1508 in M. Livingstone Reg. Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1908) I. 268/1 The kingis hienes has admittit his lovit familiar George Dundas..to the temporalite of the preceptory of Torphichin.

1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII c. 24 Aduousons, commanderies, preceptories, contribucions, responsions, rentes..which appertained..to the priours.

1633 Sc. Acts Chas. I (1817) V. 165/2 All templelands perteining to the preceptorie of Torphichen.

1661 A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 403 Sandford..a house and preceptory sometimes belonging to the Knights Templars.

1722 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1906) VII. 353 It was a Preceptory for the K^ts of S^t. John's of Jerusalem.

1791 J. Byng Diary 27 June in Torrington Diaries (1935) II. 341 And thence, by an easy road..to Temple Bruer,..upon the Heath, which was a preceptory of Knts Templars.

1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe II. viii. 144 Be the hawks where they will, methinks the walls of the Preceptory of Templestowe will be cover sufficient.

1878 R. W. Dixon Hist. Church Eng. I. v. 321 The establishments of the order [of the Templars], which bore the name of preceptories, to the number of twenty-three, were at first seized by the King and other lords, but afterwards, by a bull from the Pope and an Act of Parliament, transferred to the rival order of the Hospitallers.

1904 M. R. James Ghost-stories Antiquary 184 It occurred to me that..very few of the English preceptories have ever been properly planned.

1987 This Eng. Autumn 56/2 The Knights Templars..had about 50 estates, called preceptories or commanderies, in England.

1860 Times 25 Aug. 9/7 The Black Preceptory is much more liberal than the Orange Society.

1861 New Amer. Cycl. XII. 545/2 It is organized, like the Orange institution, into grand lodges, which, however, are called chapters and preceptories, and the individual members bear the title of knights.

1921 Orange Standard Feb. 26/2 (advt.) We invite Royal Black Preceptories to advertise in these columns.

1965 G. Buchanan Morning Papers iii. 43 At Scarva the next day there is a procession of Black Preceptories past Scarvagh House.

1978 D. Murphy Place Apart xiii. 278 Almost everybody involved belongs to the local Sir Alfred Buller Memorial Royal Black Preceptory No. 1000.

2005 Sun (Nexis) 31 Aug. Tyrone supporters celebrating the win in Castlederg heard marchers of a local preceptory of the Royal Black Institution out in the street.

1574 A. Anderson Expos. Hymne Benedictus f. 74 The other place, which seemeth to sundrye, to stande for a law preceptorie, as well to vs now, as to the Leuits then.

1619 T. Adams Happines of Church (ed. 2) f. *2^v To make that practicall and exemplary, which is here onely theoricall and preceptory.

1660 J. Evelyn Late News 3 His Royal Martyred Father..left a preceptory advice to the contrary.

1725 J. Morgan tr. M. Rabadan Mahometism Explained II. 163 Violators of the preceptory Fast of Ramadam..will be there glutted with liquid Fires!

1766 J. Burgh Crito I. iii. 210 The general strain of the preceptory part of the N. Testament directs to despise and rise above this world.

1843 Southern Literary Messenger Sept. 536/1 Being distantly related to Madame de Virar..privileged him to continue the exercise of his preceptory influence over Lona.

1882 C. H. Spurgeon Treasury of David VI. Ps. cxix. 142 There is nothing false about the law or preceptory part of Scripture.

1967 Philos. & Phenomenol. Res. 28 135 Norms as preceptory rules for conduct would be revisable.

1993 W. Lai Three Jewels China in T. Yoshinori et al. Buddhist Spirituality iii. xi. 296 Dharmaksema reinforced this comprehensiveness by creating the first Mahāyāna preceptory community in China, including generals as well as common people.