York Historic Environment Record

The presence of a preceptoly (or farm) of the Knights Templar at Copmanthorpe is recorded in documents dating back to the 13th century. It was not until the mid-I9th century however that a definite site was identified when the OS marked it on their map of 1851. The map shows a pond and a small enclosure at the location. No physical remains have ever been identified in modem times that can be associated conclusively with the Templars, although it must be remembered that the Templars' estate covered several hundred acres according to the documentary sources. When archaeological aerial photography in the 1970s noted extensive soil marks at the location identified by the OS, it was assumed that these represented the remains of the main farm complex. The South Ainsty Archaeological and Historical Society (SAAS) was formed in 2004, and with a large number of members resident in Copmanthorpe, the preceptory site was an obvious focus of attention. The site is not a scheduled ancient monument, so an approach was made to the farmer to ask whether he would be amenable to members carrying out exploratory work. Fieldwalking and geophysical work were carried out over the winter of 2004/05. Large quantities of tile and some medieval pottery were recovered, although the geophysics results were inconclusive. Trial excavations took place in March 2006.