The Knights Templars of Kellington & District
The Order of Knights Templars was founded in 1119 and suppressed in 1312. They held large possessions in Yorkshire their largest being at Faxfleet. It Seems that the Order of the Knights Temple first settled in this area about 1152 when Ralph de Hastings, whose brother Richard was Grand Master of the Order, gave them a manor at Hirst in Birkin. Later Henry de Lacy gave the church at Kellington to the order. When the Templars were suppressed the Crown kept the lands at Temple Hirst but the church and lands at Kellington were passed on to the Knights Hospitallers (also known as the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Knights of Malta, Knights of Rhodes, and Chevaliers of Malta).
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A Knight Templar’s grave slab found opposite the south door in the north aisle. There was a quartz pebble in the hand of the remains.
"To him who is (victorious) overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. "
(Revelation 2:17)
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A Knight Templar’s grave slab dated 14th century
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The Kellington Serpent Stone
which is now presumed to be the coffin lid of a knight; but according to ancient village lore it is that of a shepherd who, with his dog, slew a "noisome snake" and as a result both died of poison. The shepherd's name was Armroyd and the battle was fought in Armroyd Close. The stone was originally in a niche in the north wall of the Chantry Chapel but was removed by the King's authority and placed in the south east corner of the old churchyard, probably about 1548. Through exposure to weather, the carving deteriorated and it was brought back into the church in 1869
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There was found in digging a grave in Brotherton Church yard, May 21st, 1781, a chalice, very much mutilated, and its lid, a spur and part of a stocking. These most probably belonged to one of the lords slain at Ferrybridge before the battle of Towton, on Saturday the 28th May, 1461. It was usual to inter the lords who fell in this contest, near the place where they were slain; and it is not improbable,*that the chalice, spur and stocking might belong to -j-Fitzwalter.
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Campsall Church to the west of Askern is reputed to be the Church in which Robin Hood and Maid Marion were married. It is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen. The Magdalen cult was strongly involved with the legends of the Holy Grail, the Merovingian royal family in France, Knights Templar and the medieval Cathar heresy.
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Why were the Templars formed?
The Templars were formed about 1119 as a result of the wars between the Christians of the west and the armies of Islam in the east, otherwise known as the Crusades. The first Crusade started in 1096 and the last ended in 1291 when the Templars lost their last possession in the Holy Land, the city of Acre.
They became a big business in their short history, being a police force, international bankers, travel agents, building services and diplomats.
The first Crusade started in 1095 when Pope Urban 11 got a letter in the post from Emperor Alexius Comnenus of the Byzantine Empire. He asked if he wanted to go and have a scrap with the Turks over in the Holy Land. This seemed a good idea as these Turks were causing a bit of "bovver" mugging the pilgrims and generally making a nuisance of themselves. A public meeting was arranged and after a thrilling speech in which the assembled multitudes were hanging onto Urban’s every word, the people’s crusade was launched. Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless led about 25,000 untrained and ill-equipped Christians on an outing to Constantinople. Peter the Hermit should have been called Peter the Con-man as he seemed to be able to extract money from everyone he met on the way and by the time he and his rag-tag army reached Constantinople had acquired many wagons of gold.
One morning Alexius woke up to find 25,000 unkempt vagrants camped on his lawn. He didn’t expect this; all he wanted was a trained army. Well as you can expect they didn’t get on with the locals and after some disagreements the people’s crusade was moved to Civetot on the other side of the Bosporus. The Turks hearing of this attacked them and wiped them out. This was the first of many disasters.
News of this impending fight caused many other better trained armies to descend on Constantiople arriving in August 1096. By April 1097 all were there and the battle plans drawn up. Ground rules agreed and the march to Nicaea started. Victory was theirs, Christians 1-Turks 0, next stop Antioch in Syria. Once again no contest, 2-0, and on to Jerusalem. This was more of a problem, better defended and more Turkish solders.
After 2 days fighting entry was gained via the north door and a full-scale massacre took place. Anyone suspected of being non-Christian was put to the sword. A small counter attack from Egypt was encountered but once again no contest. The first crusade over the hard job of protecting the spoils of war and governing started. Bohemond of Taranto a Norman warlord took charge of Antioch, and Godfrey de Bouillon appointed "Defender of the Holy Sepulcher" in Jerulsalem.
To be continued----