their major churches which was copied from that of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Indeed their use of such circular churches was unique in medieval England. Other buildings might include hospital buildings, workshops or agricultural buildings. These were normally arranged around a central open space, and were often enclosed within a moat or bank and ditch. From available documentary sources it can be estimated that the Templars held 57 preceptories in England. At least 14 of these were later taken over by the Hospitallers, who held 76 sites. As a relatively rare monument class, all sites exhibiting good survival of archaeological remains will be identified as nationally important.

The preceptory at Dukes Place, West Peckham survives comparatively well, with the area around the standing buildings almost completely undisturbed by later construction. Documentary sources combined with the archaeological remains and environmental evidence contained within the site can provide an insight into the economy and way of life peculiar to a preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers."

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 65 SW WEST PECKHAM MEREWORTH ROAD (south side)
1/27 Duke's Place
1.8.52
- I
Hall house. Early C15, built as Preceptory of the Knight's Hospitallers, according to Hasted founded in 1405 by John Culpepper. Close examination shows hall to have been burnt out C1500. Converted into 7 labourers cottages in C18; restored from semi-dereliction after last war. L-shaped 2 storeys. North wing. Hall house of Wealdan type joined to later south wing at south-east corner. Timber-framing with plaster-infilling on stone plinth. Plain tiled hipped roof. South front. First-floor projection on curved braces to left with casements on both floors. Hall in centre with 2 storey window to left and high-level 4-light window to right. Boarded door below in original cast with 4 centred arch leading into cross-passage of hall. West front. Jettied with bressummer resting on central supporting post and dragon-posts at ends. North front. Jettied projections at both ends of 1st floor with wind-braced gables above. Small oriels on 1st floor of both gable bays. 5-light lattice casement below jetty to left. Central eaved cornice with bressummer on posts, some jowled, and joists. 2 storey bay window to right, on brick plinth, recently introduced. Early C16 door to left, boarded in 4-centred arch with winged rosettes in the spandrels, leading to cross- passage. East side. Jettied, with moulded dragon-post to right, and 1-storey lean-to addition to left. South range. Probably C17. Hipped tiled roof with 2 ridge stacks. East front. Close studded framing with irregular fenestration of casements, mostly introduced when the house was constructed into 7 cottages. West front. Some jowled posts on 1st floor. Jettied on joists to left, with curved wind-braces above. Irregular fenestration on both floors. Door with low rounded arch to left of ground-floor. Later part of south wing to right set forward, with narrow framing. Interior. Hall reopened in restoration after last war. Fine tie-beam truss roof with moulded brown post. Moulded great post with shafts. Moulded beam around hall, stopped at dais and by curved faces. Arched braces in wall above buttery and pantry doors, with some carpenters marks. Paired buttery and pantry doors with 3-centred arched heads. Large C16 fireplace with breast in brick with carved bressummer. Early C15 timber work in Parlour, Buttery and Pantry, that in solar dating from time of addition of north-facing gables. Shall pointed arch surround fireplaces in Parlour and solar above. Of stair in solar. 1 each, C16 stone fireplace with 5-centred arched surround on ground-floor of south wing, and 1 with chamfered bressummer, probably later C16 1 mid C16 stone fireplace with shall 4-centred arch on 1st floor of this wing, as well as crown lost with unusual square moulding. See N M R Recorded Buildings File. (Also Tanner's Notitia Monastica 1744). Listing NGR: TQ6483552693 (16)

Archive material (17)


<1> OS 6" 1936 (OS Card Reference). SKE48337.

<2> Md Rel Houses of England and Wales 1953 247 (D Knowles and R N Hadock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46700.

<3> Notitia Monastica Tanner Nasmith Edn of 1787 unpaged Kent XLVI (OS Card Reference). SKE47715.

<4> History of Kent 5 1798 56 (Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44132.

<5> Kent Records A Kentish Cartulary XI 1930 78 (OS Card Reference). SKE45940.

<6> VCH KENT 2 1926 175 (OS Card Reference). SKE50956.

<7> Arch Cant 22 1897 271 illust The Knights Hospitallers in Kent (J F Wadmore) (OS Card Reference). SKE34842.

<8> F1 CFW 30-DEC-55 (OS Card Reference). SKE42830.

<9> F2 CFW 18-FEB-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43252.

<10> DOE (HHR) Dist of Tonbridge and Malling Kent April 1985 80 (OS Card Reference). SKE40411.

<11> Arch Cant 80 1965 92-97 (C L Tipton) (OS Card Reference). SKE35701.

<12> Medieval Religious House England and Wales 1971 307 301 (D Knowles and R N Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46864.

<13> The Buildings of England West Kent and the Weald 1980 606 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50247.

<14> Field report for monument TQ 65 SW 16 - December, 1955 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3463.

<15> Field report for monument TQ 65 SW 16 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3464.

<16> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<17> Historic England, Archive material associated with Dukes Place (Archive). SKE53862.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 6" 1936.
<2>OS Card Reference: Md Rel Houses of England and Wales 1953 247 (D Knowles and R N Hadock).
<3>OS Card Reference: Notitia Monastica Tanner Nasmith Edn of 1787 unpaged Kent XLVI.
<4>OS Card Reference: History of Kent 5 1798 56 (Hasted).
<5>OS Card Reference: Kent Records A Kentish Cartulary XI 1930 78.
<6>OS Card Reference: VCH KENT 2 1926 175.
<7>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 22 1897 271 illust The Knights Hospitallers in Kent (J F Wadmore).
<8>OS Card Reference: F1 CFW 30-DEC-55.
<9>OS Card Reference: F2 CFW 18-FEB-64.
<10>OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) Dist of Tonbridge and Malling Kent April 1985 80.
<11>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 80 1965 92-97 (C L Tipton).
<12>OS Card Reference: Medieval Religious House England and Wales 1971 307 301 (D Knowles and R N Hadcock).
<13>OS Card Reference: The Buildings of England West Kent and the Weald 1980 606 (J Newman).
<14>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 65 SW 16 - December, 1955.
<15>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 65 SW 16 - February, 1964.
<16>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #35643 Building, ]
<17>Archive: Historic England. Archive material associated with Dukes Place.