Order of St. Thomas of Acon

The Knights of St. Thomas of Canterbury at Acre (c. 1191–1538)

Origins in the Holy Land with The Siege of Acre (1191)

The origins of the Order of St. Thomas of Acon are rooted not in a royal decree but in an act of compassion during the Third Crusade (1189-1192). The Siege of Acre, a brutal and protracted conflict, resulted in devastating casualties for the Christian forces.

In June 1191, King Richard I (Richard Coeur de Lion) arrived with his English forces. Amongst them was William, the Chaplain to the Dean of St. Paul's in London. Moved by "compassion" at the sight of Christian corpses left unburied around the city walls, William, with a few helpers, formed a small religious group.

This fledgling fraternity took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and dedicated itself to a twofold mission:

• Hospitaller Work: To bury the Christian dead and to tend to the sick and wounded.
• Charitable Work: William, as Prior, added the express purpose of raising funds to ransom Christian captives from the Saracens.

This foundational charism was unique. While the great military orders, such as the Knights of St. John, had hospitaller functions, the Order of St. Thomas was founded for the specific, pious, and funereal act of burying the dead.

From its inception, the Order was uniquely and exclusively English. Membership was restricted to Englishmen, and it was founded by an English chaplain from London arriving with the English king. This "purely English foundation" is its most defining historical characteristic, distinguishing it from the larger international orders and dictating its eventual destiny as a London-based institution.

The Cult of St. Thomas Becket

The new English Order required a powerful English spiritual patron. The choice was St. Thomas Becket. Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had been murdered in his cathedral in 1170 and was canonized by Pope Alexander III only two years later, in 1173.

In 1191, the cult of Becket was at its zenith, and he was revered as Europe's most potent martyr—a symbol of the Church's authority over secular power.

This patronage was a masterstroke of spiritual and political branding, anchoring the small, new English order to the most powerful English saint. The connection was not merely symbolic; it was physical. The Order's headquarters in London was established on the exact site of Thomas Becket's birthplace in Cheapside. This property, in the parish of St. Mary Colechurch, was a gift from Thomas Fitz Theobald de Helles and his wife, Agnes, who was St. Thomas Becket's sister.

The Order's success in Acre (Anglicised as "Acon") allowed William to build a church and hospital dedicated to their patron. The Order's full title became the Hospitallers of St Thomas of Canterbury at Acre. The possession of Becket's birthplace transformed the London house from a mere administrative center into a major relic and pilgrimage site, inextricably linking the Order to the civic and religious life of the City of London.

Evolution from Hospital to Sword

The Order's initial, peaceful hospitaller role was not destined to last. The military necessities of the Crusader states were overwhelming. The Order was formally militarized by Peter des Roches, the Bishop of Winchester, while he was in the Holy Land around 1227-1229.

Some sources suggest this was a practical matter, as the English monks were "pressed into service as replacements" for other knights lost to disease and battle.

This reform was a formal restructuring, modeling the Order on the "rule of the Teutonic Knights". In 1236, Pope Gregory IX granted official Papal confirmation to this new military structure. With this transformation, the Order adopted the habit of a white mantle bearing a red cross with a white scallop (escallope) shell in the center.

This evolution from a compassionate to a military mandate created an internal power shift. The religious head, the Prior, lost his pre-eminent position to the military commander, the Master, around the year 1279. This "Warrior" and "Priest" dynamic became a defining feature. The military identity was a secondary layer, an "evolution" imposed upon its original compassionate core. This medieval structural tension was later seized upon by the modern revival; today's Chapels are intentionally governed by both a Master and a Prior, explicitly "maintaining the two functions of Knights during the Crusades i.e. Warrior and Priest".

Decline, Relocation, and Reversion

The Order's military phase in the Holy Land ended in catastrophe. At the final, bloody Fall of Acre on May 12, 1291, the Master and nine knights of the Order of St. Thomas were killed in the city's defense. This event eliminated the Order's raison d'être in the East.

Like the other Crusader orders, the survivors relocated their Priory to Cyprus, where they built a church in Nicosia. The Order, however, never recovered its wealth or prominence. It was noted as lacking adequate resources and was plagued by internal divisions between the new Master in Cyprus and the Master of the London house. The London premises were reported as being "in ruins" by 1330, and the military arm in Cyprus ceased to be a viable entity, disappearing from records after 1360.

This collapse forced a reversion. With the military "adventure" over, the Order's center of gravity returned to its spiritual and practical home: the London house on Becket's birthplace. In a move of profound symbolic significance, the Order abandoned the (military) rule of the Teutonic Knights and adopted the (charitable) rule of the Augustinians.

For the remaining 200 years of its existence, the Order reverted to its original, non-military purpose, operating a prominent hospital and grammar school in Cheapside. This history demonstrates that the Order's military phase (c. 1228–1291) was a relatively brief interlude. Its true, enduring identity was rooted in its London origins, its Londoner patron, and its London-based charitable mission.

Dissolution (1538) and the Mercers' Company Legacy

In London, the Hospital of St. Thomas of Acon became a respected and beloved civic institution, establishing strong ties with the City's powerful guilds. A special, natural relationship developed with the Worshipful Company of Mercers.

The alliance was logical: St. Thomas Becket's father, Gilbert, had been a mercer. The Mercers became the hospital's patrons, holding their meetings in the hall and using the chapel for prayers. By 1514, they were formally recognized as the Order's "defenders and advocates".

The Order's existence was terminated in 1538 by Henry VIII, as part of the wider Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Order's specific devotion to St. Thomas Becket made it a political target. Henry VIII was actively suppressing the cult of Becket, whom he viewed as a potent symbol of clerical resistance to royal authority. Becket's magnificent shrine in Canterbury was destroyed in 1538, the same year his namesake Order in London was dissolved.

Upon dissolution, the hospital's property was forfeited to the Crown. The Mercers' Company, in memory of their patron's father, purchased the entire site—hospital, chapel, and grounds. The Mercers' Company built its hall on the site. Though this building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and its successor in the Blitz, the Mercers' Hall and Chapel still occupy the site of Becket's birthplace today.

This act of purchase by the Mercers provided the physical and archival "bridge" from the medieval to the modern era. The Order's ancient records, written in medieval French and Latin, were eventually deposited in the London Guildhall Library, where they escaped the Great Fire. This preservation, an indirect consequence of the Mercers' stewardship, made the 20th-century revival possible.

The Modern Revival with “The Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon” (1974–Present)

John E. N. Walker

The modern Order of St. Thomas of Acon was established in 1974. Its revival is attributed to the "untiring efforts" of its first Grand Master, John E. N. Walker (known in the Order as Sir John of Dorking).

Walker was a prominent Freemason, serving for many years as the Secretary General of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), an esoteric Masonic research body. For over two decades, Walker conducted exhaustive research in the Guildhall Library, London, studying the aforementioned medieval records of the Order that had survived in medieval French and Latin.

His original intention was simply to write a history of the lost English order. During this research, Walker made a pivotal discovery: a document detailing the "report of the Installation of the Master in 1510". As a high-level ritualist, Walker recognized this not as a dry historical account, but as the text of an initiatory ceremony. He found this 16th-century ritual to be "so unusual and so typically English" that he felt "compelled to revive the Order, albeit Masonically".

This origin story is one of scholarly, archival research directly inspiring an experiential, initiatory revival. Walker, the historian-ritualist, chose the existing, structured fraternity of Freemasonry as the only logical modern vehicle to house this revived chivalric experience.

The modern Order operates under the official title of "The Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon". The Order is explicit that it "claims no direct links with the original Crusader Order". It is a commemoration and revival, not a direct continuation.

A Chivalric Order within Freemasonry

The modern Order is an "independent British Christian masonic organisation". It is classified as an "appendant body" (or "honor body"), meaning it is an optional, additional order that a Freemason may join after completing the prerequisite degrees.

Membership is highly selective and is by invitation only. A candidate must be a subscribing member in good standing of three other core Masonic bodies, in sequence:

• Master Mason in a Craft Lodge.
• Royal Arch Mason in a Royal Arch Chapter.
• Knight Templar in a Preceptory or Commandery.

This demanding, three-tiered prerequisite structure positions the Order of St. Thomas of Acon as a "capstone" order. It is an honor body reserved for those Masons who have already progressed through the chivalric and explicitly Christian degrees of the "York Rite" (or its equivalent) system. Its "very English" character, based on the only English Crusader order, makes it a particularly desirable and exclusive body for Christian Masons.

Ritual, Principle, and Modern Charity

The Order's ceremonial work centers on the life, martyrdom, and legacy of St. Thomas Becket. There is one primary ceremonial degree, the "Admission as Knight of the Order".

During this ceremony, in a direct re-enactment of the Order's 1191 hospitaller mission in Acre, the candidate is required to perform "four corporal works of mercy". Upon admission, the new member takes a "knighthood title" based on his Christian name and a place of personal significance (e.g., "Sir John of Dorking").

The Order's guiding principles are "Humility and Charity". This emphasis on humility is drawn directly from Walker's discovery of the 1510 installation ceremony, which he prized for its humble, "typically English" character. Candidates are explicitly reminded of their Christian duty "to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked and serve the distressed".

This philosophy translates directly into the Order's modern charitable mission. The primary charity of the Commemorative Order, in both the United Kingdom and the United States, is the "support and upkeep of Canterbury Cathedral".

A coherent symbolic loop is thus created and maintained:

• Medieval History: Founded in Acre for compassionate works and devoted to St. Thomas Becket.
• Modern Ritual: Candidates re-enact the compassionate works of mercy and learn the story of Becket.
• Modern Principles: The Order's core tenets are "Humility and Charity".
• Modern Charity: The Order raises funds for Canterbury Cathedral, the site of Becket's martyrdom.

In this, the modern Order is a living, symbolic re-enactment of the medieval body's foundational ethos.

Governance and Hierarchy

From its 1974 founding, the Order has expanded globally. By 2019, it numbered over 113 Chapels in the UK and its provinces, with a separate and growing jurisdiction in the United States. It now has a presence in England, Wales, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, Spain, and the USA.

The Order is organized on a three-tiered hierarchical model:

• National (Grand Master's Council): This is the supreme governing body. The UK-based body is "The Grand Master's Council". The independent "Grand Master's Council for the United States of America" was established on January 29, 2015. The supreme leader of each Council holds the title Most Worthy Grand Master.
• Regional (Province): Local Chapels are grouped geographically into "Provinces". These are governed by a Grand Preceptor's Council. The officer in charge of a Province holds the title Right Worthy Grand Preceptor.
• Local (Chapel): The basic organizational unit is the Chapel.

Reflecting the medieval "Warrior and Priest" dynamic, local Chapels are led by two primary officers: a Worthy Master and an Eminent Prior. This duality is mirrored at the national level by the Grand Master and the Grand Prior.

Organizational Hierarchy of the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon

The Grand Master's Council contains a complex hierarchy of officers, each with specific roles and ranks, as detailed in the Order's constitutions. The principal officers are outlined in the following table.

Principal Officers of the Grand Master's Council (USA Structure)

Regalia and Symbolism

The regalia of the Order is distinct, though it "bears some similarity to that of a Masonic Knight Templar". The full habit consists of a tunic, mantle, cap, and sword.

• Tunic: A "stone white" tunic. It is distinguished by a four-inch-wide "Medici Crimson" Latin Cross running the full length of the front, which is superimposed with a smaller white Latin Cross.
• Mantle: A "stone white" mantle with a hood, worn over the tunic. On the left breast is a ten-inch Greek Cross, similarly composed of a crimson cross with a smaller white cross on top.
• Cap: A "crimson velvet cap".
• Sword: Knights, with the exception of the spiritual and charitable officers (the Prior and the Almoner), wear a Templar-pattern sword and belt. The Prior and Almoner carry a Bible instead.

The central and defining emblem of the Order, appearing on the tunic, mantle, and cap, is the Escallope (Scallop) Shell. This emblem is the traditional "sign of a Pilgrim", most famously associated with the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

This shell is the key to the Order's visual hierarchy, as its color and material denote the rank of the wearer:

• Bronze Shell: Worn by standard Knights.
• Silver Shell: Worn by Provincial Officers.
• Gold Shell: Worn by Grand Officers.

The regalia thus functions as a symbolic narrative. The white mantle evokes the Crusader heritage. The unique crimson-and-white cross provides a distinct heraldic identity. The Escallope Shell signifies the "Pilgrim", connecting the medieval mission to care for the sick in Acre with the modern "pilgrimage" of charity to Canterbury Cathedral.

Finally, the absence of a sword for the Prior and Almoner is a direct visual representation of the Order's core "Priest/Warrior" duality.

Regalia and Rank in the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon

A Dual Legacy of Chivalry and Commemoration

The Order of St. Thomas of Acon is a name shared by two distinct but spiritually related organizations. The medieval Order (c. 1191–1538) was a genuine product of the Crusades—a uniquely English, compassionate-turned-military body defined by its London roots and its devotion to St. Thomas Becket. It was extinguished in 1538, a casualty of the political and religious tides of the English Reformation.

Its physical legacy was preserved not by a chivalric successor, but by a London merchant's guild, the Mercers' Company, and its archival memory by the Guildhall Library.

The modern Order (1974–Present) is a product of 20th-century archival scholarship and the Masonic fraternal impulse. It is a "Commemorative" body that uses the framework of Freemasonry to revive and re-experience the "typically English" chivalry, the foundational principles of "Humility and Charity," and the symbolic "Priest/Warrior" duality that its founder, John E. Walker, discovered within a 1510 installation document.

The modern Order of St. Thomas of Acon is thus a testament to the enduring power of the chivalric ideal, resurrected not by the sword, but by a scholar's discovery in an archive.

Article By Antony R.B. Augay P∴M∴