Relations between Houses of the Order of the Temple in Britain and their Local Communities, as Indicated during the Trial of the Templars, 1307–12

Study of the order of the Temple has understandably concentrated on its military role on the frontiers of Christendom. The research by Malcolm Barber on the charitable activities of the Hospitallers and Templars in the west and by Cristina Dondi on the order's local liturgies have illuminated to a certain degree the order's relations with the local communities amongst which it operated. Yet the paucity of research might seem to support the allegation brought during the trial of 1307–12 that the order was secretive and kept itself apart from local communities, leading to suspicion about its activities. The order's regulations stated that the Templars should give their unused food and clothing to the poor. Yet individual houses of the Temple in Britain gave regular alms to the local poor and needy over and above this requirement. The records of the British Templar trial proceedings, which are preserved in their fullest extent in Oxford, Bodleian Library, offer some more precise evidence.