Torphichen Preceptory On Visit To West Lothian Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video, with Scottish music, of Torphichen Preceptory, a church in the village of Torphichen, West Lothian. The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic; " Torr Phigheainn " meaning " Hill of the Magpies ". St Ninian's church in Torphichen is said to have been visited by King Arthur during the 500s. Six hundred years later the site of the church was where King David I invited the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem to found a Preceptory. It was the Scottish base of operations for the order’s work, which involved sheltering and protecting pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. The Knights Hospitaller, established during the Crusades, were invited to Scotland in 1132 by King David I. After the suppression of the Knights Templar in 1312, their lands were transferred to the Knights Hospitaller. Torphichen was one of many major Hospitaller sites in Britain, second only to the Priory of Clerkenwell in London, England, and benefited greatly from this transfer of land. William Wallace held his last parliament here, prior to the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. The preceptor, Sir William Knollys, served as Lord High Treasurer of Scotland for King James III and King James IV, was created Lord St. John of Torphichen, and is commonly held to have died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The last Preceptor, Sir James Sandilands, was the second son of James Sandilands, Baron of Calder. Sir James's father and elder brother John had both backed the Lords of the Congregation and were friends of John Knox. In February 1564 Sir James surrendered the Preceptory lands to the Crown, to his relative, Mary, Queen of Scots, whereupon she gave the lands back to him for a payment of 10,000 crowns, with the secular title Lord Torphichen. The honorary post of Preceptor of Torphichen continues to be used within the modern day Order of St John of Jerusalem. After the Reformation, the nave of the Preceptory church was converted for use as the parish kirk. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.