The Hospitaller preceptory of Slebech, Pembrokeshire: Interpreting social function and burial practice in the later Middle Ages

This paper investigates the important medieval Hospitaller preceptory of Slebech, Pembrokeshire and its place and function within its immediate and regional social landscape. The analysis identifies potential future archaeological work which might be carried out, particularly in terms of the surviving medieval church and its surrounding burial ground. This approach interrogates Hospitaller burial practices through the lens of a single site. The authors propose that the parochial function of the church, the predominantly lay staff of the Hospital, and the potential presence of a late medieval female community characterised the burial record within the cemetery. In addition, named high-status lay burials within the church point to a relationship between local patronage and interment at the preceptory. More ‘unusual’ burials often associated with the Hospitallers, such as pilgrims, confraters, and felons, are more likely to have taken place at the Order’s appropriated churches rather than at the preceptory itself.