Just off the Strand in central London, the Temple is an almost hidden district. With an interesting mix of 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century architecture, the Temple also houses the historic Temple Church. One of only two round churches in the United Kingdom, the Temple Church is modelled on the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally known as 'Novum Templum', meaning 'New Temple', in the 12th Century, the Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar, serving as a stronghold for the Knights Templar who were moneylenders, warriors, and mystics.
The Knights Templar, with their distinctive white mantles emblazoned with a red cross, was a military order that reported to the Catholic Church. The order was recognised in the papal bull Omne Datum Optimum of the Holy See. A public decree issued by the Pope, a papal bull is named after the leaden seal, or bulla, that is attached to the bottom of the decree to authenticate it. The order of the Knights Templar was founded in 1119, and was active from around 1129 to 1312. Wealthy and powerful, the order became a favourite charity throughout Christendom, adding to its membership and influence.
With its increasing power, the crown heads of Europe started to perceive the Knights Templar as a threat. The Knights Templar were associated with the Crusades and, when the Holy Land was lost, trust in the Order diminished. King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Knights Templar, took advantage of the situation and outlawed the Order, torturing and burning many members at the stake in order to get false confessions. Under pressure from King Philip IV, Pope Clement V dissolved the order in 1312. The Temple was claimed by the Crown following the dissolution of the Knights Templar. In 1324, the Knights Hospitallers claimed the Temple from their deposed rivals. Edward II, however, bestowed the Temple on a favourite of his, Hugh Le Despencer, who was later hung, drawn and quartered. Following Hugh's death, the Inner Temple was given to the Mayor of London and then, in 1333, to William de Langford, the King's Clerk, for a ten-year lease.
In 1337, the Knights Hospitaller petitioned the King, now Edward III. In response to this petition, the Inner Temple was divided between consecrated land to the East and unconsecrated land to the West. The Eastern part was the Inner Temple, and the Western part became the Middle Temple. Langford kept the Middle Temple, with his lease running out in 1346, while the Knights Hospitaller eventually leased the Inner and Middle Temples to lawyers, continuing a tradition which began in 1320. Henry VIII dissolved the Knights Hospitaller in the Reformation, but he allowed the barristers to remain as tenants for the Crown. The Outer Temple was given to the Bishop of Exeter and, eventually, was purchased by Robert Devereaux, an English nobleman and favourite of Elizabeth I.
The location of the Temple was increased in size when the River Thames was embanked by Victoria Embankment. After WWII, the Inner and Middle Temples had to be rebuilt. With an area that is now bound by the River Thames to the south, Surrey Street to the West, The Strand and Fleet Street to the North and Carmelite Street and Whitefriars to the East, the Temple is the main legal district of London.
The Temple includes the Inner Temple which is one of the four Inns of Court. All practitioners of law in England and Wales must belong to one of the four Inns of Court. The Inns of Court originated as hostels and schools for student lawyers in the thirteenth century. Each Inn has its own gardens, dining halls, libraries and administration buildings. The Inner Temple was one of the two halls constructed by the Knights Templar, and still retains the buttery from its medieval heritage. The Inner Temple serves as a professional association for Judges and Barristers. The Middle Temple, also a remnant of the Knights Templar (though none of the original build remains), houses the Honorable Society of the Middle Temple. New Court was built in 1676 by Nicholas Barbon. The L-shaped Fountain Court was created in 1680, with the fountain being renovated in 1919. Fountain Court served as inspiration for authors such as Charles Dickens. The Temple Church is located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, and the Temple Bar was the principal ceremonial entrance to the City of London on its Western side from the City of Westminster. At one time, part of the Temple housed The Devil's Tavern. This establishment hosted the likes of Ben Johnson, English playwright, critic and poet, who hosted gatherings of the 'Tribe of Ben' in the Apollo Room. William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, Dr Samuel Johnson, and Samuel Pepys were also known to frequent the Devil's Tavern. The Tavern was demolished in 1787.
From early on, there have been whispers of satanism and black magic performed in the Temple. Many strange events and vicious murders have occurred within the precinct. When electricity was installed in the Middle Temple, a skeleton in a box was discovered. The perfectly-preserved skeleton was believed to be over 200 years old.
When a Miss Broderick took up residence in the Middle Temple at Brick Court, she is said to have arranged to meet her lover, a Mr Eddington. When he arrived late without a satisfactory reason, she shot him dead.
Sarah Malcolm, an educated, middle-class young woman, was hanged at twenty-two years of age for a triple murder in Tanfield Court in the Temple. She was employed as a launderess for several chamber apartments in the Inns of Court. One of her customers was a frail elderly woman called Lydia Duncomb. Mrs Duncomb lived in an apartment in Tanfield Court where she was assisted by two live-in servants, sixty-year-old Elizabeth Harrison and seventeen-year-old Anne Price. It's said that Anne Price had her throat cut, Elizabeth Harrison was strangled, and Lydia Duncomb was strangled or had died of fright. Although Sarah Malcolm claimed she was part of a group robbing the home, she was the only one charged and executed for the crime.
The Temple is famously haunted by Judge Henry Hawkins. His full-bodied spirit has been seen with judicial wig and papers under his arms walking through the Temple precinct, even in daylight. He is said to appear most often when only one person is present to see his spirit. Henry Hawkins, 1st Baron Brampton, was an English Judge who served in high-profile cases as Judge of the High Court of Justice between 1876 and 1898.
I love London, and the Temple is such a fascinating place to visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment