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Treasure myths such as the Oak Island Legend and The Beale Treasure Legend may have a common origin and hidden meaning. The tale of The Bruton Parish Church Vault (a.k.a. "Bacon's Vault) may also be a copy of an already existent mystery at Stirling Castle.

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The Knights Templar And the True Meaning of "Sancto Claro" and "Arcadia" in Scotland




In recent times we have seen a great interest in the Sinclair or St. Clair family of Scotland. Many people speculate as to the truth of Legends that suggest Sir Henry Sinclair the Earl of Orkney came to North America during the fourteenth Century. Indeed this story is embraced and communicated as being true by many people. Several have even written books that supply us with some evidence that this is true. The possible exploits of Henry Sinclair or others in Nova Scotia do lend themselves to the Arcadian theme of one name of this region. As it turns out the naming of what would later be Nova Scotia as “Acadia” or Arcadia stems from the influence of Philip Sidney who penned a work entitled “Arcadia” during Elizabethan times. This work is important in this mystery as its links to Scotland include the fact that Charles I (HRM) last words prior to his beheading were from a psalm or portion of Sidney’s “Arcadia.” As it turns out Sidney was likely referencing a much older name for a region of Scotland that had been in place since at least the thirteenth century.

Nothing exposed here says that Henry Sinclair didn’t come to North America. What will be exposed may show an alternate rationale as to why a myth or legend like this would have been developed for political reasons. Part of this dynamic involves the fact that French and Scottish/English interests have been fighting over the maritime region of what is today Canada also known of as Acadia since the very first settlers came there in the early seventeenth century. In the process both of these cultural groups would have strong ties to both the concept of Arcadia and Sancto Claro. It is likely that their similar value of these concepts stems from their Norman backgrounds in places like Normandy, Italy, Sicily, England, Hungary, and Scotland. Characters such as Stephen of Hungary, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, The Earls of Orkney, St. Clare herself, and many others have a direct impact on how these images were later applied to cultural and landscape mysteries that referenced these terms and concepts.

Amazingly this story will lead us to other strange and mysterious events in history such as Rennes le Chateau and Oak Island. These two mysteries have also been suspected by others as being linked. Here exposed may also be the truth of that potential reality. Both of these famous conundrums also involve the concept of “Arcadia.” Along the way a story of intrigue based on the ancient mystery schools will be laid bare in order to see the truth. Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall may include the imagery of Poussin’s “The Shepherds of Arcadia” associated with the true meaning of “Sancto Claro” in relation to both the Scottish, French, and Italian families involved in this story. As we will see even the Arcadia region of Greece was once ruled by the Angevin or Anjou dynasty that is associated with the legacy of Mary Magdalene and the concept of the “ancient regime” leading us to the pastoral utopian concepts seen not only in France and Italy but also Scotland via the Earls of Mentieth or “Sancto Claro.”

One of the factors involved in unraveling this mystery may have to do with our understanding of different terms as they are expressed in different languages. In past works I have examined the similarities in the names “Shakespeare”, “Alighieri,” and “Edgar” (Poe). Each of these famous literary names infer the term or concept of the “Noble Spear.” In fact the similarities of these names may have been valued or even designed by later literary guilds and societies such as the Academy of Arcadia of the Vatican which may have included Nicolas Poussin among its members. Members of the Academy of Arcadia referred to themselves as “The Shepherds of Arcadia.” It would not be beyond the scope of these kind of groups to know the difference and similarity between St. Clair and Sancto Claro.

Using this path of reasoning what secrets may the name “Sinclair” reveal? Sinclair is a Scottish name that developed from de St. Clair in its Norman form. It is suspected that this family’s name came from the French Norman village of St. Clair sur Epte and spread throughout Norman England and Scotland via that source. Indeed one of the earliest St. Clair’s recorded as coming to Scotland was “William Sancto Claro” who may have landed with Queen (St.) Margaret of Scotland in about 1068. That story also includes the origins of the Drummond family of Scotland who some feel originated in descent from the man who was captain of the ship that brought Margaret from England. If the St. Clair name had spread from Normandy to Scotland via Norman influences could not have it also transferred to Italy, Sicily, and Eastern Europe via other Norman influences? Is the French or Latin form of “Sancto Claro” being suggested?

Some of this confusion may become apparent via an examination of the saga of Margaret of Scotland. St. Margaret was the last of the line of Anglo Saxon Kings and was attempting to escape England and return to her native Hungary when fate intervened and brought her to Scotland . Her father Edgar Aetheling had escaped as the last legitimate king just prior to the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. As a result Margaret had been born in Hungary and her mother according to some sources had been Hungarian nobility. As Margaret was attempting to escape back to the continent from England a storm wrecked her ship on the Firth of Forth bringing her to Scotland. This will supply us with a family link to Prince Rupert of the Rhine later in this saga in addition to their Stewart relations that had not been born yet during the era of Margaret. Margaret would later marry King of Scotland Malcom III thus becoming part of the genetic lineage of all subsequent Scottish and English Kings and Queens.

If this William Sancto Claro was the same one who came with William the Conqueror in 1066 why as the story goes was he with Queen Margaret when her ship landed in Scotland supposedly on the way back to Hungary via France? Why would he help her escape if he was a Norman invader of England? It is one thing to let the nobility of one’s enemy escape it is quite another to have someone accompany her on such a voyage. Was the story of St. Margaret of Scotland changed to make it look as if her arrival was an accident as the standard story goes? It may be that this William Sancto Claro was of Hungarian origins which would make him later more closely related to the Anjou’s and Stewarts than the would have been to the St. Clair family.

It is quite an honor for the Sinclair family to have been associated with this important historical event involving the future Queen. A man referred to as “Sancto Claro” came to Scotland with Margaret though there is very little information available about this individual. The name of William “Sancto Claro” is said to be a French form of this name though it appears to have been drawn from Latin words often used by chroniclers or scribes of this era that were often monks or ecclesiastical figures. If we view “Sancto Claro” as Latin and not French some startling observations are made.

Using the standard Latin to English translator available on the internet “Sancto Claro” spelled using capital letters for the two words reveals the name “Sinclair” as being the meaning of “Sancto Claro” even though Sancto is not a word used to describe a saint. Amazingly if one enters the words “sancto claro” with lower case letters only this term is interpreted as meaning “menteith.” Amazingly the name Menteith has some startling associations with many concepts that are commonly associated with the Sinclair or St. Clair family of Scotland. Alternately if one uses the English to Latin translation of “saint clair” this interprets to “seyncler” in Latin. Seyncler is the Latin form of the name St. Clair. The title of Menteith was never used by the Sinclair family though it is associated with a much more powerful line of Scots rulers leading us to the English and Scots Royalty of the current era. In many ways this line of the Menteith’s and later Stewart’s would all have a strong and loyal association with the Latin Church of Rome. In fact many of the Earls of Mentieth would oppose the Norwegian cultural influences in Scotland that the Sinclair family had sprung from and were more identified with at times.

Is it possible there is some confusion on the part of historical writers of the meaning of “Sancto Claro” as actually representing the ancestors of the Earls of Menteith and not the Sinclair family? An examination of some of the events and mysteries associated with the Sinclair family may infer this word game confusion has caused history to ascribe many things to the Sinclair family that were done by the Earls of Menteith and their associated families. Of course all of this would rely on this misinterpretation inferring one thing while actually meaning another. In the course of the use of this term it may be that this confusion was left as a kind of smoke screen making it more difficult to distinguish between Sancto Claro, St. Clair, de Clare, Seyncler, and Sinclair. It may be that especially earlier references to Sancto Claro were in reference to the future Earls of Menteith and not the Sinclair’s.

Perhaps the Seyncler’s were involved in the legacy of Sancto Claro in Norman Italy and Eastern Europe as well. It is clear that both Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor and his successor Charles I both had mothers that came from the Hauteville family of Normandy. These men were both Kings of Naples and Sicily and Frederick was also a Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany. In some instances both these men had relations to Stephen of Hungary and their Norman cousins in England and Scotland. Frederick would marry Eleanor of England and the Anjou’s of Charles would contribute lasting imagery to the legacy of Mary Magdalene and likely the concept of the “ancient regime” that mirrors the concept of Arcadia valued by later prominent figures such as Antoine d’Abbadie in France. All of this occurring in the early to mid thirteenth century during which the land of Arcadia is referenced in Scots land titles and wills.

In many ways the Earls of Menteith seem to be the root of the Stewart family of Scotland with links to the most powerful families of England and the rest of Europe. In fact the lands of Strathearn and Menteith in Scotland likely represent the true home of Arcadia as referred to in the Rennes le Chateau mystery, The Shepherds of Arcadia of Poussin, The Shepherds Monument at Shugborough Hall, and the namesake of Nova Scotia as “Acadia.” It is even possible that the origins of both the Arcadian theme and the term “sancta claro” have their roots in this same saga stemming all the way back to the Hungarian origins of St. Margaret of Scotland and the Hungarian men “Sancto Claro” and Drummond that had accompanied her on her initial if somewhat accidental voyage to Scotland. It is important to note that many people have considered William Sancto Claro the Norman as later being a St. Clair of Scotland without really being sure. In some cases we may be looking at a reference to an entirely different legacy.

Many 13th century wills and land titles refer to the country around Stirling Castle as “Arcadia.” Of course these documents are also written in latin during that period. The use of this term is an early reference to what would later be included in historical questions that may have been presented to specific individuals as part of a family fraternity or initiation. Later these clues and concepts may have been exposed to the public and taken on the overtones of “Holy Blood, Holy Grail," the Rennes le Chateau Mystery, Oak Island and others. The region which said land titles and wills refer to includes the domain of the Menteith Earl’s who controlled that region of what is today Strathearn and Menteith. Later the Earl’s of Menteith would also include both Walter Stewart the basis of the Stewart royalty of many countries and later the Earldom of Pembroke which would include some characters aligned with the legacy of Shakespeare, Sir Francis Bacon, and the 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere. It appears that these thirteenth century Scottish people had an abiding value of the mythology of Arcadia as it refers to Arcas and the Pole Star. Their appreciation of Arcas many have also led to Stirling Castle which sits at the nadir of Scottish Arcadia being the home to other initiatory mysteries that even span the globe to Williamsburg Virginia and similar legends.

In previous work I linked the octagonal Kings Knot of Stirling Castle to the famous Star in the landscape of Rennes le Chateau as actually “pointing to” each other on the globe. The octagon of the Kings Knot points the way to and matches the orientation of the star at Rennes le Chateau and crosses the Tower of the Winds at Shugborugh Hall on its transect. Of course Shugborough is home to the famous Shepherds Monument that illustrates Poussin’s “The Shepherds of Arcadia” in mirror image bas relief with the addition of a small, strange casket atop the tomb from the original painting. This association between what we know know are three locations of Arcadian imagery are very compelling evidence or clues that lead us to Stirling Castle and the Scottish region of Arcadia. Clues in the artwork of Admiral Anson’s estate Moor Park near London also supply us with many other useful clues via the imagery of Greek Mythology including Arcas and Argus the All Seeing that also link to Philip Sidney who also once owned Moor Park. While Anson was the owner of Moor Park he also constructed another Tower of the Winds on that estate.

It does appear as if Philip Sidney son of the Earl of Pembroke who penned the work entitled Arcadia may have some distinctly Scots relations that eventually led to what we today call Nova Scotia being referred to as “Acadia” (Arcadia) over time. In turn Sidney was likely referring to the older us of the term "Arcadia" in Scotland.

Philip Sidney was the brother of the Countess of Pembroke Mary Herbert (Sidney) whose son Philip Herbert would be the 4th Earl of Pembroke. The Earls of Pembroke were closely related to via intermarriage to the title of the Earl of Menteith as referred to clandestinely in the meaning of Sancto Claro. Countess Mary and her brother were part of the Wilton’s Writers Circle that had in many ways been created by the Countess. The Wilton Writer’s Circle included many of the more prominent literary figures of the Elizabethan and James I eras. This included people like Inigo Jones and Ben Jonson two people that are many times also associated with Sir Francis Bacon, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and Freemasonry. The name Arcadia would also apply to large portions of what is the States of Maine and Massachusetts today. This legacy would later in history lead us to still another artists and writers organization based on the Academy of Arcadia of the Vatican. It is even possible that the Wilton’s Writers Circle had a direct impact on the concept of the Academy of Arcadia which was established about thirty years later. The Academy of Arcadia may have in reality been inspired by Jesuit connections and the loyalty displayed to the Church on the part of many Scottish Kings, Queens, nobility, and citizens.

Given this it may be that all of the speculation as to the origins of the works of Shakespeare may have come from a kind of brain trust or organization that may have even been centered on the Wilton’s Writers Circle of Countess of Pembroke Mary Herbert. The Countess even penned a book about Enochian Geomancy at one point. There are some amazing connections to Sir Francis Bacon in the sons of Mary Countess of Pembroke William and Philip. Both men marred the daughters of the 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere who many also include on a list of people who potentially produced the plays of Shakespeare. Bridget and Susan de Vere’s Grandfather was Earl Cecil. Their grandmother was the aunt of the Sir Francis Bacon via his mother (Cooke). This would have made Sir Francis Bacon Grand Uncle to both the de Vere women and the sons of Mary Sidney Herbert Countess of Pembroke. Philip Sidney the author of Arcadia would have been the nephew of Sir Francis Bacon. Philip and William Herbert are the subject of the dedication by Ben Jonson of the famous First Folio of Shakespeare and in fact they are said to have financed its printing. It may be that out of all this Elizabethan secrecy and literary intrigue that the theme of Arcadia was applied to what we know call Nova Scotia today.

“And in Shakespearean, the Boy/Male name Menteith means The Tragedy of Macbeth' A nobleman of Scotland.”(http://thenamesdictionary.com/name-meanings/181353/name-meaning-of-menteith) Menteith is actually a character in “Macbeth” that is described as Scots nobility.

The origins of the name “Acadia” which is the French term for “Arcadia” being applied to Nova Scotia does have a direct connection to Philip Sidney and the circle of writers surrounding his mother Mary Sidney Countess of Pembroke in Elizabethan England. William Alexander 1st Earl of Stirling was given a Charter from James I for what would be Nova Scotia also known of as Acadia or in some cases “Arcadie.” William was also associated with Philip Sidney author of the work Arcadia referenced above in relation to the beheading of King Charles I later. William Alexander also wrote a continuation or part 3 to Sidney’s work “Arcadia.” This is highly suggestive that the origins or value of this name in Scotland and in relation to Nova Scotia is linked to all the intrigue and mystery surrounding Sir Francis Bacon and the works of Shakespeare in this era. In turn this again links us back to the references to Arcadia in early wills and land deeds in Scotland. Is it possible that the entire theme of Arcadia even extending to Poussin is coming from Scotland and not France as most of this mystery infers? This may be also explained by the many noble connections between Scottish and French royals and gentry. The scope of Norman influence seems to be the common denominator in most of these mysteries.

The attempted colonization of Port Royal or Annapolis Nova Scotia under the auspices of William Alexander would also begin the rivalry between French and English influences that felt they had a right to that region. In the process both factions had distinct Norman backgrounds that may have also led them in turn to a value of Arcadia as defined by Philip Sidney and later inferred at Rennes le Chateau via the more modern association of Poussin’s work “The Shepherds of Arcadia.” In some ways this concept may have been used in a kind of psychological warfare in a mysterious silent war or game. Later this concept may have been used by American interests of the Society of the Cincinnati in the nineteenth century. Evidence suggests that a mystery may have been left at Stirling by Alexander and his Scots Royal forebears that served as a template for other quests or initiations later in history. Is it possible the story of the Oak Island treasure adds up to mere royal intrigue and not a real treasure?

Note also that William Alexander 1st Earl of Stirling came from the same line of Earls of Mentieth and Stathearn that valued referring to their lands as “Arcadia” about four hundred years prior. Both the family of Philip Sidney and William Alexander had direct links to the title of the Earl of Menteith which in a strange way may also be termed the Earl of Sancto Claro. How is it possible that a value of this concept had been alive in Scotland for so long before it became apparent to modern ears via the works of famous artists such as Poussin and others later? A distinct value of this concept seems to have been later valued by the more Catholic or Royal oriented factions of Mary Queen of Scots, Charles I, Charles II, James II and III, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and those who valued the Jacobite and Cavalier causes later in history.

It is clear that all of this does not have an impact on the legacy of the St. Clair or Sinclair family and their exploits through history. It is simply interesting that a similar term may have been mistaken as being associated with such a well known family name. In turn the Sinclair’s and their history are closely intertwined with that of the Earls of Menteith and the history of Scotland, England, and the rest of the world. It is also possible that they are related by other Norman means or via the de Clare family of England. As stated before it is also possible that any forms of these names may have been present in other parts of the sphere of Norman influence in the world at that time.

What are the connections between both Sancto Claro and Arcadia in places like Italy, Hungary, Sicily, and France? There appears to be many links via family and royalty that may answer these questions. As it turns out the answer to that question does in reality lay within the bounds of what is considered Arcadia in the Principality of Achea, Greece.

Much of the speculation surrounding the Sinclair family of Scotland centers on their involvement with the Knights Templar or The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. Popular books and movies seem to infer that Rosslyn Chapel has many themes in its artwork that are associated with the Knights Templar. (See my additional blog page that describes the Sinclair’s more Scandinavian heritage and how this is misinterpreted as them being Knights Templar and early explorers of North America. Their Norwegian ancestors had already been to Newfoundland thus the images of Rosslyn). As it turns out the Earls of Menteith have a direct and historically documented association with the Knights Templar. The Sinclair family does not have a direct and historically documented association with the Knights Templar.

Here again we are compelled to consider the phrase “Sancto Claro” as meaning something other than an association with the Sinclair family and their possible association with the Knights Templar. What if this moniker is associated with another titled family group that has a documented association with that order to the point where they are described as being “patrons of the Knights Templar in Scotland” from the earliest days of the Order’s inception. This storied family would later become Earl’s of Menteith and rulers of both England and Scotland. It is possible that the Menteith’s involvement with the Knights Templar and their name meaning “Sancto Claro” led to this confusion with the St. Clair’s or Sinclair’s

Alain Fitzwalter, Second High Steward of Scotland was a great patron of the Knights Templar in Scotland. Later his son Walter Bailloch would go on to participate in the 7th Crusade of Louis IX also known as St. Louis. The 7th Crusade (1248-1256) was an invasion of Egypt that failed though the Crusaders held the port of Dammaitia for a time. There are records of Knights Templar losing an engagement there where Count Robert Artois was also said to have lost his life. It may be possible that Walter Bailloch even knew Robert Artois and both may have been associated with the Knights Templar. Either way this association illustrates two links that will be important in understanding the connections between Santo Claro, The Earl’s of Menteith, and the Knights Templar.

Robert Artois was from the famous family of the King of France and his other ancestors including Charles I and II Kings of Naples and Sicily. Part of Robert’s grand lineage included Charles I Artois and Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor both sharing mothers that came from the Hauteville family of Normandy. The Norman influence in Italy, Sicily, and even Greece was strong at different points in history and had direct links to the same Norman families that had a great impact on the history of England and Scotland. Given this it may be that some Norman St. Clair’s had come to Italy, Sicily and other surrounding regions. This may have also resulted in not only those of St. Clair blood but other Norman families also occupying Greece during the phase of the Latin Kingdoms. The Artois dynasty controlled what is referred to as The Principality of Achea during this and some of their noble class did occupy this region.

Interestingly their is a piece of specific architecture in Naples, Italy that demonstrates the bond between the Artois’ and Menteith or Sancto Claro of Scotland. The St. Chiara (St. Clare) Cathedral of Naples Italy was built by family descendant of Count Robert Artois who lost his life on the 7th Crusade in Egypt. St. Chiara was built in the mid fourteenth Century by Sancta of Majorca wife of King of Naples Robert Artois. Though they lived about one hundred years apart both men even had the same first name and shared the same relations to the Kings of France, the Mentieth’s and many other noble families of Europe. If one creates an arc on the globe that corresponds with the orientation of St. Chiara Cathedral on the globe it transacts in a northwesterly course to Inchmahome Priory on an island in the Lake of Menteith Scotland. Inchmahome Priory also includes effigies of Walter Bailloch who fought with Count Robert Artois in the 7th Crusade. Is this a coincidence or a planned homage from the Artois to this in Scotland they felt related to and allied with? The fact that Walter had gone on a Crusade led by St. Louis (Louis IX) illustrates the historical links between Scotland and France that many ignore.

The effigies at Inchmahome Priory also includes another effigy of Walter’s Wife Mary I daughter of Muireadhach II, Moramaer of Menteith. It was in this fashion that the Earldom of Menteith passed to what we now term the Stewart family of Scottish and English Kings later in history. The image of these effigies lends some credence to the thought this is all associated with the Knights Templar. Other places associated with the Knights Templar including the Temple Church and Rosslyn Chapel also include effigies of Knights that seem to lend a air of authenticity to these stories. Here at Inchmahome Priory we may have the effigy that is being suggested by all this imagery and it is not of a member of the Sinclair family. This effigy depicts a man whose family were said to have been the patron's of the Knights Templar in Scotland.

Incredibly this little told tale also involves the Artois family being the Prince’s of the real region of Arcadia in Greece for a short time during the Latin Kingdom. The establishment of the Principalities of Achea (1205) and Athens was the result of the 4th Crusade. This Crusade is interesting in that in pitted the forces of Latin Rome against the Eastern remnants of the Byzantine Empire that also included the Eastern Church. At this time the Latin forces occupied the entire territory of their enemy and established new fiefdoms and administrative units based on the Latin Church. As a result the region was under the Frankish control of the Villarhedron family and their allies. This is important to our Scottish story because two potent symbols of Scotland are represented in Greece. This may include the traditional land of Arcadia and the story of St. Andrew which took place in this region now controlled by western Europeans who had their own views of these subjects. As we may see as this saga unfolds it is no coincidence that both native Greek and Scottish people wear kilts and play bagpipes! These beliefs may have ultimately contributed to why the Shepherds Monument at Shugborough Hall was constructed or even portions of what is considered the Mystery of Rennes le Chateau.

As part of the division of regions in these conquered lands portions were given to cooperative local lords, Church interests, with additional portions being given to the Knights Templar, Hospitalier, and Tuetonic. In 1266 the Principality became the domain of Charles of Anjou who did not cooperate with the Latin Church as well as the former inhabitants. Though Charles was never known to have visited Achea it is still an interesting link to the concept of Arcadia. Charles’ son Charles II would go on to play a central role in the legends of Mary Magdalene in southern France. Still later Rene’ of Anjou would be a central figure in the story of Joan of Arc.

What is important to note about the Anjou’s is how they are related to the same Merovingian and Plantagenet families that nobility in Scotland and England are from as well. The link between these two groups has always been a strong Norman heritage that seems to express itself at times beyond any national differences or borders. Though this faction of families were identified as being Catholic or even Holy Roman Emperors it is clear that they had an independent spirit that did not adhere strictly to Church doctrine and beliefs. Some elements of Eastern Christianity and even Gnosticism seem to have been appreciated by the Artois and other associated with them.

At about the same time that Alain Fitzwalter was patronizing the early Knights Templar the development of another order would display the concept of Sancto Claro though at a much later date than St. Margaret’s landing in Scotland with William Sancto Claro. The Order of Poor Clares sometimes known of as The Order of St. Clare was founded by St. Clare of Assissi in about 1212. The Poor Clares as they are known of were comprised of Nuns. The order was founded in 1212 by Clare of Assisi who was a devotee of St. Francis of Assisi. This is an interesting link to a value of the name Francis in later history. The inclusion of the word “poor” in their name also harkens to the original name of the Knights Templar as well.

The order eventually grew to include monasteries all over Europe including one near Paris. The Poor Clares of Paris later would educate both Marie of Guise and her daughter Mary Queen of Scots. This also included their instruction in the art of weaving and needlepoint which is a tradition of nuns going all the way back to Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire. Theodora was an independently minded woman who had created orders of nuns trained in the art of weaving as Theodora herself had once been. This factor may even have Coptic Christian overtones that may include a belief in the Gnostic Gospels and other concepts like Mary Magdalene.

The Order was founded about 144 years later than St. Margaret’s arrival in Scotland with William Sancto Claro. It is entirely possible that this phrase was valued at the time of St. Margaret extending to the later eras where we see its alternate meaning being applied to an Order of nuns. Then in succession we may observe a value of this order of nuns by the descendant family of Alain Fitzwalter and his Crusader son Walter Bellioloch. Margaret of Scotland had come from Hungary as well. Hungary would also later have a strong connection to the Poor Clare Order. The Poor Clares became similar to the Knights Templar in that many well healed and wealthy young women chose to become members of the order. This included potential brides of Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor and Robert II Anjou both also mentioned earlier in association. Both men were to be betrothed to women who chose to become Poor Clare nuns instead. Is it possible that the Hungarian background of Margaret of Scotland had brought the concept of Sancto Claro with her along with possible future family members related to Alain FitzWalter and his son Bailloch?

Mary Queen of Scots and Marie of Guise were educated at the St. Marcel (Order of St. Clare) monastery near Paris founded by Queen Margaret of France wife of Louis IX who had also led the 7th Crusade that included Robert Artois and Walter Bailloch. The connection and name of Queen Margaret may have also been an inspiration to Mary Queen of Scots. Of course this likely would have represented a strong link to earlier Scottish history and its Queen Margaret. Mary Queen of Scots was known to have had a strong fascination with St. Margaret or Queen Margaret of Scotland whose story is discussed above. Mary Queen of Scots valued St. Margaret of Scotland so much that she was even known to have kept the head of the Saint as a talisman during her pregnancy and childbirth including that of her son the future King James I. It is entirely possible that the true meaning of Sancto Claro was known of by this entire cast of characters and may have even resulted in the naming of the Order of St. Clare. It is also possible that the heads of both St. Margaret and Mary Queen of Scots are part of the mystery of Shugborough Hall in England.

Given the association of Robert Beale and Mary Queen of Scots prior to her beheading an interesting theory may be espoused. Beale was the liaison between Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I when she was being held captive by the later. At this time Beale was said to have become close to Mary Queen of Scots and that she even gifted him a jeweled necklace. One of the mysteries surrounding the death of Mary Queen of Scots is the disappearance of a strange casket that may resemble the one atop the tomb in the Poussin rendering seen at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire. This casket is rumored to hold the personal belongings and writings of Mary Queen of Scots. This missing item has been legendary since the death of Mary Queen of Scots and Robert Beale may have been one of the last people to have actually seen this item. As part of a theory developed in my book “The Geographic Mystery of Sir Francis Bacon” it may be that this casket and its contents comprise what is known of as the “Beale Treasure” today in the modern world. In turn the Beale Treasure legend of Virginia would develop in response to an older mystery that included a vault of Sir Francis Bacon’s papers that had been stashed in a vault somewhere in Jamestown or Williamsburg.

See my last blog post about the Knights Tombstone of Jamestown for more on the Beale Treasure and what it may really represent. Thank you. More coming soon. Next book in the works about Sacred Meridians will include much more on this subject. Thank you. -Cort Lindahl

St. Chiara 'points to' Inchmahome Priory in Scotland and the effigies of Walter Bailloch and his wife Mary I.

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