The Knights of Saint Edmund6 yearsSt Edmund

The Knights of Saint Edmund

"Deus Lo Volt!"


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"But simple as the tale is there is hardly better historic training for a man than to set him frankly in the streets of a quiet little town like Bury St. Edmunds, and bid him work out the history of the men who lived and died there. In the quiet, quaintly-named streets, in the town-mead and the market-place, in the Lord’s mill beside the stream, in the ruffed and future brasses of its burghers in the church, lies the real life of England and Englishmen, this life of their home and their trade, their ceaseless, sober struggle with oppression, their steady, unwearied battle for self-government. It is just in the pettiness of its details, in its common place incidents, in the want of marked features and striking events, that the real lesson of the whole story lies. For two centuries this little town of Bury St. Edmunds was winning Liberty to itself, and yet we hardly note as we pass from one little step to another little step how surely that Liberty was being won."

John Richard Green (1837-1883), grandfather of British social and cultural history.

Green, J. R., (1876), Stray studies from England and Italy, Macmillan & Co., London p.218-9

The Knights of Saint Edmund

The origins of the Knights of St Edmund or Milites de Sancti Edmundi

Knight of St Edmund
"The Knights of St Edmund are ever ready to defend St Edmund's person, shrine, and town"
Source: Jarman Collection
Shortly after the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror ordered that all major nobles, bishops and Abbeys had to provide a certain number of Knights to the crown. This service was normally for 3 months every year. The Abbey of St Edmund had the unique privilege of holding the eight and half hundreds of west Suffolk, known as the Liberty of St Edmund, and consequently 40 knights were demanded by the King. When not on campaign these knights had to perform garrison duty at Norwich castle on a three month rota.

The original Knights were granted land in return for undertaking this military service on behalf of the Abbey. Many of the leading Anglo-Norman families in Suffolk became Knights of St Edmund including the de Clare, de Vere, de Valognes, Blundus and Bigod families. Even old Anglo-Saxon families held Knights fees from the Abbey, most notably the de Cockfield family. The Knight therefore formed a club of local families holding land in Suffolk.

Apart from guarding Norwich castle the Knights of St Edmund also had to act as advisors, jurors and feudal tenants of the Abbot of Bury St Edmund who was also the Baron of St Edmund. Like other Barons the knights swore allegiance too the Abbot of St Edmunds as their feudal overlord. This was important as if they died without issue or before their children where old enough to inherit the Abbot could take their estates into his hands until either an heir matured or until the Abbot could marry-off the heiress.

The zenith of the Knights' career occurred in 1173 when they led the royalist army into battle, defeating and routing the largely Flemish mercenary rebel army led by Robert Beaumont, the Earl of Leicester, at the battle of Fornham St Genevieve. The Knights were led into battle by the banner of St Edmund which was carried by Roger Bigod.

By the beginning of the 13th century rising costs of military activity led the Knights of St Edmund to insist that they were not obliged to serve outside England. Warfare was becoming more expensive and more professional so the crown took the opportunity switch from using part-timers, like the Knights of St Edmund, to demanding cash payment or scutage from the Abbey of St Edmunds. Consequently following the 13th century the Knights of St Edmund adopted a more ceremonial, legal and advisory rather than practical role.

However, the Knights continued to have a practical role in the defence of the town because they were required to help maintain the defences around Bury St Edmunds, Originally this consisted of earthwork ditch and bank and timber palisade which was replaced in the 12th or 13th century by a new stone wall.

Due to the obligation and duty required of the Knights of St Edmund to defend the town of St Edmund, the campaign has adopted the name the Knights of St Edmund to once again defend a town from the most sinister threat to the town for almost a thousand years.

Aims and Objectives

  1. To defend the honour, liberty and person of St Edmund, holy martyr and King of East Anglia, our dread lord and sovereign.
  2. To protect and promote St Edmund's rights and liberties including those of his Borough, Abbey church and Shrine.
  3. To safeguard the rights and privileges of all of St Edmund's freemen and other persons within the Borough and Liberty of St Edmund.
  4. To promote the transparent and good governance within St Edmunds borough and the eight and half hundreds of his liberty, for the common good of all who live therein.
  5. To educate the public in all aspects of the history of the Borough, Liberty, Abbey, Shrine, Cult and Life of St Edmund.
  6. To preserve the ancient and sacred town of Bury St Edmund and the Liberty of St Edmund.
The Knights' Headquarters
"St James' Gate, Headquarters (ca. 1900)"

Activities

  1. To campaign against the Bury Cattle-Market Development
  2. To campaign against the St Edmundsbury Borough Local Plan 2016
  3. To promote the person, cult, shrine, Abbey, borough and Liberty of St Edmund both nationally and internationally.
  4. To protect and promote the natural, cultural, religious, historical and archaeological treasures of Suffolk.

Membership

Membership of the Knights and Sergeantry of St Edmund is open to anyone over the age of 16.

The Knights of St Edmunds has two types of membership:

Full membership as a Knight of St Edmund. This is restricted to those born or raised within the Borough or Liberty of St Edmund.

Supporting membership as a Sergeant of St Edmund. This is open to any individual of good moral character and has no other restriction on membership.

The Rule of St Edmund

No employee, official, agent or contractor of Centros Miller, Johnston Press PLC, the Borough of St Edmundsbury, Suffolk County Council, Gov East or ODPM can be a Knight or Sergeant of St Edmund (Luke 16:13).

Membership of the Knights and Sergeants of St Edmund is not secret but is anonymous.

All Knights and Sergeants are bound to support and actively promote the aims, objective and activities of the Knights.

All Knights and Sergeants are bound to aid one another.

All Knights and sergeants are obliged to meet at St Edmunds shrine on his feast day and celebrate in a style befitting a King and Patron saint of England.

All Knights and sergeants must accept the authority of the officers of the Knights of St Edmund.

The officers of the Knights of St Edmund consist of:

The Steward of St Edmund
The Banner-man of St Edmund
The Constable of St Edmund
The Reeve of St Edmund
The Justicar of St Edmund

All these officers are elected by the Knights of St Edmund annually at a full chapter meeting held once a year on November 20th, St Edmunds day.

Subscription: 20th November 2005 - 19th November 2006

Annual Fee for a Knight of St Edmund �20
Annual Fee for a Sergeant of St Edmund �10

Please pay by Cheque made payable to the Knights of St Edmund


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