his debts. Initially, King Edward II of England refused to believe the allegations against the Templars. However, in 1308, Rothley Preceptory, together with the Templars' other possessions in England, were seized by the Crown. An inventory of the dissolved preceptory from 1309 reveals that the preceptory consisted of both a hall and a chapel (thought to have been built around 1240), and had over 350 sheep. Knights Hospitaller In 1313 the preceptory and its lands were transferred to the Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, more commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller. Rothley does not appear to have been administered by the Knights Hospitallers as an independent preceptory, and was merged with the joint Dalby and Heather Preceptory by 1371, another Hospitaller establishment within Leicestershire. One Preceptor then controlled all three of these preceptories from Dalby. From around 1500 the land at all three preceptories – Dalby, Heather and Rothley – appears to have been rented out. In 1535, the three combined preceptories are recorded as providing the order with a sizable annual income of £231. 7s. 10d. In the 15th century the Hospitallers made alterations to the chapel at the preceptory. Dissolution The preceptory was suppressed and dissolved in 1540. The Lordship of the Manor of Rothley, previously held by the preceptory, was from 1565 until 1845 in the hands of the Babington family. The Babingtons chose not to demolish the preceptory's chapel, and it was incorporated, along with some fragments of the preceptory's domestic buildings, into the house they built on the site. Later history Abolition of the slave trade Rothley Temple eventually passed to Thomas Babington (1758–1837) who was a prominent figure in the Clapham Sect and the fight to abolish the slave trade. A close friend of William Wilberforce, Babington and Wilberforce met frequently at Rothley Temple whilst drafting their anti-slavery bill. Babington later served as MP for Leicester and High Sheriff of Leicestershire and was buried in the chapel at Rothley Temple. A large stone monument and plaque stand outside the building today, commemorating the building's, and Babington's, part in the abolition of slavery. In 1800, Rothley Temple was the birthplace of the historian Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859, later Lord Macaulay) named after his uncle. Rothley Court The preceptory's chapel and part of the domestic buildings still exist, and are now part of the Rothley Court Hotel. Rothley Court, originally a stately home,