Scottish Knights Templar: Difference between revisions
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== Early History == |
== Early History == |
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{{Knights Templar}} |
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In 1128 the cousin of St [[Bernard of Clairvaux]], [[Hugues de Payens]], who served on the [[First Crusade]] with Henri St Clair, |
In 1128 the cousin of St [[Bernard of Clairvaux]], [[Hugues de Payens]], who served on the [[First Crusade]] with Henri St Clair, possibly first Baron of [[Roslin]], and is sometimes connected to Catherine St Clair, met King [[David I of Scotland|David I]] in [[Scotland]]. The Order established a seat at Balantrodoch, now [[Temple, Midlothian]] on the South Esk ([[River Esk, Lothian]]). In 1189 Alan FitzWalter, the 2nd Lord [[High Steward of Scotland]] was a benefactor of The Order. Claims that in 1311 Bishop Lamberton of St Andrews ([[St. Andrew's Cathedral, St. Andrews]]) [[Guardian of Scotland]] gave the Templars his protection are without any documentary foundation, and would have been greatrly agasinst the political and diplomatic interests of King Robert and bad for the career situation of the bishop. In 1312 by the Papal Bull "Ad Providam" all assets of the Order of the Temple were given to [[Knights Hospitaller]] or Order of St. John except for Spain where they were succeeded by the [[Order of Montesa]] and Portugal where they became the [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]] and in Scotland the Order's properties were passed to the Hospitallers in accordance with the Pope's dictat. When [[James Sandilands, 1st Lord Torphichen|Sir James Sandilands]], Preceptor of the Order of St. John (a courtesy title attached to landholding; Sir James was a layman, not a cleric) converted to Protestantism before or during the reformation, the Tempars had been defunct in Scotland for more than 200 years. |
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== Myth and Legend == |
== Myth and Legend == |
Revision as of 16:53, 9 August 2007
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This article is about the development of the modern Order of Scottish Knights Templar.
Early History
Part of a series on the |
Knights Templar |
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Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon |
Overview |
Councils |
Papal bulls |
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Locations |
Successors |
Cultural references |
See also |
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In 1128 the cousin of St Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugues de Payens, who served on the First Crusade with Henri St Clair, possibly first Baron of Roslin, and is sometimes connected to Catherine St Clair, met King David I in Scotland. The Order established a seat at Balantrodoch, now Temple, Midlothian on the South Esk (River Esk, Lothian). In 1189 Alan FitzWalter, the 2nd Lord High Steward of Scotland was a benefactor of The Order. Claims that in 1311 Bishop Lamberton of St Andrews (St. Andrew's Cathedral, St. Andrews) Guardian of Scotland gave the Templars his protection are without any documentary foundation, and would have been greatrly agasinst the political and diplomatic interests of King Robert and bad for the career situation of the bishop. In 1312 by the Papal Bull "Ad Providam" all assets of the Order of the Temple were given to Knights Hospitaller or Order of St. John except for Spain where they were succeeded by the Order of Montesa and Portugal where they became the Order of Christ and in Scotland the Order's properties were passed to the Hospitallers in accordance with the Pope's dictat. When Sir James Sandilands, Preceptor of the Order of St. John (a courtesy title attached to landholding; Sir James was a layman, not a cleric) converted to Protestantism before or during the reformation, the Tempars had been defunct in Scotland for more than 200 years.
Myth and Legend
There are myths, legends and anecdotes connecting the Knights Templar in Scotland to the Battle of Bannockburn and modern scholarship and research has repeatedly shown them to be of modern fabrication and quite false. Claims that after that battle it was declared that all heirs of Robert Claims that after Bannockburn the descendants of Bruce and Walter Stewart were to be known as Templars from birth are modern inventions which are unsupportable in terms of either the principles of the order or the political situation in 1314. Degrees in Freemasonry invented in the 18/19/20th centuries - like the Royal Order of Scotland allude to the story of Rosslyn and the Scottish Knights Templar. The frequently doubted connections were created either by Chevalier Andrew Michael Ramsay or Fr. Hay in the 18th century and repeated in novels such as Holy Blood Holy Grail, but it is now known to have absolutely no basis in historical fact. On the subject of a possible Bruce connection, Masonic Historian D Murray Lyon wrote "The fraternity of Kilwinning never at any period practiced or acknowledged other than the Craft degrees; neither does there exist any tradition worthy of the name, local or national, nor has any authentic document yet been discovered that can in the remotest degree be held to identify Robert Bruce with the holding of Masonic Courts, or the institution of a secret society at Kilwinning." but never denies a Bruce connection to the Templars, presumably becuase there is no contemporary evidence to indicate any such connection.
St Clair - Sinclair Speculation
The St Clair, later Sinclair, Earls of Rosslyn or Roslin have also been connected to Templarism in Scotland, but Mark Oxbrow and Ian Robertson in their recent book, 'Rosslyn and the Grail', note that the St Clair of Rosslyn testified against the Templars at their trial in Edinburgh in 1309. Dr. Louise Yeoman points out (and enjoys the support of all reputable sholars of the period} that the Rosslyn/Knights Templar connection is false, having been invented by 18th century fiction-writers, and that Rosslyn Chapel was built by William Sinclair so that Mass could be said for the souls of his family. The Sinclair well documented connections are with Scottish Freemasonry which has a Templar degree, however these connections date from the origins of Freemasonry in the late 17th-early 18th century. William St Clair, (William Sinclair) 3rd Earl of Orkney, Baron of Roslin and 1st Earl of Caithness built Rosslyn Chapel. A later William Sinclair of Roslin became the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. See Masonic Knights Templar and Clan Sinclair.
Templar Survival in Scotland
John Graham of Claverhouse, "Bonnie Dundee", was killed at the Battle of Killiecrankie on 27th July 1689. He is said to have been the Grand Master of a Jacobite "Convent" the Temple in the Montrose area, appointed on the authority of Dom Calvet and was found to be wearing the Grand Cross of the Order under his breast plate. After his death Mar is said to have held the office, and then Atholl. As a member of the Church of Scotland it is inconceivable that Graham would have had anything to do with a 'Templar' organisation.
Eighteenth Century Revival
Templarism experienced a revival of interest in the eighteenth century through Freemasonry with a Scottish influence. The first record of this is in Ramsay's Oration in Paris in 1737. Andrew Michael Ramsay was tutor to the Young Pretender, Prince Charles Edward Stuart. He claimed that Freemasonry had begun among crusader knights and that they had formed themselves into Lodges of St John. The next development was with Karl Gotheif, Baron Von Hund, and Alten-Grotkau, who had apparently been introduced to the concept by the Jacobite Lord Kilmarnock, and received into a Templar Chapter by a mysterious "Knight of the Red Feather". Baron von Hund established a new Masonic rite called the "Strict Templar Observance". The "Knight of the Red Feather" has been identified subsequently as Alexander Seton better known as Alexander Montgomerie, 10th Earl of Eglinton, a prominent Freemason in the Jacobite movement.
The Modern Revival
The modern revival of Templarism in Scotland starts with Alexander Deuchar. The records of one of Scottish Freemasonry's most prestigious lodges, the St Mary's Chapel Lodge of Edinburgh, describe the visit of a "...deputation from the Grand Assembly of the High Knights Templar in Edinburgh… headed by their most worshipful Grand Master, Alexander Deuchar...the first time for some hundred years that any Lodge of Freemasonry had been visited by an assembly of Knights Templar, headed by their Grand Master." This implies that there was an Order in existence 100 years earlier. In 1811 with a Charter from the Templar Grand Master in England, the Duke of Kent, Alexander Deuchar established the Grand Conclave of Knights of the Holy Temple and Sepulchre, and of St. John of Jerusalem. Controversially in 1836 "...it was proposed that non-Masons be admitted to the Order, at the same time the ritual was adapted in order to allow this to happen. Previously only Royal Arch Masons in Good Standing were allowed to join. Only the Royal Grand Conclave was allowed to admit non-Masons and these men were never members of any Encampments, only of Grand Conclave." The modern non Masonic Order Militi Templi Scotia claims descent from Alexander Deuchar who was a Freemason.
Masonic and Non Masonic Orders
Templarism in Scotland has been claimed as the root of both Masonic and non-Masonic Orders. None of these groups has any connection to the medieval Templar order. The Masonic Movement is the Royal Order of Scotland. There are today a number of small Groups of non-Masonic Knights Templar in Scotland, though not all claim descent from either the medieval Knights Templar in Scotland or Alexander Deuchar. They include The Confederation of Scottish Knights Templar, The Ancient Scottish Military Order of Knights Templarand Militi Templi Scotia. The recently retired Grand Chancellor for Militi Templi Scotia back in 2002 was quoted as saying, despite all the evidence to the contrary "...we believe that Templar Knights fighting on Robert the Bruce’s side swung the balance (at Bannockburn)...We think they deserve recognition for that, but we tread a very thin line here." He added Militi Templi Scotia was chivalric, as opposed to Masonic but does admit Freemasons into its ranks.
European Influence
In 2006 a "Commandery of St. Clair", website "The Grand Priory of the Knights Templar in Scotland", was set up by the OSMTH Grand Priory of France, Grand Prieuré de France du Temple (GPFT). The Commandery of St Clair, No S1, Edinburgh, Scotland recently received affiliation of OSMTH International at Commandery Status under the Mentorship of the Grand Priory of France. Commandery of St Clair is now a Chartered Scottish Body in its own right.
The Scottish Templar Cross
Knights Templar Internationally use the Cross pattée, including The Commandery of St Clair, in alignment with the International Order OSMTH, The Grand Priory of the Scots (mainly American Scots) a Cross with two branches, and other Scottish Knights Templar Groups use the Eight Pointed Cross coloured red more commonly but not exclusively known as the Maltese Cross, of the Knights Hospitaller or Order of St. John. The Scottish Templar use of the Maltese Cross probably dates to the 1960s although the Cross itself is much older.
See also
References
- Scotsman S2 Here come the Knights Militi Templi Scotia
- Rosslyn and the Grail, Mark Oxbrow and Ian Robertson ISBN 1-84596-076-9
- Knights Templar: Their Rise and Fall, G.A. Campbell ISBN 0-7661-5658-3 page 335
- The Rosslyn Hoax? Robert L. D. Cooper. Lewis Masonic. 2006. ISBN 0-85318-255-8.
- History of the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem: From 1118 to 2005, Chev Leo Thys KCTJ ISBN 90-901931-7-0 page 18
- History Royal Order of Scotland
- Read, Piers Paul, The Templars, Weidenfeld & Nicolson history; ISBN 1-84212-142-1
- The Stuart Court in Rome: A Legacy of Exile (Visual Arts Research Institute Edinburgh S.)
Edward Corp (Editor) ISBN 0-7546-3324-1 page 104
- Arcane Schools, John Yarker, ISBN 1-56459-306-1 page 434
- Gardner, Laurence (Foreword), The Forgotten Monarchy of Scotland Element Books Ltd; ISBN 1-86204-234-9 particularly p243/244 in respect of Alexander Deuchar
- Scotsman Newspaper Article with reference to Balantrodoch, now Temple, Lothian
- BBC Article: From Jerusalem to Rosslyn?: The Templars in Scotland
- Paper on The Origins of Freemasonry by Robert Lomas with reference to William Sinclair of Roslin, First Grand Master Mason of Scotland 1736
- Today's Templars - The Scottish Transmission
- TemplarHistory.com The Rite of Strict Observance
- A brief history of the Knights of the Temple and of the Preceptory and Priory of St. George Aboyne 1794 - 1994 An original Paper by E. J. Boyd
- New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry 1921 by Arthur Edward Waite Pages 231-232 ISBN 0-7661-2973-X
- "In 1811-1812, Alexander Deuchar, Eminent Commander of Edinburgh Encampment, No 31, under the Early Grand Constitution, established what is termed a schismatic body with the style and title of the Supreme Grand Conclave of Scotland. He is said to have assumed the Office of Grand Master for life, notwithstanding the displeasure of his associates. The Conclave appears to have been moribund in 1830. In 1836 it was remodelled, vacating its Masonic position and admitting non-Masons to membership, including the Bishop of Aberdeen and the Duke of Leeds."
- The Royal Masonic Cyclopedia 1877 by Kenneth R H MacKenzie Page 156 ISBN 0-76612-6110
- "DEUCHAR CHARTERS.-So called from Alexander Deuchar, an engraver, who was the principal mover in the establishment of the Grand Conclave of Knight Templar in Scotland, and its first Grand Master in the early part of this century. Deuchar seems to have become acquainted with Knights Templarism, in consequence of communications he had with Fratres serving in the Shropshire Militia, who had been dubbed under a warrant emanating from Dublin. This corps was quartered in Edinburgh in 1798 ; and from the Fratres of this corps it is most probable that the first Grand Assembly of Knights Templar was opened in Edinburgh ; this, however gave place to the Grand Assembly of High Knights Templar, working Under a charter No 31 from the Early Grand Encampment of Ireland, of which Deuchar was Grand Master. But these Deuchar Charters were clearly extra-Masonic, as they authorised Encampments to install Knights Templar and Knights of St John of Jerusalem, on the one condition that that such Encampments should not hold any communion or intercourse with any Chapter or Encampment, or body assuming that name, holding meetings of Knights Templar, under a Master Mason's Charter This body, however, lost its authority, in consequence of having nothing over which to exercise it, about 1837."
- The Story Of The Scottish Templars from The History of Freemasonry by Albert Mackey, 1898 The Legend of Bruce and the Legend of D'Aumont
- The Eight Pointed Cross from the Scottish Knights Templar website
- The recently formed French Commandery of St. Clair, No S1, Edinburgh, Grand Priory of France, OSMTH International
- OSMTH International
- The Catholic online, What the church has to say about freemasons
External links
- Grand Priory of St David OICMTH Scottish Knights Templar
- The Preceptory of St Anthony Leith (you can join the Order here)
- Grand Priory of the Czech Republic OICMTH Scottish Knights Templar
- Upcoming events of the OICMTH Scottish Knights Templar
- 19th Century Templar at Rosslyn Chapel
- The International Order of Gnostic Templars™, a division of the Scottish Knight Templars
- Grand Masters Grand Lodge of Scotland (Masonic)
- History Royal Order of Scotland (Masonic)
- Great Priory of Scotland(Masonic)
- Clan Sinclair
- Scotsman Heritage Article on Templars in Scotland
- Scottish Freemasonry And The Knight Templars
- Scottish Freemasonry Links
- Scottish Knights Templar Earliest evidence of their existence since 1312
- On becoming a Knight Chevalier Lehman Smith, KGOTJ Scottish Knights Templar Secretary
- An Introduction To Scottish KnightsTemplar: Militi Templi Scotia by Chev.John Ritchie KGOTpl who for 18 years was the Media Officer to the Templar Order in Scotland
- Scottish Knights Templar, Militi Templi Scotia: Links to other Templar and similar Sites
- Grand Lodge of England
- Knights Templar Catholic Encyclopedia entry
- Templar History Magazine Popular history of the Templars
- "The Royal House of Stewart".
- A Group of non Masonic Scottish Knights Templar in Rosslyn Chapel with other Chapel Pictures May 2006
- The Ancient Scottish Military Order of Knights Templar
- non Masonic Knights Templar at Rosslyn Sunday Herald Article March 2005
- The Da Vinci Connection
- Historian attacks Rosslyn Chapel for 'cashing in on Da Vinci Code'
- Non-Masonic Military Order, Knights of Christ, Temple of Jerusalem, SKT-SMOTJ, IFA-OCMTH, Scottish Knight Templars
- Non masonic Scottish Knight Templars hold world congress in edinburgh
- The Churches Stance on Masonic Templars
- Article on the church of scotlands stance on freemasons