ON CROSS-LEGGED EFFIGIES COMMONLY APPROPRIATED TO TEMPLARS.
On the occasion of the cleansing and restoration, recently effected by Mr. Edward Richardson, of certain effigies in the Temple Church, which I have for many years known and been accustomed to regard with great interest, and the details of which I was much gratified to see once more brought to light, I became curious to ascertain on what authority cross-legged effigies of knights, habited in mail and surcoats, are generally reputed to be representations of knights of the order of the Temple. I have been frequently reminded of the prevalence of this opinion by the remarks of intelligent friends with whom I have at various times examined the Temple effigies, and it may suffice to shew how general it is even among archæologists by reference to the "Hints of the Cambridge Camden Society," where, under the head of Ancient Armour, (p. 36, 4th edit.,) effigies of Knights Templars are mentioned as if they were numerous. I have not much acquaintance with matters of this kind, but after having given to the subject of these remarks all the attention which my limited leisure would permit, I have arrived at the conclusion that such effigies are not those of Templars, and moreover that there does not exist a single effigy of a knight of that order in this country. In support of these positions, which may appear novel to many, I adduce the following observations.
If any effigy of a Templar do exist in England, it is surely most likely to be among those in the Temple Church here in London; but possibly some one elsewhere, hitherto overlooked, may from its costume or historical testimony have a better claim to be so considered. Now, we have at the Temple nine effigies, all in military costumes of the era of the Templars except one, which is perhaps of a later date, being in a sleeved surcoat and chain mail, the others being in ring mail; but this effigy was not originally in the Temple, having been brought thither from Yorkshire about 1682, as Mr. E. Richardson, in his recently published work on these effigies, has satisfactorily shewn. Of the nine effigies, six are cross-legged, but three of these six, there is great reason to believe, represent persons who, though buried there, where not of the
