Stockport Express

Retracing your steps

- SEAN WOOD

SERENDIPIT­Y has always had it in for me, you know, the luckier you are, the ‘jammier’ you become, and one wonderful experience blends into another by happy accident.

Or, as my late mum Claire said when I took her to a Garden Party at the Palace, ‘If you fell in a muck cart, you would come out smelling of roses!’

She was always right of course, and last week’s feature about the old days in Sutton Bonington saw Joanie and me retracing my steps.

Yes, all the country lanes are still walkable 45 years later, and the wild flowers continue to be gorgeous, like this stunning green alkanet; what a beauty.

Native to south-west France, and the Iberian Peninsula, it is now naturalise­d throughout the British Isles.

It was brought here for the red dye which can be extracted from the roots, but escaped from cultivatio­n and in some quarters is regarded as an invasive weed.

Bees and other insects love the flower, as do I, and don’t you just love confusion: it’s called green, but it’s blue and the roots provide red dye. It was obvious all along. Wildflower­s aside, and a penchant for good fortune could not have prepared me to wake up next to a 12th century Knights Templar Chapel.

You see, I thought I’d surprise an old pal of mine in the village of Syston, but there were no hotels, and the nearest was Rothley Lodge, clue in the name.

But I booked in with my thoughts on beer and burgers rather than pilgrimage­s and Middle East conflict.

Unfortunat­ely, some things never change on that score.

An Order was started after the first Crusade in 1118 by nine French Knights called ‘The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Jesus Christ.’

They were given quarters in part of the Al Aqsa Mosque on the old Jewish Temple Mound, which saw the phrase ‘Of The Temple’ added to their name.

The long name proved a mouthful, which led to the Order becoming known as ‘The Templars.’

The members retained their warrior Knight status whilst adopting traditiona­l monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Their poverty is shown on their seals by two knights riding on one horse.

The aim of the knights was to protect pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and to be the garrison army of the four new Christian kingdoms establishe­d after the first Crusade.

They wore a white mantle, with a red cross added in 1166.

Their patroness was the Virgin Mary and the head of their Order was termed the Grand Master.

The Templars soon became famous for their feats and the sons of the nobility joined their ranks.

Landowners across Europe endowed the Order with land and incomes and they became known for their wealth, not poverty.

The Templars became the ‘Thomas Cook’ of their day, taking care of the travel and banking arrangemen­ts of the compelling urge of many Christians to touch the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during their lifetime.

They first came to England around 1140 and establishe­d themselves in Holborn, London, at Old Temple.

In 1185 they moved to Fleet Street where you can still visit the Temple Church, which survived the Great Fire of London, and Middle Temple Hall of the Inns of Court.

In 1231AD England’s King, Henry III, was anxious about what would happen to his body on his death.

The London Templars, who already held some of the King’s Treasury as bankers, agreed to take care of this delicate matter.

In return, the King granted his own Manor & Soke of Rothley to the Templars.

As the Order had done in other places, the Templars establishe­d a Preceptory at Rothley to control their interests as Lords of the Manor.

The buildings at Rothley comprised a Hall as the living quarters (now the hotel dining room and Templar Suite above), and an adjoining chapel for their devotions.

And that is where we dropped lucky once more, or was it more than that?

 ?? Sean Wood ?? ●●Green alkanet
Sean Wood ●●Green alkanet
 ?? Sean.wood @talk21.com ??
Sean.wood @talk21.com

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