Keele’s stained and painted medieval window is unique but its location in a Victorian Gothic parish church means that until now, it has been completely overlooked. It is an example of how historical gems can still be discovered from time to time in unlikely places. Keele was founded in the twelfth century by the Knights Templar. By the thirteenth century they held lands locally in at least three counties and deployed their resources to protect crusaders going to the Holy Land.
Our former colleague, Dr Robin Studd, has just written a book which illuminates the story, both of the Templars at Keele, and the medieval glass to be found in the parish church in the village.
Robin Studd, Keele’s Templar Window: And the Templars Jacques De Molay & Thomas Totty (978-1999870379, £12.50). The book will be launched on SATURDAY 8th SEPTEMBER 2-5pm at KEELE PARISH CHURCH, CHURCH BANK, ST5 5AT
The fortunes of the Templars were very closely bound up with the crusades, and in
the thirteenth century they were at the forefront of all crusading enterprises, working closely with popes and kings, like Edward I, in joint enterprises attempting to emulate the success of the earliest crusades.
The election of Jacques de Molay as Grand Master of the Templar Order in 1292 offered the best prospect of renewing the crusades so far and when de Molay arrived in England later that year to enlist support he brought with him the gift of a window for the preceptory at Keele. The story of how that happened, what the impact of this
piece of crusading propaganda was, and why it survived to this day is told here. It demonstrates how local, national and international history can be inextricably part of the same canvas and how the fate of the maligned and doomed Templar Order is intertwined with the story of Keele’s window. Thomas Totty or Thoraldby has also attracted attention from other Templar historians, http://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/knightstemplarsestates/2016/03/11/the-further-career-of-brother-thomas-totty/
History at Keele University 