SUTCLIFFE
PRECEPTORY NO:190 CELEBRATE CENTENARY
A glorious sunny day on 21st May hailed the Centenary
Anniversary of the Sutcliffe Preceptory No:190 of Knights
Templar in Grimsby.
Along with distinguished guests, the Knights and their
ladies met, at a beautifully decorated St Augustine of
Hippo Parish Church, Grimsby to hold a service where the
Preceptory Banner was re-dedicated and the Centenary Warrant
presented by the Provincial Prior for Lincolnshire, Rt.
Eminent Kinght Gordon Walkerley Smith, KCT.
Following the church service, the Knights, their ladies,
visitors and guests went to Grimsby Masonic Hall to enjoy
a Centenary Dinner.
Knights of the Sutcliffe Preceptory prepare
to enter the church
The Provincial Prior enters with the Provincial
Banner carried by E.Kt J.G. Lomas accompanied by the Provincial
Marshal, E.Kt. R.H. Wynne and the Vicar of St Augustine's
Church, Rev. Father Stephen Jones.
Another view of the incoming Banner Party,
this time showing E.Kt. J.G. Lomas, the Provincial Banner
Bearer
The Knights taking their places watched
by their ladies
Rt.Eminent Knight Gordon Walkerley Smith,
the Provincial Prior addresses the service following the
welcome by the Reverend Father Stephen Jones
Members of Sutcliffe Preceptory and visiting
Knights listen attentively as the Sutcliffe Preceptory
Banner is readied for presentation to the Provincial Prior.
The Sutcliffe Preceptory Banner Party approach the
Provincial Prior
The Provincial Prior
Re-Dedicates the Sutcliffe Preceptory Banner
The Provincial Prior
hands over the Centenary Warrant to the Eminent Preceptor
of Sutcliffe Preceptory No:190, Em. Kt. J. Leonard Wright.
The Provincial Sub Prior,
Very Eminent Knight R. Carroll Preston, reads the second
lesson: Luke Chapter 7 v 1-10.
The Reverend Father Stephen
Jones, BD, AKC (King's College) the Vicar of St Augustine
of Hippo Parish Church delivers his most interesting address
to the Knights and their ladies.
The Provincial Prelate,
Kt. The Reverend . J.D.R. Spriggs, states the 'Precepts'
of the Order.
The St James' School
Girls' Academy Choir who sang so beautifully throughout
the service
Another view of the choir
during the service
The Knights during the
service showing the beautiful interior of St Augustine
of Hippo Parish Church
At the Centenary Dinner,
held at Grimsby Masonic Hall, the Eminent Preceptor of
Sutcliffe Preceptory No:190, E.Kt. R. Leonard Wright (left)
was presented with a new baton by E.Kt. Lionel Jones which
he had kindly donated
CENTENARY
MEETING OF LINCOLNSHIRE PROVINCE TO BE HELD IN JULY 2010
The Centenary Meeting of the Lincolnshire Province is
to be held on 19th July 2010
The day will start with a Garden Party for Bro Knights
and their Ladies at the Sub Deanery, 18 Minster Yard Lincoln
(next to the Cathedral ) at 2.30pm.
At 5.15pm Evensong will be held in Lincoln Cathedral
again with the ladies, with the Bishop of Lincoln preaching.
(It is hoped that Brother Knights will wear their regalia,
permission is being sought , if granted changing will
be at the Minster School prior to the service).
The Centenary Meeting of Provincial Priory with the
Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master in attendance will
be held at 6.30pm (simultaneously, there will be Entertainment
at the County Assembly Rooms, Bailgate, Lincoln for the
ladies.
At 8.15pm the Knights will rejoin the ladies for a meal
at the County Assembly Rooms, Bailgate, Lincoln for Brother
Knights and their Ladies, at which Most Eminent and Supreme
Grand Master will be in attendance.
This day is a very special " one off " occasion
, especially as the Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master
will be in attendance and the Right Eminent Provincial
Prior hopes that all Brother Knights and their Ladies
will be able to attend.
The cost to include the Garden Party and the Meal in the
evening (including wines) is £30 per head. For those
wishing to attend the Garden Party, Evensong and the Meeting
/ Entertainment at the Assembly Rooms but not the Evening
Meal, the cost will be £7 per head.(These prices
are the basic cost to us and do not include any extra
costs for visitors.)
THE
FIRST KNIGHT TEMPLAR IN LINCOLNSHIRE
Copyright ©2009
This article is the exclusive property of the author who
gives permission for it or extracts from it to be read
in Lodges Chapters and etc., as a means of communicating
light or instruction within freemasonry. No substantive
part thereof may be reproduced or republished or incorporated
into any work, paper or other document whether printed
or in electronic form or on CD or other media without
the express written permission of the author. Such permission
shall be obtained in writing from the author following
written request; the author at his sole discretion reserves
the right to refuse the grant of any such permission.
Peter G Knatt
Billericay
February 2009
The First Knight Templar in Lincolnshire
Whilst Wm. Dixon's history of freemasonry in Lincolnshire
states that early returns to the Provincial Grand Registrar
contained the names of several Knights Templar no dates
are given, so that the date of the making of that first
Knight Templar in the Province is not known. In Essex
the first Knight Templar was made in an Antient Lodge
on 28 September 1784 and Suffolk followed suit just a
few months later. On that basis one might expect the first
Lincolnshire Knight Templar to have been made around the
same time, but there does not seem to be any evidence
and so the mystery remains. However, some recent research
might shed some light on the subject although as there
are no Minute books extant it is not possible to prove
the exact date beyond reasonable doubt. In any case much
of the early Masonic Templar records were destroyed in
a fire at the house of Robert Gill, the then Grand Secretary,
in 1820.
First,
though where did the degree originate, and how it arrived
in this country? There are several possible answers, but
the most obvious must be that it was introduced into England
by a military lodge serving on the Continent since R.
Freke Gould explains that:
"Lodges in the British regiments must have constantly
worked side by side with lodges under Strict Observance.
During military operations many prisoners were made on
both sides, and that the masons among them fraternised
in each case with their captors must be taken as a certainty.
The degree of Knights Templar became a favourite one in
lodges of the British Army, and by those military and
Masonic bodies - who must have derived their knowledge
of it from associating with the lodges and brethren under
Strict Observance - the degree was doubtless introduced
into England and America"
The Rite of Strict Observance was predicated upon a
legendary story of certain medieval Knights Templar who
found asylum in Scotland when their Order was so brutally
suppressed. These knights, it was said, became members
of the masons' guilds and so were direct ancestors of
the speculative fraternity now under the Grand Lodge of
Scotland. A fuller account of the Rite can be found in
R Freke Gould's History of Masonry and also a
paper by Bro Litvine .
The
creator of the degree was a German baron, Karl Gotthelf,
Baron Von Hund (1722-76) who was so successful with his
rite that it almost superseded the English style freemasonry
which had been active in Germany. It was taken into other
European countries and until its demise in 1790 exerted
considerable influence on the Continent. Strong elements
from it can be found today in the Scandinavian and Rectified
Scottish Rites . Of course the Rite of Strict Observance
is not the only contender for the title of originator
of the Knights Templar degree, although it must be considered
the most likely one. There is also, for example, the Rite
of the Seven Degrees which emerged from the fertile brain
of Lambert de Lintot who was born about 1736. Jackson
supposes that de Lintot adopted his system by bringing
together a mixture of degrees operating in France in his
day that is, around 1766. Again, Chevalier Andrew Ramsay,
tutor to Charles Edward Stuart, connected freemasonry
with the Crusades in his oration of 1737 .
Wherever the degree originated, in Gould's view there
can be no doubt that the military lodges who were in many
cases custodians of the chivalric degrees did much to
spread the degree throughout this country and abroad.
Since the majority of these lodges had been chartered
by Ireland it might be of interest to note a letter from
the Deputy Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ireland
to Lodge 441 in 38th Foot, which reads:
There is not any warrant issued by the Grand Lodge
of Ireland other than that you hold; it has therefore
always been the practice of Irish Lodges to confer the
Higher Degrees under that authority.
As Henry Sadler, a well respected masonic historian,
writing nearly one hundred and fifty years ago says that
many Antients lodges were of Irish origin, it is not surprising
to find that the Grand Lodge of the Antients, formed in
1751, were of the same opinion. Thus it was generally
held that the Craft warrant conveyed powers to confer
other degrees, such as those of Holy Royal Arch, Knights
Templar and Rose Croix, in that order. A Knight Templar
holding 30 ° was the highest ranking member of the lodge
and his word was law.The Moderns took a diametrically
opposing view recognising just the three Craft degrees.
In fact they accepted the Third degree only with great
reservations at the outset - and the Holy Royal Arch not
at all. This was to be the greatest obstacle at the Union
of 1813.
If
Gould's view is accepted then a lodge in an army regiment
is most likely to have brought the degree to Lincolnshire.
In that case, the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards Regiment must
be considered since it had a lodge formed in 1780 as well
as a Royal Arch Chapter and significantly, a Field Encampment
of Knights Templar, named Fortitude. Indeed, the lodge
was responsible for making the first Knight Templar in
Suffolk in 1785 and influenced the first in Essex in September
of the year before. From Essex the regiment assembled
at Bury St Edmunds for review on 14 April 1785 and on
13 May 1785 marched to Lincoln, Boston and Stamford on
its way to York, probably along the Fosse Way.
Whilst it is not known where the lodge in the regiment
obtained knowledge to perform the degree it is significant
that it was in Bath in 1781, since the degree was being
worked there by the Antiquity of Time Immemorial Encampment
which was one of six Encampments said to have been warranted
by the Camp of Baldwyn at Bristol during its period of
independence. Indeed, Baldwyn had been working a rite
of seven degrees since at least January 1772 probably
obtaining the knowledge through the sea port from Ireland
. In 1780 the 'time immemorial' Baldwyn Encampment of
Knights Templar at Bristol formed itself, by compact with
the old but soon to become dormant Camp of Antiquity at
Bath, into a 'Supreme and Royal Encampment' on the lines
of a similar but previous Irish body. This Charter of
Compact gives a distinct impression that they had visions
of attracting Knights Templar in other parts of England
and forming, in due time, a sovereign authority for the
whole country.
In
January 1791 Thomas Dunckerley being Grand Superintendent
of Royal Arch Masons at Bristol, was invited by the Knights
Templar in that city to be their Grand Master, which he
accepted . However following his death the situation became
quite uncertain so that, being unhappy with matters as
they stood, Baldwyn resumed its former independent status
until 1862 when after much negotiation it came under the
Grand Conclave. Antiquity is included in Dunckerley's
list of Encampments under his control in 1791 and is shown
at the head of the 'List of Encampments discontinued from
not being able to assemble', in the 1809 Statutes of the
Grand Conclave. Whilst Antiquity Encampment's records
begin in the 1790's it is understood that there are records
of the Scots Knights Degrees being conferred in both Bristol
and Bath as early as the 1740's. Interestingly, Scots
Knights Grand Architect is the fourth of the seven degrees
peculiar to Baldwyn. All of this suggests that Antiquity
would have been quite happy to pass on the degree of Knights
Templar to Lodge 426 in the regiment.
Whilst in Lincolnshire in 1785 two of the initiates
in Lodge 426 were 'Gentlemen'; the only two non military
men to be initiated in the lodge. John Webster was made
a freemason on 11 August 1785, and James Hill was made
at or around the same time. They were men of substance,
landowners, certainly members of the local gentry able,
for instance, to sit as jurymen on trials at the Assizes.
It must be assumed that they joined the army lodge because
there were no 'civilian' lodges working in the county
at the time. Perhaps they were related to one of the officers
in the regiment. However, the important question is did
they also take the Royal Arch and Knights Templar degrees
in Lodge 426 perhaps with the intention of conferring
the degrees on members of a civilian lodge they proposed
to form? Unfortunately the Minute Books of the Chapter
and Field Encampment no longer exist and so it will probably
never be known for certain but it might be worth looking
at the lodges working in the area in the latter part of
the eighteenth century to see if their records shed any
light on the matter. As there were just two lodges working
in Lincolnshire around that time, namely, Prince of Wales
Lodge No 496 and St Matthew Lodge No 497 they will be
considered in turn.
The Prince of Wales Lodge No 496 was formed on 28 November
1787 to meet at The White Lion, Lord Street, Gainsborough,
but lapsed it in 1814. Its warrant was then purchased
in around 1818 by freemasons in Sleaford. The Provincial
history relates that its members were an enthusiastic
group of freemasons who would have joyfully embraced the
higher degrees if demonstrated to them; which Webster
and Hill could do. But its list of members does not show
either of these gentlemen as a member. They do show, however,
that Quarter Master George Dickinson, 1st Kings Dragoon
Guards, joined the lodge on 18 August 1788. Quarter Master
Dickinson was aged thirty five at the time and had been
initiated in Lodge 426 on 22 June 1785 whilst the regiment
was in York. In 1786 he served as Junior Warden of the
lodge and is likely to have been a Knight Templar by the
time he joined Prince of Wales Lodge No 496. In fact,
it is suggested that Dickinson joined Prince of Wales
Lodge No 496 with the specific intention of installing
Knights Templar therein. Maybe other members of the regimental
lodge visited either on that day or at some later meeting.
In that case they might well be responsible for making
the first Knight Templar in Lincolnshire in or around
1788. Whilst without the Minute books it is not possible
to prove beyond reasonable doubt, this view is strengthened
by the fact that the 1788 returns for that lodge indicate
several brethren having passed the Chair, a prerequisite
for taking the degree of Holy Royal Arch and Knights Templar.
The second lodge, St Matthew Lodge No 497, was formed
on 20 March1787 to meet at the George Inn, George Street
in Barton on Humber; it was erased on 3 December 1851.
It is interesting to note that members of Minerva Lodge
No 451 meeting at Hull were involved in its formation,
since that lodge dates its origin from a warrant dated
15 September 1783, although there is some suggestion that
it was opened in 1782 . It had a Royal Arch Chapter and
its history shows in the year 1786 references to the working
of the Knights Templar degree, whilst the Minutes of Minerva
Chapter shows Knights Templar being made in the Chapter
as late as 1808. Indeed, some members of Minerva Lodge
No 451 were also members of the Apollo Lodge at York,
warranted in 1773, which quickly rose into favour as the
fashionable Lodge of the period, drawing to itself for
the remainder of the century most of the gentlemen who
aspired to be members of the craft, and becoming, for
a period, the ruling Masonic organisation of Yorkshire.
(Apollo Lodge did not take a number until the Union of
the two Grand Lodges in 1813.) Leading on from the Minerva
Lodge connection is the fact that there was a Conclave
of Knights Templar known as Redemption meeting in York
of which Thomas Dixon, a Trumpet Major in 1st King's Dragoon
Guards was the first Commander; he was also a founder
member of the lodge in the regiment. The Conclave of Redemption
moved from York to Hull after the death of its Commander
John Watson although that was not until 1790. Given that
Quarter Master Dickinson was made a member of Prince of
Wales Lodge No 497 in August 1788 and that the regiment
was obviously in the area it is equally likely that members
of the Lodge 426 would have visited St Matthew Lodge No
496. In fact after leaving Lincolnshire, having marched
from Suffolk, the regiment moved on to York so that they
would have passed through Barton on the way since the
Fosse Way would lead them to cross the river Humber at
that point but again in the absence of the Minute Books
there can be no satisfactory proof. It may be of interest
to note that members of the lodge in the East York Militia,
which had been formed as a Modern lodge in 1782, were
also involved in the formation of St Matthew Lodge No
497. Lodges in the Militia units were as enthusiastic
about the 'higher' degrees as were the army lodges and
just as eager to spread them to civilian lodges. No research
has been undertaken into the Militia lodge but an investigation
might prove useful.
Of course, the Lodge 426 in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards
may not have been involved in the making of the first
Knights Templar at all, for there was the Grand Lodge
of All England at York which is known to have issued ten
warrants to lodges although there may have been more.
On that point an extract of a paper by T B Whytehead reads:
Some allusion should be made to the Grand Royal Arch
Chapter of York which occupied a rather prominent position
for several years, and which was I believe originated
and organised about 1761 by the same active brethren who
constituted the short lived Punch Bowl Lodge. [A London
Lodge of Modern Constitution - Ed.] The earliest record
is dated early in 1762 and the meetings were continued
until about 1780, the minutes being kept with great regularity
and care. Four Royal Arch Chapters are recorded as constituted
under its authority. In 1780 the Grand Chapter recognised
the Order of Knights Templar as the fifth degree in masonry,
and two warrants were issued for the formation of encampments
of brethren working that rite.
Thus the degree might have come into Lincolnshire from
there without the aid of the regiment, but wherever it
came from it must be clear that either Lodge 496 or 497
was the recipient. Nevertheless, since Quarter Master
Dickinson was a member of Lodge 497 then it is suggested
that whether he introduced it or simply assisted, nevertheless
the first Knight Templar in Lincolnshire was made in Prince
of Wales Lodge No 497 at some time around August 1788.
_________________________________________
Bibliography
Gould. R Freke Military Lodges - The Apron and the
Sword or Freemasonry under Arms. London
Litvine The Rite of Strict Observance AQC 1997
Paper read in QCC Lodge 15 February 1996. See also Alan
Bernheim That Strict Observance Paper AQC 110
Smyth, Frederick. Brethren in Chivalry p15
Jackson, Brigadier A.C.F Rose Croix (1980)
Malczovich Ladislas de, AQC5 1892 p 187
Duckett, Thomas The Baldwyn Saga 1980. Thomas
Duckett was Grand Superintendent of the Camp of Baldwyn
from 1971 to 1976
Ward, Eric The Baldwyn Rite - an impartial survey AQC 71,1958 p36
Ellerby, J R History of The Minerva Lodge of Freemasons
1783-1933 Minerva Lodge Hull 1987
KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR MAKE DONATION TO LINCOLN MINSTER PREP SCHOOL
At the Morning Assembly
of Lincoln Minster Preparatory School, held in the Chapter
House of Lincoln Cathedral, this morning, Friday 14 November
2008, the Provincial Prior is seen making a cheque presentation
for £1,500, to the Head, Mrs Karen Maltby.
The Provincial Prior,
Rt.E.Kt. Gordon Walkerley Smith presenting the cheque
for £1,500, to the Head, Mrs Karen Maltby.
He explained to the children and many parents who were
present, that by courtesy of the Dean and Chapter and
the School, the Knights Templar and their families from
all over the United Kingdom celebrated every four years
with a service in the Nave of the Cathedral. He also described
the history of Knights Templar from the time of the Crusades
and the derivation of the Masonic Order of Knights Templar,
as it is known nowadays.
The music was led by the Master of Music at the School
and the most impressive School Jazz Band and Choir, and
two sacred songs in the Jazz rhythm were sung by all present.
Also present were the Treasurer of the ‘Kesteven
Children in Need’ committee Mrs Alex Howard and
a committee member Mrs Kate Porter, who were the recipients
of a £750 donation from the School.
They also acknowledged with congratulations
the efforts of the children in collecting a large sum
of money for Children in Need, for which a tin of chocolates
was handed over to a pupil in the class showing such a
good result.
The group photograph
shows L to R back row, the Provincial Prior, Rt E Gordon
Walkerley Smith, the Provincial Chancellor E Kt Tim Kelsey,
Mrs Kate Porter, Mrs Alex Howard, Mrs Karen Maltby, and
front row Rosie Knight and Tim Mallinson - two pupils
of the School holding the cheque.
We are grateful to E.Kt. John Hunt the Provincial Treasurer
for taking the photographs.
CHAPTER
OF PROVINCIAL PRIORY 4TH OCTOBER 2008 AT LINCOLN
A
large gathering of Knights Templar from across the Province,
graciously supported by many visiting and distinguished
Knights from other Provinces, met on Saturday 4th October
2008 to hold the 98th Annual Provincial Priory Meeting
in the beautiful surroundings of Lincoln Cathedral.
Once again this important day in the Knight Templar calendar
started with a wonderful service in the Cathedral where
the Knights , in full regalia, filled the St Hugh's Choir
along with many family members and visitors to the cathedral
who were intrigued by the ceremonial of the service.
Accompanied by the strains of the mighty Cathedral Organ
the Malta Delegation, the Provincial Prior, the Provincial
Sub-Prior, visiting Dignitaries of other Provinces, Great
Officers and Present Provincial Officers followed by the
Provincial Bodyguard entered the Choir and took their
appointed places.
A most interesting and enlightening service followed
which included a welcome by the Dean of Lincoln, the Opening
Hymn, 'Onward Christian Soldiers', Confession
and Absolution and Prayers.
The service was conducted by the Acting Provincial Prelate,
with the Address given by the Dean of Lincoln, The Very
Reverend Philip Buckler.
Sermon preached in Lincoln Cathedral by the
Dean, the Very Revd Philip Buckler, at the Provincial
Priory of Lincolnshire Service of the Knights Templar,
4th October 2008
The world is too much with us; late and
soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers
Well-known words from the poet William Wordsworth whose
nephew Christopher was Bishop of Lincoln in the 19th century
and whose grand memorial lies just beyond the sanctuary
screen. The poet was writing at the turn of the 19th century,
but his words could be equally appropriate for the turn
of this 21st century - and for these last few weeks especially.
The world is too much with us - With the world's markets
and economy in disarray, we hear endlessly of the problems
that surround us; but we hear little of what lies beyond.
Yet for all of us it is essential that whilst we live
and engage fully in the world in which we live, we are
also aware of that which is beyond -of that something
far more deeply interfused to use another of Wordsworth's
memorable phrases.
Today you gather here as Knights Templar in the 21st
century -deeply aware of the past and, I am sure, of the
present also. Indeed last Thursday night I myself stood
in the Temple Church in London late at night and was reminded
of the role of the Knights Templar in medieval times.
You hold to certain aspects of life today as providing
a key to those deeper things -so the tradition of chivalry
is there, along with the tradition of charity.
For these point you beyond yourselves, to consider how
life requires us to relate to others. In times past your
order protected the vulnerable -especially the pilgrim
on holy journey. Today the vulnerable are often on the
margins of society and prey to forces beyond their control.
So you seek to make provision in practical ways to help
them through your charitable work.
All of this stems from an insight into your own being,
recalling another great poet and Dean of St Paul's, John
Donne, who said No man is an island entire of itself.
He too knew that responsibility we have one for another,
and also the interconnectedness of all humanity. He knew
that somehow any man's death diminishes me, because I
am involved in mankind. Words and thoughts we may recognise,
but we find hard to assimilate when we see pictures of
hunger in Ethiopia as we celebrate the harvest at home;
or when we see the images from countries ravaged by war.
Any man's death, any child's death, diminishes me.
This is an important understanding both in itself, but
also in what it is saying about our world as a whole.
For the secret of the Christian vision is not of a group
set apart, a righteous group against a sinful world. To
identify ourselves solely in opposition to others is to
accept their agenda - and to erect defences of self-righteousness
and bigotry.
Jesus taught us that we are all God's children, children
for whom he yearns. Who is my neighbour? The most unlikely
person, replied Jesus, as he told the parable of true
neighbourliness in the Good Samaritan . It was that person
- a Samaritan - reviled in popular belief, who displayed
the humanity which unites us all. Where might this be
seen today? Perhaps amidst our prejudices against those
of other faiths, or ethnic origins; those we see as a
threat when they seek asylum or come as economic immigrants?
Chivalry should encourage us all to see a child of God
behind each varied external appearance. For otherwise
how can God see us behind our own masks and faults?
Those of you who are Knights wear white to symbolise
purity -as does the priest. Yet purity is a word hardly
heard in today's world. It is not helped by the image
being almost exclusively linked with sexual imagery -impure
being seen at times solely in terms of a lack of chastity.
But purity of body - and that involves issues of indulgence
and excess of food, drink or dependence of any sort -
purity of body is but one part. For there is also that
purity of heart and mind - our ambitions, motives and
understandings. These can be as impure as our actions
of greed or our manipulation of others.
The purity you and I are challenged to wear, is of heart,
mind, body and soul - and this is something that can only
be refined by the presence of the glory of God which burns
out all dross of selfish desire within us. So it is that
the eye must be set upon God as we see him and understand
him most clearly in Jesus Christ.
Yet your white tunic is emblazoned with a red cross -
a symbol of the sacrifice you are called to be prepared
to make. A sacrifice perhaps only of small actions, but
one of large intentions. To live a sacrificial life is
to live not just for oneself but for others - protecting
and guiding pilgrims of old, but also sensitive to and
caring for those travelling through life today. It is
to put yourselves second to their needs, to be ready to
support and encourage and even to love those who may seem
unloveable.
Essentially of course you wear the badge of Our Lord Jesus
Christ in whose footsteps we tread. The red cross you
wear reminds us all that his path leads us along the way
of the cross - the place where self is given over and
yielded up, the place of apparent defeat in worldly terms;
yet the place through which we come to life eternal.
So you put on the whole armour of God as St Paul indicated
in our reading from Ephesians 6. To be a soldier of Christ
who fights not just against a whole list of demons but
for the good of all God's children.
To be a knight or a Christian of any sort in today's
world, is to have the eyes of faith seeking insight into
God's glory; whilst having the heart of compassion enabling
all his children to know that freedom to live to the full
the life he has entrusted to each one of us in his world.
May God bless you in your service of him, and may you
be a blessing to others.
Non nobis domine.....Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but unto thy name give the praise.
Following
the Address by the Dean of Lincoln, there followed a reading
from the 6th Chapter of the Epistle of St Paul the Apostle
to the Ephesians, a hymn sung by the St James School Girls
Choir of Grimsby , collection of Alms, Intercessions,
and the Blessing.
The Knights then retired in procession to the Cathedral
Chapter House to hold the Annual Provincial Priory Meeting.
Agenda of the Meeting:
1. The Right Eminent Provincial Prior will open the Chapter
of Provincial Priory.
2. The Right Eminent Provincial Prior, Provincial Sub-Prior,
Past Provincial Prior, Visiting Priors Present and Past,
will be saluted.
3. The Minutes of the Meeting of Provincial Priory held
at Lincoln on 06 October 2007 will be put for confirmation.
4. The Provincial Treasurer's Statement of Accounts for
2007/08 will be presented.
5. The Provincial Registrar's Return of Preceptories for
2007/08 will be presented.
6. Requiem in memory of the Knights of the Province who
died during the year.
7. The Provincial Treasurer for the ensuing year will
be elected.
8. Two Independent Examiners will be elected.
9. The Right Eminent Provincial Prior will appoint and
invest the Officers followed by the swearing in of the
members of the Bodyguard
10. The Right Eminent Provincial Prior will address the
Knights.
11. Any other competent business will be transacted.
12. To receive an invitation.
13. The Chapter will be closed.
14. The National Anthem
15 The Right Eminent Provincial Prior, accompanied by
the Great Officers and attended by the newly appointed
Provincial Officers, will retire under the 'Arch of Steel'
provided by the Provincial Prior's Bodyguard.
16. The delegation of the Knights of Malta will retire
followed by the rest of the Knights Templar.
The Provincial Prior's
Bodyguard relax after a job well done - with the Chapter
House Stained Glass windows as a backdrop.
During his address the Provincial Prior
R E Kt Gordon Walkerley Smith KCT welcomed the Dean and
thanked the Dean and Chapter for once again allowing the
use the Cathedral for the service and meeting. He went
on to welcome all of the visitors and the various Heads
of Orders and thanked his officers and welcomed those
taking up office for the first time. He was very pleased
that in these difficult times the number of Knights in
the Province had increased by three and that there were
25 more in the pipeline and this was very encouraging.
He reported that we had again made donations
to the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem totalling £800
and also to the Cathedral £1150 during the past
twelve months and he thanked all of the Knights for their
support.
He went on to report on the very successful
Great Priory Service which was held in Lincoln in August,
Great Priory thanked the Knights and Brethren of Lincolnshire
who both helped and supported them and they may well consider
holding a future service in Lincoln.
He concluded by informing the Knights that
it was intended to hold a meeting in 2009 at the site
of Temple Bruer and that there would also be a celebration
of the centenary meeting of the Province in 2010. Details
to follow in due course.
The meeting was then closed and one hundred
and sixty five Brother Knights and their ladies, the Provincial
Prior, along with the visiting Knights and the Dean of
Lincoln attended a most enjoyable luncheon held in the
County Assembly Room, Bailgate, Lincoln.
During the course of the luncheon the Provincial
Prior, The Rt.Eminent Knight Gordon Walkerley Smith presented
a further cheque to the Dean of Lincoln to assist with
the Cathedrals work.
The Rt.E.Kt. Gordon
Walkerley Smith, K.C.T., the Provincial Prior presents
a cheque to the Dean of Lincoln, The Very Reverend Philip
Buckler.
WHAT ARE THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR?
Although referred to as Knights Templar, the correct
title of this wonderful Order is: The
United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple
and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes, and Malta,
of England and Wales and Provinces Overseas
The Order was first worked in England in 1777, having
probably originated in France. There are two Degrees:
Knights Templar and Knights of Malta, these being joined
by a 'passing' Degree of Knight of St Paul.
A candidate for the first Degree is in the position of
a pilgrim travelling symbolically through hardship and
dangers until he is received as a Knight. It teaches humility
and urges the candidate to live his life as a Christian
Knight, learning that penance and meditation play their
vital part in preparation for Christian knighthood.. Whilst
no claim is made for any connection with the medieval
Military Orders, the degree of Knight of the Temple commemorates
the actions of a band of knights who were granted a place
of habitation within the sacred precincts of King Solomon's
Temple by Baldwin, the King of Jerusalem in 1118.
The second Degree recounts the history of Knights of
Malta and their long struggle against the infidel. It
traces the period when the Knights left Jerusalem and
travelled to their final home on the island of Malta,
emphasising their Christian virtues.
The regalia of the Order is most impressive, being based
on that of the medieval Templars, consisting of a mantle,
tunic, cap, sash, star, belt, sword and gloves. The Knights
of Malta regalia is different but not obligatory.
Candidates for installation must profess the Christian
faith and be both Master Masons and Royal Arch Companions
Seal of the Knights Templar showing
two knights sharing one horse.
CHAPTER OF PROVINCIAL PRIORY 6TH OCTOBER 2007
The ninety seventh annual Chapter of the Provincial
Priory of Lincolnshire was held at Lincoln Cathedral on
Saturday 6th October 2007 .
The meeting was preceded by a Service in the St Hugh’s
Choir this being the twenty ninth consecutive year that
the Dean and Chapter had allowed us to hold our service
in the Cathedral and the service was attended by one hundred
and forty Knights from this and other Provinces plus their
ladies. The St James School Boys Choir sang during the
service and the preacher was the Sub Dean Rev Canon Alan
Nugent and a copy of his address follows on from this
article.
The Dean, the Very Reverend Philip Buckler
(pictured right) and the Sub Dean joined us for the meeting
and together with the Knights then processed out of the
Choir to the Chapter House where the meeting took place.
During his address the Provincial Prior
R E Kt Gordon Walkerley Smith KCT welcomed the Dean and
Sub Dean and thanked the Dean and Chapter for once again
allowing us to use the Cathedral for our service and meeting.
He went on to welcome all of our visitors and the various
Heads of Orders and thanked his officers and welcomed
those taking up office for the first time. He reminded
every one that whilst the number of Knights in the Province
had decreased by three we still had to be cautious who
we put forward as members and that we needed to be selective
in who we admitted to this very special Order.
He reported that we had again made donations to the
St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem totalling £1100
and to the Cathedral £980 during the past twelve
months and he thanked all of the Knights for their support.
He concluded by reporting on the very successful Christian
Orders Service which this Order had organised at The Church
of the Holy Trinity at Tattershall and reminded the Brother
Knights that the Great Priory Family Service would again
be held in Lincoln at the Cathedral on Saturday 9th August
2008.
The meeting was then closed and one hundred and seventy
Brother Knights and their ladies lunched at the Assembly
Rooms.
A
Service held in Lincoln Cathedral for the
Provincial Priory of Lincolnshire of the Order of Knights
Templar on Saturday 6 October 2007 at 10:30am
Preacher: Canon Alan Nugent, Subdean of Lincoln (below
ight) 
'...such are they whom God chooses for himself and
gathers from the furthest ends of the earth, servants
from among the bravest in Israel to guard watchfully and
faithfully his Sepulchre and the Temple of Solomon, sword
in hand, ready for battle.'
Words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux the great theologian
of the 12th century, the powerful defender of the Christian
faith - who has been described as 'the greatest moral
force of his day' and he was speaking of the Knights Templar.
In 1127 Bernard met Hughes de Payens, founder of the
Knights Templar. The Templars had been founded to give
new direction and spirit to the impetus of the Crusades.
The first crusade had ended in division, acrimony and
jealousy. Its leaders had set up petty kingdoms throughout
the Middle East which warred on each other. It was a mess.
True, forces led by Godfrey de Bouillon had in 1099 captured
Jerusalem and Godfrey had set himself up as Ruler of Jerusalem.
But after his death the rivalries and battles between
the various rulers grew worse and the threat that the
Muslims would recapture Jerusalem was very real. So Hugh
de Payens and eight companions bound themselves by a solemn
vow to defend the Holy City. They lived simply in a house
near the site of Solomon's Temple - hence their name.
They remained thus, in relative obscurity for 10 years,
indeed the new order was near to collapse, until Hughes
de Payens met Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux in 1127.
Bernard
had already revived the monastic life of Europe. He had
transformed the Cistercian order creating many new abbeys
and preparing a new rule of living for the order. All
his reforms though were focused on the image of the Crucified
Christ. We are used to crucifixes, painting of the passion
of Christ; images of the dead Jesus. But that only began
to be significant in the life of the Church from the 12th
century onwards. Even though Paul in 1 Corinthians1 verse
23 had said 'But we proclaim Christ crucified' it
was only really in the 12th century that this entered
deeply into the life-blood of the Church; transforming
its devotional life. It is in this context that we see
the powerful significance in the early 13th century of
St Francis, his life of sacrifice, even to his receiving
the marks of the stigmata of Christ.
Bernard led this movement of sacrifice, self denial even
a high valuing of suffering and death - focusing it all
in the image of Christ crucified. It was all this that
Bernard brought to his meeting with Hughes de Payens in
1127. Bernard saw the possibility of these Templars being
both Soldiers and Monks: dedicated to the religious life
but living under military discipline. In a special way
they would fight the battle of the Lord and also be Soldiers
of Christ. Monk and Soldier it was a powerful combination.
Bernard drew up a rule of life for the Templars - they
became in effect military Cistercians. A new vocation
had been defined Monk and Soldier and men flocked to it
from all over Europe. Its Churches, houses and Castles
were to be found all over Europe and the Middle East.
Its hierarchy of Masters, Seneschals, Marshals was soon
recognised. New brothers joined the order not just to
fight but also to pray. They were committed to a life
of contemplation and also fighting for Christ. It is a
heady combination. Difficult for us to understand.
For us today the only current expression of St Bernard's
view that 'killing for Christ' was not homicide but malecide
- it was the killing of evil people, the eradication of
evil - and the promise by several Popes that those who
died fighting for the Church would inherit the Kingdom
of God and go straight to Heaven - the only thing comparable
to that in our society are Islamic fundamentalist suicide
bombers. Their language is reminiscent of this.
I hope that Christianity in our day has sufficiently
matured not to speak in such ways - which would be contrary
to the way of the Cross.
So has this sermon just been a history lesson. I hope
not. In a time of crisis and uncertainty in the life of
Christendom there came together Bernard and the Templars
and the Church was transformed right up until the brutal
repression of the Templars by Philip the Fair in the early
12th century.
What as I hope I have shown in that what was significant
about the Templars as influenced by Bernard was that special
combination of spiritual discipline, of a commitment to
the life of prayer and devotion with a commitment to soldiery.
Today the Christian faith in Britain is at a time of
crisis. A few years ago a very powerfully argued book,
with a persuasive thesis had as its title "The Death
of Christian Britain.' There are many evidences to support
this view. Most of all the privatisation, the marginalization
of the Christian faith, I give two instances:
Polly Toynbee of the Guardian on Radio 4 recently said
that religion should have no place in public policy and
life - it was and had to be kept in the private reserve;
what an individual does with their private life.
Very
able young people have told my wife, an RE teacher, that
they admire Muslims because they believe in something
are deeply committed. By contrast they say Christianity
stands for nothing - except being nice.
Put those two scenarios together and you see the problem
we face.
Somehow I look for a renewal of faith in which men and
women in business, in commerce, in the law, in education
and other professions will publicly profess their faith
and are bound together in a devotion to the Christian
faith: a new order of Christian men and women bound by
a rule of life, who will resist all attempts, even by
senior politicians of all parties, to relegate the faith
to the margins. For be clear; our values, those that created
our civilisation are built upon the Christian faith and
without the faith our civilisation is empty.
In very different ways the challenge of Bernard and the
Templars remains and so I come to my text which for me
captures my concerns and my hopes.
From Ephesians 6 verse 10
'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength
of his power. Put on the whole armour of God so that you
may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.
For our struggle is not against enemies of flesh and blood
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the cosmic powers of this present darkness.
Against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
'
