ABSTRACT
The way the Orders have been remembered in Britain in the late eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries derived from a variety of sources. Published histories, reviews and periodical articles influenced a broad readership and lawyers in the Inns of Court and visitors to Malta and Rhodes were inspired to research their history. Events in the Temple church also made explicit reference to past history, with shared traditions of service and sacrifice. After the loss of Malta in 1798, the Order of St. John began to lay new foundations and celebrating the past was again central to its work and refurbishment of St. John’s Gate at Clerkenwell. There were also attempts to revive the Templars and fact and fiction merged to claim continuity between the medieval and modern Orders. History also inspired poets and novelists, often illustrated, adding to the rich tapestry of memory which still influences their reception today.
