The Knights Templar, originally formed around the year 1118, were an organization made up of devout Christians. Originally serving as bodyguards to European travelers visiting sites in the Holy Land, they eventually rose to become a military army led by the pope, sacking, and fighting long crusades in the Holy Land. By 1303 however, the Knights Templars had lost and the land they held within the middle east and retreated to Paris. There, King Philip IV of France resolved to bring down the order, tying the knights to stakes and burning them alive
Many mysteries and modern conspiracies are attached to the templars, such as “the location of the Holy Grail” or where the Templars treasury vanished to.
James II, younger brother to Charles II was king of England, Ireland, and Scotland from between 1685 – 1688. His belief in catholicism ultimately caused his downfall, resulting in his own daughter Mary, and her husband William of Orange, deposing him in the glorious revolution in 1688. He attempted to retake the throne in 1690 in the Battle of the Boyne but was ultimately defeated, living out the rest of his days exiled in France.
Thanks to Harry Hill’s Potted Histories For the Extract.
Consecration crosses are painted crosses on the inside and outside churches. They widely appear in the C12 and marks the spot where the consecrating Bishop anointed the church with “Chrism” (An Oil and balsam mix). Twelve crosses inside and 12 outside.
Typical they were high up and had a candle placed in front. After the consecration, the church was then A Holy place. The crosses vary in style the commonest style I have found is the Rounded or “Bolnisi” style cross. As the original crosses may have required a large compass to create it is postulated they were created by Masons, who would have such a tool.
The Bolnisi style cross was one of the variations of the cross used by the Knights Templar. The main cross above is from the church in Saxstead, top right is in Kenton and bottom right is in the church at Mickfield. All of these churches are in Suffolk. It is very humbling to stand in front of 800-year-old graphics!
As the country is currently in lockdown owing to the virus that shall not be named, I thought I’d have a quick look at one of this country’s fantastic, hardly discussed resource, the Footpath.
There’s several different variations of “Right Of Way” across the land. For instance, there are Bridleways, Restricted Byeways, as well as footpaths. Some areas of great Britain also have open access, which enables you to wander all over, and then, of course, there is Common land and large public parks where you can wander where you will.
There are a staggering 140,000 miles of footpaths in Great Britain. Many are rarely used and offer an escape from modern life, plus there’s plenty of room to get your daily exercise and more. Many paths are wide and have plenty of room to pass should you meet anyone along the way.
Last weekend the wife and myself, thought we could use our daily allowance of outdoor exercise by going on a 10 miles or so stroll. The idea being we could leave early and avoid any awkward meetings on narrow pathways ( the 2m guideline could be a bit tricky on narrow tracks). By getting out the OS map we planned a large circular route. By having a good close up look at the map and a quick delve into the local history and archaeological sites a few landscape features popped up so they were incorporated into the route. They were then all linked by taking in wide tracks through woodland, a few roads, and some open fields.
We walked at leisure, stopping frequently and had a major stop for a mini mid-morning picnic. Time taken was around the 4 plus hours mark. Afterward, we both decided to do more outdoor activities. Some areas were stunning. The wildlife we saw was simply brilliant and quite a bit of wild Garlic was picked and brought home.
Essential Pack list:
Map and compass. A12 Sells a basic easy to use baseplate compass .
Waterproof jacket.
Food and Flask.
All packed in a good waterproof rucksack. We do stock some on the A12 Site. For one day use, I found a 25ltr to 40ltr capacity fine. Rucksacks in the A12Store
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
