A Record of the Consecration of the Simon de Montfort Preceptory

The Simon de Montfort Preceptory was consecrated on 28th June 1969 at Rainbow Hill, Worcester. There were 13 founders present at the meeting five very eminent knights and 31 eminent knights, 35 brother knights , in total 71.

Very eminent knight Provincial Sub Prior Col. R Councill past Great Constable installed eminent knight How, PGTADEC as the first Preceptor. The eminent preceptor then installed his officers and a certain brother knight Henry King proposed, and knight KT D Brooks seconded, the bylaws be approved.

The accounts for 1969-70 show That the hire of the hall cost £21 The Janitors fees were £3 The cost of wines etc for the consecration was £111 14s 0d and quite amazingly the annual wine bill was £26.0s.0d so it looks like quite a celebration.

The dining cost for the 71 knights attending was £117.5s.0d. meal cost of around £1.40 in today’s money. The Alms collected amounted to £16. 17s 0d The next regular meeting at Simon de Montfort was on 24th November 1969 at Swan Lane where two candidates were installed as knights. One candidate being an accountant, the other a chemist who was actually raised in Elmley Castle Lodge.

The registrar states he had a communication from Great Priory regarding change to decimal currency. He was also in receipt of a notice of the annual festival of the King Edward VII preceptory of improvement which would you believe was being held at the Café Royal, London. The Alms collected at this meeting were £3 10s.

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (c.1208–1265), was a French-born nobleman who became one of the most significant political figures of medieval England. Arriving in England through his mother’s inheritance, he rose to prominence under King Henry III, marrying the king’s sister Eleanor and securing a powerful place within the English aristocracy. Initially a loyal supporter of the crown, de Montfort’s military skills were tested in campaigns in France and during the king’s continental ventures.

Tensions grew, however, as Henry’s rule was marked by heavy taxation, costly wars, and accusations of favouritism toward foreign advisers. De Montfort became a champion of reform, helping to draft the Provisions of Oxford in 1258, which aimed to curb royal power and give greater authority to a council of barons. His leadership came to a head in the Second Barons’ War (1264–1267), when he led rebellious nobles against the king. In a dramatic victory at the Battle of Lewes in 1264, de Montfort captured Henry and effectively ruled England for just over a year.

During this brief period, Simon de Montfort called a parliament in 1265 that, for the first time, included not only barons and bishops but also representatives from towns and counties—an early step toward the English parliamentary system. Yet his dominance provoked opposition, and royalist forces rallied. In August 1265, at the Battle of Evesham, de Montfort was defeated and killed. Despite his violent end, Simon de Montfort is remembered as both a rebel and a pioneer of parliamentary government, leaving a lasting legacy in England’s constitutional history.