Mount St. John Preceptory

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Mount St. John Preceptory was a base of the Knights Hospitallers near Felixkirk in North Yorkshire, England. It was founded early in the reign of Henry I as a preceptory to the honour of St. Mary after William Percy I gave them five knight’s fees. The Hospitallers also obtained the advowson (the right to appoint the parish priest) of the local church, which Robert Fossard acknowledged in 1210. In 1279 a vicarage was created and the church was made the order’s property.

By 1338 the buildings were ruinous. At that time the total income was about 87½ marks, with the Feliskirk church contributing £26 and local offerings £13 6s 8d. The preceptor and one confrater served as chaplains. The rules required hospitality and two distributions to the poor each year. Deductions and expenses totaled 37 marks.

In 1535, including property in Westmorland and Northumberland, the gross value of the commandery was £137 2s, with a clear value of £102 13s 9d. Collections in Northumberland were about £9 and in Yorkshire about £8.

After dissolution, the buildings passed to the Archbishop of York. They were pulled down in 1720, and a manor house was built in their place, still known as Mount St John. It is a Grade II* listed building (since 1978), and its stable block is listed at Grade II (since 1984). An incomplete list of the Preceptors exists.