Why Slebech matters

Slebech was the mother house. The Templars used this preceptory to manage every other holding they owned in Wales. When crown surveyors drew up an inventory of Templar property in 1308, they started at Slebech and worked their way outward.

The site is quiet and easy to miss today. The medieval church of St John stands roofless on the north bank of the Cleddau with ivy on its walls. The geography is the key. This was the final crossing point of the estuary before it widened into Milford Haven. Whoever held this land controlled the road to St Davids.

The Templars wanted it for that reason, and the Hospitallers took the estate over intact in 1312. It has functioned as a working estate ever since. That continuous use is why it survives.