Historian finds more Knights Templar links to Enville church

Edward Dyas, from Stourbridge, has been digging into archives since discovering three graves belonging to members of the ancient order in the grounds of St Mary’s Church at Enville in 2021.

The graves of members of the Knights Templar at St Mary's Church at Enville (Image: Bev Holder / Newsquest)

The Knights Templar were a powerful military organisation of devout Christians in the medieval era, formed in 1119 and tasked with providing safety to pilgrims to Jerusalem. Falsely charged with heresy, the order disbanded in 1308/9.

Mr Dyas and relative Darius Radmanish have been researching the history of the graves found at Enville, believed to be around 800 years old, and the history of the church which is believed to have been a Templar church.

The pair have been continuing their research and Mr Dyas now believes they have found eight graves of members of the Knights Templar at the church.

L- r- box grave at Enville church believed to contain the remains of Templar - Roger de Morfe and two other Templars; and the oldest gravestone in the churchyard which bears a Templar cross (Image: Darius Radmanish)

He said they have been unable to find any historic documents that shed any light on their further finds so they decided to carry out research inside the church itself in their quest for answers.

In a report of his latest findings, Mr Dyas said they have since studied stained glass windows of interest that depict an array of coats of arms including that of Hugh Mortimer of Chelmarsh who married Agatha de Ferrers, granddaughter of Isabel de Clare and the most famous Templar in English history - William Marshall, who is buried in Temple Church, London.

Church of St Mary the Virgin at Enville, and coats of arms on the stained glass windows - Clare family (top right) and Mortimer of Chelmarsh (bottom right) (Image: Google Street View / Edward Dyas)

The discoveries, Mr Dyas said, have brought him to the conclusion that “Enville Church is one of the most prominent Templar Churches in England”.

He said: “Quite clearly the armorial windows at Enville Church explain the presence of Templars buried at Enville.”

And he added: “Although records are missing it is clear the de Bermingham family built the Norman church at Enville, using Templar financing. Henry de Morfe, who held land owned by the de Berminghams, sold part of Morfe Forest to the Templars at this time, and the de Berminghams instated Roger de Bermingham as the first priest of St Mary’s Church, Enville.”

As part of their research, they pair were recently permitted to peek inside the historic crypt beneath the church for further clues as to its Templar origins.

Opening the historic crypt at the church at Enville (Image: Cordelia Noble)

Mr Dyas said the crypt has never been sketched or photographed before, and could be 260-years-old or 900-years-old, and he added that to take a look inside he had to obtain permission from the Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Right Reverend Clive Gregory who permitted entry with the vicar of Enville - Reverend Richard Clarkson – in attendance.

Venturing into the crypt where the researchers saw the plaque marking the tomb of Lady Dorothy Grey - founder of Enville School (Image: Cordelia Noble)

Unfortunately, the inspection did not reveal any evidence of the Templars. Mr Dyas said: “Too much had been altered. All we could hope for was defining what the earlier Crypt must have looked like.”

They did, however, find evidence of a potential earlier structure that appears to be the top of a Saxon/Norman column “confirming much further depth below the present brick floor” so who knows what lurks beneath.