Knights Templar in England facts for kids
The story of the Knights Templar in England started in 1128. That year, Hughes de Payens, a French nobleman and the first leader (called the Grand Master) of the Knights Templar, visited England. He came to find people and money to support the Crusades, which were religious wars fought in the Middle East.
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Early Days of the Templars in England
King Henry II, who ruled from 1154 to 1189, gave the Templars lots of land across England. They built a special round church near Castle Baynard in London. This church was designed like their main building on Temple Mount in Jerusalem. One of their biggest and earliest estates was Cressing Temple in Essex.
In 1184, the Templars moved their main base in England to the New Temple in London. They built another round church there, similar to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This church was finished in 1185 and became a place for their special ceremonies. Also in 1185, a hospital for sick people was started by the Templars in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
By 1185, the Templars owned a lot of land in many parts of England. These included places like London, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, and Yorkshire. The Templars were also involved in money matters. They even helped manage royal funds.
In 1200, Pope Innocent III made a rule that Templar buildings and their contents were safe from local laws. This meant the New Temple in London became a royal bank, holding the King's money and the Templars' own funds. This helped them develop their banking services.
King Richard I, who ruled from 1189 to 1199, confirmed the Templars' land. He also gave them freedom from many taxes and legal problems.
King John, who ruled from 1199 to 1216, also had close ties with the Templars. He often used their services for money. He even stayed at the Temple when important nobles first presented their demands for the Magna Carta. King John gave them the island of Lundy and other lands.
King Henry III, who ruled from 1207 to 1272, also worked closely with the Templars. He trusted Templar knights with military, financial, and diplomatic tasks. He even thought about being buried at the Temple Church.
The first Templar house in England was in London. Important people like Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby and King Stephen of England supported them early on.
The Templars Face Trouble
King Edward I, who ruled from 1272 to 1307, used the Templars less for public business. He preferred Italian merchants for money matters and other groups for diplomacy. In fact, King Edward I even took money from the Templars' treasury in 1283.
In 1307, King Philip IV of France decided to shut down the Templar order in France. At first, King Edward II of England didn't believe the accusations against them. But after the Pope asked him to, King Edward ordered the arrest of Templars in England on January 8, 1308. However, only a few Templars were actually arrested.
Their trial took place from October 1309 to March 1310. Most of the Templars admitted that believing their Master could forgive sins was wrong. They were then allowed to rejoin the church. However, one Templar, William de la More, refused to admit this and stayed in the Tower of London until he died.
In 1312, under more pressure from the French King, Pope Clement V officially ended the Templar Order. In 1314, the remaining Templar leaders in France were executed, some by being burned alive. The Pope then gave the Templars' lands to the Knights Hospitaller, another military order. However, this transfer of land didn't fully happen in England until 1324. Later, in 1347, parts of the Temple buildings were rented to lawyers. This is how the Inner Temple and Middle Temple became important legal centers.
Did Templars Survive in England?
Between October 1307 and January 1308, the Templars in England were not bothered. Many Templars from other countries, trying to escape torture, came to England for safety. But after the French King and the Pope kept pushing, King Edward II made some arrests.
During the trial, most arrested Templars were forced to say that their belief about their Master forgiving sins was wrong. They then officially made peace with the church. Many of them joined other religious groups.
Most Templars in England were never arrested. The persecution of their leaders was short. The order was officially ended because its reputation was damaged. However, since the Pope and church said the order was not guilty of serious crimes, all members in England were free to find new lives.
Templar lands and money were given to the Order of the Hospital of Saint John. This was a similar military order. However, the English King kept some of the Templar assets until 1338. Many former Templars joined the Hospitallers. Others joined the Cistercian order or lived on pensions. The main reason for the Templars' existence, fighting in the Holy Land, was gone. So, the order slowly faded into history in England and the rest of Europe.
Templars in Hertfordshire
The town of Baldock in Hertfordshire was founded by the Knights Templar. Between 1199 and 1254, it was their English headquarters. There are stories of Templar tunnels under the town of Hertford, especially around Hertford Castle. In 1309, four Templars from Temple Dinsley were imprisoned there because King Edward II believed they were hiding a lost treasure.
Royston Cave in Hertfordshire
A modern story says that after the Templars faced trouble, they had to meet in secret caves, tunnels, and cellars in Hertfordshire and other parts of southeast England. However, the trouble in England was not that severe. Most Templars were not arrested, so they could have met at a friend's house.
But in August 1742, workers accidentally found Royston Cave. It had been hidden for at least 300 years under a heavy millstone and soil. The discovery caused a lot of excitement. Today, visitors can still see carvings inside, including knights, Saint George, and Saint Catherine. Before the Templars were persecuted, if the cave was theirs, they had no reason to hide underground. They also had money and access to stonemasons for carvings. So, some storytellers and historians suggest that Royston Cave shows that 'fugitive' Templars continued to meet in secret after their order was disbanded.
Some claims have been made about Royston Cave, like that its Templar builders might have been early Freemasons. However, there is no real proof for this idea.
Templars in Rochester
Much of Strood, Kent was a royal estate until King Henry II gave it to the Knights Templar around 1159. By 1185, the Templars had many buildings in Strood, including a timber hall, barns, kitchens, and stables. A stone building, which still stands today, was added around 1240. It has a vaulted basement supporting a large hall on the first floor, reached by an outside staircase. This building was likely used to house important Templar visitors.
Over the years, this hall was changed and made bigger by different owners. Many parts have been lost, but two nice brick additions from the 1600s can still be seen. These and a large chimney inside were built by the Blake family, who were very rich in Strood at that time.
The estate was slowly sold off. Eventually, the City of Rochester bought what was left and planned to use the site for factories. However, a local council member named Mr. Willis stopped this plan in 1913. He had just bought land nearby for what would become the Seaplane Works. It wasn't until 1951 that work began to save the building and restore it to how it looks today.
Templar Legacy in England
Almost any place in England that has "Temple" in its name can probably be linked back to the Templars.
The Temple Church in London still stands where the Templars' main base used to be. You can still see statues of Crusading Templars there. The land was later rented to lawyers, who still use it today as the Inner Temple and Middle Temple.
Modern Templar Groups in England
Several modern groups claim to be connected to the medieval Templars. Some, like the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ), are recognized by the United Nations. The SMOTJ admits their group was founded in 1804, "based on the traditions" of the old order. They use this legacy to support good causes. However, people often get confused about the long time gap between the medieval Templars ending in the 1300s and these new groups starting in the 1800s.
In 2004, an article in The Times newspaper mentioned a modern group in Hertfordshire (not linked to SMOTJ). This group claims that even though the medieval order officially ended, most of its members survived secretly. However, there is no real proof to support this claim. The Times article said this group wrote to the Vatican, asking for an official apology for how the Templars were treated long ago. In 2004, a Vatican spokesperson said the request for an apology would be "seriously considered."
Templar Locations in England
Churches
- Bisham Abbey, Berkshire
- All Saints Church, Claverley, Shropshire
- Temple Church, Bristol
- Temple Church, London
- The Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (also known as The Round Church)
- Garway Church, Herefordshire (a Templar church with carvings and parts of its original round shape visible)
- Cressing Temple, Essex
- Temple Balsall & Church, Warwickshire
- Temple Church, Cornwall
- Temple Ewell & Church, Kent
- Rothley Temple (also called Rothley Preceptory), Rothley, Leicestershire
- St. Mary's Church, Baldock, Hertfordshire
- St Mary's Church, Shipley, West Sussex
- St. Mary's House, Bramber, West Sussex
- St. Mary's church, Sompting, West Sussex
- Poling Church, Poling, West Sussex
- Templar Church, Dover, on the Dover Western Heights. This church was found in 1806 during construction.
Place Names
- Bristol city center has many Templar names like Bristol Temple Meads railway station, Temple Bridge, Temple Gate, and Temple Street.
- Temple Bruer, Lincolnshire, a village with Templar ruins.
- Temple Cloud, Somerset
- Templecombe, near Sherborne
- Temple Cowley, Oxford
- Temple Dinsley, Hertfordshire (now the village of Preston)
- Temple Hirst, Yorkshire
- Temple Mills, a part of Stratford, London, used for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
- Temple Newsam, Leeds
- Temple Normanton, Derbyshire
- Temple Sowerby, Cumbria
Other Locations
- Royston Cave, Hertfordshire. It is located under the crossing of two old roads, Icknield Way and Ermine Street.
- Baldock, Hertfordshire (a town founded by the Templars).
- South Witham, Lincolnshire. This is the only fully preserved Knights Templar base (preceptory) in Europe.
- Denny Abbey, Cambridgeshire. It was a Templar base from 1169.
Masters of the Temple, London
These were the leaders of the Templars in London:
- Richard de Hastyngs, 1160
- Richard Mallebeench
- Geoffrey Fitz Stephen, 1180 to 1185
- William de Newenham
- Thomas Bérard, 1200
- Aymeric de St. Maur, 1200, 1205 and 1228
- Alan Marcell, 1220 and 1228
- Amberaldus, 1229
- Robert Mounford, 1234
- Robert Saunforde, 1231 to 1247
- Rocelin de Fosse, 1250 to 1253
- Amadeus de Morestello, 1254 to 1259
- Humbert de Pairaud, 1267 to 1269
- William de Beaulieu, 1274
- Robert Turvile, 1277 to 1289
- Guy de Foresta, 1290 to 1294
- Jaques de Molay, 1297
- Brian de Jay, 1298
- William de la More, 1298 to 1307
- Philip Gregory
