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purpose; for such was their reputation for valour, that they
awed the whole county so, that none of the inhabitants dared
risk their lives in attempting to leave their home.
Not many years after, Prince Edward went to Palestine,
accompanied by his consort Eleonora, during which time he
instituted the order of St John of Acre or Acon. This order
was founded partly on account of his recovery from a wound
made by a poisoned dagger, and partly on account of the
birth of his first child, who was thence called Joan of
Acre. The news of his father's death having reached him, he
immediately set out for England, bringing with him many of
his knights : vast numbers of the nobility of England went
over to Italy to meet and congratulate him on this occasion,
as we learn from the historians of those times *. The
Knights of St John did not long continue a distinct and
independent order; for their numbers being much diminished,
they were added to the Hospitalers: to them King Richard the
I. added the Knights of St Thomas, whose tutelary saint was
Thomas a Becket. The Knights of St Thomas were distinguished
from the rest by wearing the ring affixed to the cross: this
was given them on account of a ring being the only curiosity
that Richard had brought with him from Palestine, and all
these different orders of Knights were afterwards united by
Edward the I.
In order to apply this to our present purpose, we must
recollect that these Knights all wore the White Cross with
mullets †, the Templars excepted, who wore a Red
Cross with mullets; and if we examine this ancient ornament,
we shall find the emblems of all the orders united in it.
The spear and socket represent the cross; the balls bear the
mullets, and represent escallop shells; the ring is here
very conspicuous; and the reason why the tongue is
sharp pointed, is sufficiently understood by those who know
that these Knights were the free masons of that time; and
that to this day the order of Knights Templars is retained
among that ancient and respectable fraternity.
As it may seem strange that such a valuable ornament should
be found in this uncultivated spot, I must inform my
readers, that Edward the I. resided much in this county, and
that he settled many of his knights here, as appears from
tradition, history, and the names and privileges of several
adjacent places: his parliament likewise met at Carlisle,
and he himself died upon Brough Sands, near that city. After
his death his knights continued their residence in the same
place, till they were finally abolished by Queen Elizabeth:
till that time they were the champions of the country, and
extremely active in repelling their turbulent neighbours the
Scots. Now it is evident from the spear, that this
instrument has belonged to the master of the order: I cannot
help therefore concluding, that he has been killed in some
skirmish with the Scots, and that his insignia have been
buried with him; and this is the more probable, as we have
very many instances of the kind. It may be objected to this,
that both history and tradition are both totally silent
concerning any battle that had been fought in or near this
place: I allow the objection has some weight; but when we
consider that this whole county, together with adjacent
ones, was for many ages one continual scene of devastation,
war, rapine, and tumult; it is not so surprising that we
should find one battle unnoticed, as that such ordinary
occurrences, as battles then were, should have been
particularly mentioned at all.
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From the four-mile post, or a little further, is seen
Greystoke, (or Greystock,) Castle, the seat and birth-place
of the Duke of Norfolk, the origin of whose family I shall
copy from Buck's History of Richard the III. published in
1647, page 65. "So fortunate and honourable (says he) hath
that house been in the service to this state, and the
infinite alliance and cognation it holds with the most
ancient families; the extrac-
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