TEMPLE CHURCH, BUILT BY THE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The Temple Church was constructed in the latter half of the twelfth century, when the site the Knights Templar had been occupying in High Holborn, London, had become too confined due to the rapid growth of the Order.

Several priory churches were in the process of being constructed including St. Bartholomew the Great at Smithfield.

This priory church and the nearby Hospital for the Restoration of Poor Men (St. Bartholomew's Hospital, or St. Barts Hospital as it is more commonly known) was founded by Rahere in 1123, after he had undergone a supernatural experience). Miracles were being witnessed and recorded as having taken place here.

Situated amongst the buildings housing the Barristers Chambers which form the Inner and Middle Temple, it is a place of peace and tranquility.

The original compound the Knights Templar acquired, contained in addition to the Church, military training facilities, residences and recreational grounds for the military brethren and the novices, who without permission from the Master of the Temple, could not venture out into the city.

The Temple Church is formed of two sections, the Round Church, which is the original nave section and the rectangular Chancel which was constructed about half a century later.

The Knights Templar constructed their Churches to a round design, based on the Holiest place on Earth in the Crusaders mind, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The nave is surrounded by the first ever free standing dark Purbeck Marble columns. The walls and the grotesque heads would have been painted.

On 10th February 1185 Heraclius the Patriarch of Jerusalem consecrated the Round Church, a ceremony that King Henry II almost certainly attended.

Throughout Europe, the Order of the Knights Templar became very powerful. England was no exception,with the Master of the Temple taking his place in Parliament as the first baron of the realm (Primus Baro).

The Temple was used as a very early type of bank, where wealthy people could deposit funds. This proved especially useful for pilgrims travelling to the Holy Places. They could deposit their valuables with the Templars at home for safety and be able to withdraw whatever they needed whilst away on their pilgrimage.

The Compound was regularly used as a residence by Kings, Ambassadors, Papal Legates. Indeed, Such was their influence, that King Henry III professed a desire to be buried in the Church.

The existing choir was demolished and a larger structure (the Chancel) was constructed to accomodate his wishes.It was consecrated on Ascension Day 1240.

Henry later changed his mind and his will, leaving instructions that he was to be interred at Westminster Abbey. However, one of his sons, who died in infancy, was buried in the Chancel.

The Round Church is the burial place of Sir William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, who has been described as the greatest Knight that ever lived.

As a young man he was very famous and was never defeated fighting in any tournament. His grave and those of two of his sons are marked by three of the nine marble effigies of medieval knights to be found spread out on the Church floor.

His eldest son William, who was elected by the barons to help force King John to comply with Magna Carta, has his effigy next to his father's, whilst Gilbert, another of William's sons has his effigy at their feet.

Most of the effigies have their legs crossed, which signified their status as crusader knights.

It was Sir William Marshall who served as a negotiator during a meeting between King John and the barons, which was held in the Temple in January 1215. The barons were demanding that King John was to uphold the rights which were enshrined in the Coronation Charter, of his brother and predecessor, King Richard I.

This meeting at the Temple had a far reaching effect on English history, for it led to the signing of Magna Carta in June 1215, when Sir William swore on King John's behalf that their grievances would be addressed in the summer.

Sir William Marshall was elected to be regent for the nine year old Henry III, who bacame King on the death of his father King John, on October 19th 1216.

The control of the Temple Church was taken over by King Edward II upon the demise of the Knights Templar in 1307. It was later handed over to the Knights Hospitaller, who rented it out to two colleges of lawyers,which in time evolved into the Inner and Middle Temples, two of the four Inns of Court, the other two being Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn, both of which are situated on the other side of Fleet Street.

Both of these colleges shared the use of the church, the Temple Church becoming known as the college chapel. One college took over the part of the compound used by the Templar Knights, the other college occupying the part previously used by the Temple's Priests.

In 1540, the Knights Hospitaller were abolished in Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries and all their property confiscated. The Temple Church had once again become the property of the crown. It was therefore down to Henry to provide an incumbent for the Church, which he did under the old title, Master of the Temple.

THE BATTLE OF THE PULPIT:In 1585 The Temple Church was the scene for what was to become known as the Battle of the Pulpit.

Richard Alvey, who was Master of the Temple, died and his deputy, the Reader, Walter Travers, fully expected to be promoted. However, Queen Elizabeth 1 and her advisers thought his beliefs were too Calvinistic, appointing instead, Richard Hooker, from Exeter College, Oxford as the new Master of the Temple. Poor old Travers was passed over.

The outcome of this situation was that, Hooker would preach his sermon every Sunday morning, only to be contradicted on the same afternoon by Travers. It came to be known as the Battle of the Pulpit, where Canterbury was preached in the morning (Anglican) and Geneva was preached in the afternoon (Calvinist).

Ecclesiastical Polity was later published by Hooker, who became known as the founding father of Anglican Theology.

The Temple Gardens are featured in William Shakespeares play, Henry VI, part 1 as the scene for the plucking of two roses and the start of the Civil Wars, known as the Wars of the Roses, which took place in the latter half of the fifteenth century, between the Houses of Lancaster and York.

THE ROYAL CHARTER:The Position of the two Inns of Court as tenants was not a secure one, so in order to protect themselves, they asked King James 1 to review their conditions of tenancy,hoping for a more satisfactory arrangement.

The King granted them a Royal Charter on 13th August 1608, which gave them the use of the Temple in perpetuity, on condition that the Inns of Court must maintain the Church. The Temple and the Inns of Court are still governed by that Charter.

THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON:Although the Temple Church escaped the Great Fire of London in 1666, it was still refurbished by Christopher Wren. He made extensive modifications to the interior, which included an organ and an altar screen. The organ which was the first one to be built in the Temple Church, was to be the cause of another conflict.

THE BATTLE OF THE ORGANS:The two Inns of Court were in disagreement as to what make of organ to install. One of the Inns wanted an organ built by Father Smith, while the other preferred an organ built by Renatus Harris. They were the two greatest organ makers of the era and very bitter rivals.

A very bad tempered argument broke out between the two parties and it was agreed that musical trials should take place, in which the qualities of both of the instruments could be evaluated. Many top organists gave musical performances on them, including one performance given by the great Court Composer George Frederick Handel himself.

The argument however raged on, until eventually it was decided that a decision would be made by the Lord Chancellor, the notorious Judge Jeffreys, better known as the Hanging Judge, after presiding over the Bloody Assizes in 1685, at which two hundred followers of the Duke of Monmouth were hanged and more than two hundred transported to the colonies.

Jeffreys ruled in favour of the Father Smith organ, which was the organ the Middle Temple wanted; The Judge was a member of the Inner Temple. It seemed to satisfy all parties. The same organ was used in the Church until it was destroyed in the incendiary bomb raid that gutted the building in the Second World War.

The Church was restored once again in 1841 in an attempt to bring it back to its original appearance.

All of these renovations, together with the Father Smith organ and the wooden parts of the Church were destroyed one hundred years later in the air raid on May 10th 1941.

The Purbeck marble columns cracked from the intense heat and were replaced by replicas. When the Church was undergoing the renovation works it was discovered that the previous renovations carried out by Christopher Wren were in storage. They were replaced in their original position.

The Temple Church was rededicated in November 1958 and was designated a Grade 1 listed building on January 4th 1950.

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