Knights Hospitallers healing center and Chapel

St Saviour's Church, Stydd Ribchester. This church is the only one surviving of a group of buildings acquired by the Knights Hospitallers in the area. 'The hospital of St Saviour, under the Long Ridge and the Master and brethren also serving God there' in the 12 century.
It is a small medieval Church founded in 1136 by the Knights Hospitallers.
The position after 1292 is that the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem had acquired the site from 'Adam, the Chaplain-Warden of the house of St Saviour at Dutton' the transfer took place some years earlier perhaps about 1265.
Footings of a small building, with rounded bays, like an apse have been detected during excavation function include a Roman Temple to Mithras or an early Christian basilica.


The early 16th century sandstone font is octagonal, with its

carving well preserved. On each side of the bowl is a shield,
bearing heraldic and other devices.

1. The sacred monogram: IHS (translated as 'Jesus, the Saviour of Men')
2. The sacred heart, with the wounded hands and feet of Christ.
3. The initials 'tP'(sic), perhaps for Thomas Pemberton, preceptor of the Knights Hospitallers at Newland, of which Stydd was a subsidiary, from 1535-1538; beneath the initials is a small quatrefoil (see 6 below).
4. Although depicted more like a gamboling rabbit, it is clear that what is here intended is a lion rampant, a common heraldic device belonging to a number of local families, including the Hothersalls, the Balderstones or the Talbots, any one of which might be featured here.
5. The head of an animal (referred to in heraldry as a leopard), being the arms of the Clitheroe family of Salesbury.
6. Another heraldic device: in chief (at the top of the shield) the Cross of St George, indicating the arms of a Knight Hospitaller, below the same quatrefoil device featured in 3 above, which might be the arms of Thomas Pemberton.
7. A shield depicting three arrowheads between a chevron, charged with three stars, being the arms of Sir Thomas Newport of Shropshire, the preceptor of the Knights Hospitallers at Newland. He died in 1502 and was buried in the citadel of the Order at Rhodes, where his memorial bears the same arms as are depicted here.
8. Another heraldic device, being five animals' heads (perhaps bulls); of unknown origin.

A stone coffin tomb of great antiquity but unknown origin. 


copyright ©Sally Jacobs