The Axis and Templum of Knights Templar Sir Francis Bacon. The Legacy of St. Alban’s Cathedral and the secret Destiny of the United States.

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The Axis and Templum of Knights Templar Sir Francis Bacon. The Legacy of St. Alban’s Cathedral and the secret Destiny of the United States.

Many historical rumors and legends state that Sir Francis Bacon was a Knights Templar. Freemasonry at large also seems to have reverence for the concepts that he developed and wrote of. What if any truth is there in the family legacy of Sir Francis Bacon that may indicate this is true? Here we will present one possible route of a value of the Knights Templar in the Bacon family that may also indicate a similar value in Elizabeth I and some of her associates. If true this may also explain why Sir Bacon worked so closely with many of those in England who practiced their faith in a clandestine manner. This information may even reveal that the Queen herself was aware of and approved of some of her court having these secrets. In turn this may also rationalize the similarity in symbols and place present in the City of London including the famous Temple Church.

This route of reasoning in the genetic lineage of Sir Francis Bacon includes a strong Norman heritage that includes a close family ancestry that includes famous relations in the much vaunted and written of Knights Templar. The following passage may impart some reasoning for this surprising and incendiary tale.

“Bascoun: The name of " P. Bascon " is inscribed on a marble tablet at Mont St. Michel, as one of the hundred and nineteen Norman gentlemen who defended the place against the English in 1423. "We find Bacon or Bacco in the eleventh century in Maine; but this family was Northman. Anchetil Bacon, before the Conquest, made grants at his lordship of Molay to Ste. Barbe-en-Auge (Des Bois): William Bacon, Lord of Molay, in 1082, founded Holy Trinity, Caen; and in 1154 Roger Bacon (who is mentioned as of Vieux-Molay) held estates in Wilts (Rot . Pip.). Robert, William, and Alexander Bacon held four knight's fees of ancient enfeoffment in 1165 from the Barony of Montfichet in Essex (Liber Niger).—The Norman People. The " Sire de Viez Molai," spoken of by Wace at the battle of Hastings, was the William Bacon above-mentioned, who founded, or according to another version, made donations to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity, where his sister had taken the veil. His son or grandson may have been the Richard Bacon, who was a nephew of Ranulph de Meschines, Earl of Chester, and the founder of Roucester Priory, in Staffordshire.

It seems all but self-evident that these Norman Lords of Molai, who came over at the Conquest, must have been the ancestors of the English family that has made their name illustrious. Few among our ancient houses can count up such a succession of eminent men as are shown on the pedigree of the Bacons: "no single cord, but a twisted cable of many together," as Fuller quaintly describes them. There was the Doctor Mirabilis of the thirteenth century, Friar Bacon, whose learning was so far in advance of the age that he was accounted a wizard: John Bacon, the studious and eloquent Carmelite styled the "Resolute Doctor;" Sir Nicholas Bacon, Queen Elizabeth's Lord Keeper, who "was, for judgment, the other pillar of the State;" and above all, his son Francis Lord Verulam, one of the greatest geniuses of his time. Voltaire calls him the father of experimental philosophy: and "his works are, for expression as well as thought, the glory of our nation and of all latter ages." His half-brother Nicholas received the first baronetcy ever conferred in this kingdom, now held by his descendants.

But the obvious derivation from the Sires de Molai does not commend itself to the family. They " deduce their descent from Grimbald, a cousin of William de Warrenne, whose great grandson, according to their genealogists, assumed the name of Bacon in Normandy."—J. R. Planche. "Why," pertinently asks M. de Pre'vost, " do the English Bacons choose to deduce their origin from this Grimbald, in preference to the well-known Bacons of Molai?" It is a question that I, at least, am unable to answer. According to Betham's Baronetage, "their pedigree was transcribed out of a book belonging to Binfield Priory, which is at large inserted in the book of evidences concerning this family."

(“The Battle of Abbey Roll: With Some Account of the Norman Lineages, Volume I” p. 139: By Catherine Lucy Wilhemina Powlett Duchess of Cleveland. Printers John Murray of Albemarle Street; 1889).

It may be that the Bacon’s were de Molay or “Bacon de Molay.” This passage refers to William Bacon de Molay. De Molay is one of the more famous titles associated with the Knights Templar. This is the era of the 11^th century and William the Conqueror. This Bacon was a confidant of William the Conqueror and helped to establish the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Caen as noted above. Is this the same de Molay family name that includes Jacques de Molay the Knights Templar Grand Commander that was burned at the stake in 1314 after the Templar purge of 1307? If so this may represent an amazing connection that will explain many of the motives and mysteries surround Sir Francis Bacon. Does this mean they were all Knights Templar including other famous family members Roger Bacon and Nathanial Bacon of “Bacons Rebellion” in Virginia? Either way this establishes the Bacon family as one of the premiere Norman families including de Vere (Drayton) and Hauteville families already discussed. These descendants of original Knights Templar would have a great impact on the development of the idea of a Republic in France and the Americas as a whole.

This Sir Francis Bacon and Jacques de Molay connection though unestablished is entirely possible given the legacy of the earlier Bacon Norman family and the later exploits of Sir Francis Bacon. The above commentator even wonders why they are not claiming or proud of this obvious connection to the illustrious Knights Templar. Could it be this has intentionally obscured? This may indeed be true given the Bacon legacy through time. It is interesting that there is scant information available about the family of Jacques de Molay. In addition the de Molay or Le Molay portion of the Bacon name is often omitted from any historical writings concerning the family. It is clear that the Bacon’s were “of Molay” which is commonly stated as “de Molay” in titles and names.

In addition William de Warrenne was part of a web of powerful Norman families whose influence would progress in tandem with the legacy of Sir Francis Bacon in England, the Colonies, and later, the United States and Canada. The de Warrene’s would go on to be First Family of Virginia Warren that would include governors and relatives of the most well known of Virginians including George Washington and others. The great admiration of Bacon on the part of Freemason’s and the modern Rosicrucian Order is beginning  to become easier to understand if this is true.

This information also reveals that the Norman Colombières are also of the Bacon de Molay line. Philippe de Colombières, member of the influential Bacon du Molay family, is mentioned as a lord tenant of Chateau Colombières. Later during the Normandy invasions Chateau Colombières would be one of the first places captured and would serve as headquarters for Allied General Omar Bradley. In a way D-Day represented the Normans recapturing their own homeland. The far flung members of the family had once again come home to roost and in addition returned that territory to the French People. This accomplished in no small part in tandem with  the Free French forces that were also part of the assault.

This value of Normandy may even extend to how and why Ft. Carroll built by Robert E. Lee points to Normandy very close to the Chateau as this azimuth extends to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The opposite direction suggested by the hexagonal plan of Ft. Carroll extends to Lee’s Arlington Estate and continues to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford Virginia. One arc on the globe based on the hexagonal plan and orientation of Ft. Carroll connects all these places in a talismanic manner that even has the namesake of Ft. Carroll being a member of this exclusive family group. This arrangement on the part of Lee is suggestive that he was privy to the information revealed here and may have also been a Knights Templar. Here we may also realize the influence of Sir Francis Bacon himself in the actions of Robert E. Lee and subsequent military leaders.

It may be that the value of Goddess Columbia in the Americas is due to this branch of the Bacon de Molay family. This in tandem with the imagery of St. Columba and St. Columban who actually evangelized in France may explain the dove or Columba imagery that is so appreciated as a metaphor for peace and specific places in the Americas including the City of Washington District of Columbia, The Columbia River, The Republic of Colombia, The name of Christopher Columbus and much more.

The dove or Columba is also a common symbol valued by may secret societies and gnostic orders. The application of a symbol such as this into the American consciousness would also match the legacy of Sir Francis Bacon, Inigo Jones, John Webb, members of the Scott family, and many others who would contribute a great deal to a value of the philosophy of freedom these people felt they represented via their artwork and writings. Given this it is not a stretch to consider that the name Colombières Bacon de Molay would have contributed to the imagery of Columbia as applied in all of the Americas including Canada and South America. In this context the meaning of the dove is much deeper. Columbia, Bacon, de Molay a place of Peace in the vision of Sir Francis Bacon.

This amazing family relation between Jacques de Molay and Sir Francis Bacon if accurate is also highly suggestive that the Knights Templar did indeed survive as a clandestine organization that also used his works and those of William Shakespeare as part of a mystery school existence in Europe that also included many hidden English Catholics and possibly Jesuits. At different times the new Templars may have been comprised on of descendants of original Knights Templar. If Bacon was descendant of Jacques de Molay then from an ancestral standpoint would have made him a leader. This coupled with his great intellect we know now did make him the head of other suspected group like the “Invisible College” and Knights of the Helmet.

Sir Francis Bacon’s life as well as those of many of his direct cohorts fits a pattern of a reality that displays they all were either descendant of original Knights Templar or that they were all members of an order that had never really disappeared but had resorted to mystery school techniques and methods in order to survive. This dedication to the philosophy of Bacon in a Knights Templar context would also extend to many of Bacon’s descendants and relatives through many phases of the development of the Americas. This philosophy helped to build the foundations of the United States of America.

Bacon had apparently surrounded himself with other Knights Templar suspects as well. This may include Inigo Jones, John Webb, Ben Jonson, The Earls of Pembroke William and Phillip, Dr. John Dee, Francis Walsingham, Robert Beale, Thomas Beale, de Warrene, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, Captain John Smith, Captain Gabriel Archer, The Montagu family, The Drayton’s (de Vere) of Charleston, and other first family scions of Jamestown Colony and Williamsburg. This may also suggest that Pirate Peter Easton and the Easton founders of Newport Rhode Island may have also been part of this Templar group which may also include Thomas Jefferson. The extensive intermarriage of the First Families of Virginia would have also extended the value of Bacon to almost the entire core group among those who had married with the colonial Bacons. Other English Bacon’s related to Sir Francis would also settle in Maine and New York.

This influence would extend to each place of early settlement on the eastern seaboard and later to Rupert’s Land of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Places like Oak Island, Newport, Williamsburg, Charleston, and Savannah Georgia may all hold a special place in this era of the “secret Knights Templar” in United States History. This information is also suggestive that the order maintained some sort of operational ability even after the time they were persecuted. It is clear that later documents surfaced clearing the Templars in the eyes of the Vatican in 1308. It may be that in the years immediately following the execution of Jacques de Molay that the remaining Templars instituted an organization by which their descendants could maintain the order to be rebuilt at a later date. This ethos would have made these families a defacto intelligence service and secret society somewhat different tha the previous order but designed to maintain the same values. Many of these values can be seen in Republican forms of government in the modern era. Here slowly we are also beginning to see the emergence of a value of the feminine in the beliefs of this group as expressed via the iconography and hidden mysteries of Mary Magdalene.

It appears that after this time the Knights Templar operated in a clandestine manner and still maintained an allegiance to the Church on the part of many families. This concept would work hand in hand with the Jacobite sensibilities that also seemed to have contributed to the creation of the United States in a hidden way. It appears the Knights Templar and Church both played important roles in the creation of America. All of this seems to have been executed using intelligence service and mystery school techniques that were intentionally devised via the works of William Shakespeare. Almost all of the suspects thought to have penned the works of the Bard may have been Knights Templar including William Shakespeare himself.

This connection would go along way towards explaining many things including why Bacon’s imagery and influence is so appreciated by Freemason’s including the modern version of the Knights Templar. Though this seems to be the case there is indeed no solid evidence beyond the place title of de Molay between the Norman Bacon’s and the later Jacques de Molay and later still Sir Francis Bacon. The acts and deeds of later Bacons from Roger to Nathaniel Bacon in the colonies also may reflect that this line of genealogical reasoning is very possible if not true. Their membership in the Knights Templar ties together many loose ends and suggests a common motive for colonists who came from many different backgrounds.

It truly appears as if the legacy of Jacques de Molay, William Bacon de Molay, Sir Francis Bacon, Roger Bacon, and other well known members of the family includes them in playing a large role in the development of the United States in many different phases of history. The Bacon family would even go on to have an impact on the development of places like Gold Rush California and the Mining Boom phenomena of the Great State of Colorado. Even General Custer married a Bacon.

Considering the above revelations we note the influence of Sir Francis Bacon in the development of Canada and the United States has been put forth by a variety of authors with a corresponding array of assumptions and conclusions. Here we will examine the possible influences of Sir Francis Bacon in the realm of the Axis Mundi and its associated Templum or valued sphere of influence and mystery. As we have noted it is likely that the goals of Bacon and his circle also included the legacy of the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and Solomon’s Temple more commonly known as The Knights Templar.

Earlier we supposed that Bacon had been aware of the concept of the Axis Mundi and both its practical and spiritual meanings. Bacon was among a class of scholars who studied ancient history as well as classical Greek and Roman mythology Coupled with this is the Rosicrucian overtones of much of his work. Included in this analysis is the use of hidden metaphors, codes, hidden aspects of artwork, and here we may also see the application of a Prime Meridian or Axis Mundi in much the same way we see Constantine and later Thomas Jefferson applying it. Sir Francis Bacon was apparently a Templar using a Template to create an Axis and Templum that defined the Temporal fabric. It is entirely possible given this value by later Knights Templar in America that specific places were chosen with regard to what was felt to be a valued location or point on the globe.

It is clear through the evolution of this concept that Jefferson was in part responding to the influence of Sir Francis Bacon in the architecture that he had produced. This would also match the many suppositions and suggesting saying Jefferson was a Knights Templar even though no record of this exists that has been found to date. In so doing Jefferson had also relied on the influence of architect Inigo Jones who was also a member of Bacon’s inner circle of scholars and artists who also may have been Knight of the Temple.

Jones’ influence can be seen in the odd street plan of Washington D.C. It is clear that Jones who was also an operative stonemason had had some influence in the development of Freemasonry in England during the mid to late seventeenth century. The family of John Webb, Jones’ assistant and receiver of his papers upon his death, carried out the legacy of Inigo Jones in the United States, Canada, and England playing a role in many examples of hidden meanings in architecture, ceramics, glassware, and engraving. It seems that part of  what these men did may have been in association with a hidden form of Knights Templar.

Jones may also serve as an example of how the influence of Sir Francis Bacon was seemingly appreciated and used by a sect of hidden Catholics and Jesuits that existed in England during the time of Elizabeth and James I. It appears that many of the people that Bacon surrounded himself including some that share a suspicion of having actually been the creators of the works of Shakespeare with Bacon would include descendants that used the imagery and works of Bacon in many different secretive and interesting ways. No matter who was the actual creator of the works of Shakespeare it is clear that hidden messages and themes were included in the volumes that some have interpreted as a kind of quest or initiatory activity that may lead to a stash of hidden information left by Sir Francis Bacon. The true reason for Bacon’s association with these people may be revealed if one considers that they were all indeed Knights Templar who despite their value of the Church operatedin a secret way to benefit the survival of the order. It also seems that one of their goals was to create a Republic on the model of Genoa that would facilitate their business and banking ventures free of the control of Royal interests while still maintaining a value and respect for the Church.

These values are nearly identical to those of the Jacobite factions of England and Scotland who valued a Stewart Monarchy and the Roman Church. Even the Jacobite factions that were not Catholic wished to free themselves from Royal domination while still maintaining the advantages they had enjoyed under a Stewart monarchy that were no longer available to them under a constitutional monarchy ruled by Parliament and an imported Royalty from Germany.

Author Petter Amundsen even suggests that the Ark of the Covenant is the center of this quest activity and that Bacon had encoded the location of Oak Island Nova Scotia as the location of the hidden Ark of the Covenant. Mr. Amundsen has collected a great deal of information that suggests that coded portions of Shakespeare’s First Folio which is associated with Sir Bacon contained coded portions of text that revealed this information to him. His analysis has stood up even under the scrutiny of Stratfordian Shakespeare scholars who insist William Shakespeare was the author of the plays and works that many now attribute to Bacon or the 17^th Earl of Oxford de Vere.

There is also a very similar legend in Williamsburg and earlier Jamestown of a vault of information having been brought there by Nathaniel Bacon also famous as the instigator of “Bacon’s Rebellion.” One can almost imagine the true nature of this insurrection being between the original settlers and incoming second wave of hidden Catholics. It is clear that the hidden Catholic faction may have also been at Jamestown as evidenced by the recent recovery of a reliquary in the grave of Captain Gabriell Archer who was indeed associated by blood with Jesuit clergy one of which even lived in Santiago de Compostela and others who helped to reestablish the Jesuit College in London under James I.

In fact an amazing association exists between the Webb family mentioned above in the person of Inigo Jones’ assistant and brilliant architect in his own right John Webb. William Shakespeare the actual bard said to have penned these classics is directly related to the Webb family that produced a great deal of hidden and occult artwork and architecture that seems to be very similar in concept to many things attributed to Sir Francis Bacon. So it is clear that no matter who or how the plays were produced that William Shakespeare was indeed part of a family legacy that included these kind of hidden elements. It seems silly to say but either way Shakespeare is involved in Shakespeare no matter how one views it. The Stratfordian faction that may believe in some elements of intrigue in William’s story may take note of this family legacy. They may also consider that William Shakespeare himself was part of a family that were part of the Knights Templar and many of his actions including his role in the creation of the plays he is credited with writing should be considered in this light.

Many people have recently come to believe that the 17^th Earl of Oxford de Vere was indeed the actual author of the plays of Shakespeare. This de Vere family is in fact the same Drayton family that played a large hand in the development of Charleston South Carolina. The Drayton branch of de Vere simply assumed the name from Drayton House in England owned by de Vere. Drayton House in England includes and octagonal structure that points to the International Peace Garden. The attributes of Drayton House in England seemed to have been later repeated at Drayton Hall and the octagonal City Plaza known as Washington Square in Charleston. Here we see the family of the Earl of Oxford playing a major role in one of the most important colonies in America.

Discussed earlier is how Drayton Hall in Charleston points the way to Oak Island as well as the octagonal City Plaza of the town that points to Oak Island and a Cistercian Monastery north of the city limits. The Edgar Allan Poe story “The Gold Bug” takes place near Charleston. Poe in many ways also seemed to be an acolyte of Sir Francis Bacon as evidenced by his fascination with the classics and coded material. Poe was likely also a member of the Society of the Cincinnati that also included many of the primary families that had seen fit to hide their Catholic sympathies through time.

The de Vere family again illustrates how an inner circle of the court of Elizabeth and James I seemed to include many closeted Catholic families that practiced their faith in a clandestine or secret manner. The de Vere family includes a long line of Chamberlains of England who are both intimate and influential with the King or Queen of any given era. It is amazing that people of this power and influence may have indeed by cloistered members of the Knights Templar.

Through history we see many groups of Christians creating secret or mystery school ways of surviving. The winds of political whimsy had at different times made it illegal to be a Catholic in England and the Colonies. This was also a period of history where the lineal descendants of the original Knights Templar thought it prudent to keep their existence secret.

Presented here is a rationale with regard to how this concept may have played an important role in early America and beyond. Many of the activities of this group of people may later be mis-interpreted as being Rosicrucian in nature. While this may be true to some extent it is possible that Jesuits and Catholics could also adapt a Rosicrucian view in America as a way to disguise their Catholic faith while still being aware of what the real Rosicrucian’s were doing. This dynamic may have even existed in Bacon’s time leading to many of his associates and their later families being part of this hidden form of Catholicism in early America. These Christian mysteries may have also spawned the Legends of Oak Island, The Newport Tower, Bacon’s Vault of Williamsburg, The Beale Treasure, The Architecture of Thomas Jefferson, and Charleston South Carolina.

Its seems also that many Protestants or alternate Christians were included in the clandestine Knights Templar again echoing the values and mores of the Jacobite philosophy in the colonies. The promise of the new Republic appealed to many who banded together towards a common goal of religious and economic freedom that would shatter these socio-political divisions that had existed in the old world for centuries.

The fact that these different religious factions would work together towards a goal that may have been seen as beneficial to the Roman Church is interesting and notable. It is clear that the Church sent money and support to the colonies during the revolution and in addition the Colonies largest allay at the time was France a generally Catholic country as well. It seems that the secret Knights Templar factions saw their Royal enemies as being more of a threat than working together with the Church to escape their tyranny.

An examination of two other of Bacon’s associates and contemporaries may also reveal his influence and their possible involvement in this early Catholic movement in the colonies. Both Robert Beale and Walter Montagu were both close to Queen Elizabeth, and Bacon. An examination of their family legacies may suggest that portions of the family were indeed part of this hidden Knights Templar movement in England and the colonies. It may also be obvious that some of these men were indeed Protestant but were hidden Knights Templar who were allied with their hidden Catholic brothers.

Walter Montagu’s father as discussed earlier would survive the same charges and insinuations that finished Bacon’s career while all his hidden Catholic and Jesuit cohorts continued to thrive under James I. This may indicate that Bacon was spying on the Jesuit faction when at times he appeared to be one of them. This may also explain why this Catholic faction of Jacobites had adapted his secrets and codes to use for their own purposes which were not too far from what Bacon had also dreamt of. Later we may see Lord Halifax Montagu-Dunk applying both the imagery of Sir Francis Bacon and the Ethiopian imagery of his associate James Bruce to the Oak Island mystery via an additional Knights Templar descendant and cartographer Joseph des Barres. It is starting to look as if it may be possible that this association did include the influence of Bacon’s and may have had some other overtones related to his ancestry with Jacques de Molay and his membership in the Knights Templar.

Robert Beale as discussed earlier was the liaison between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots during her imprisonment prior to her execution. Mary Queen of Scots even gifted a diamond necklace to Robert Beale, which may in reality comprise a more realistic “Beale Treasure.” Beale is known to have associated with Dr. John Dee and Bacon and was also part of the intelligence gathering apparatus of Queen Elizabeth and later James I under the direction of “spymaster” Walter Montagu. Later York County Sheriff Thomas Beale’s name is included on the brass plaque present in the Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, which is the center of the Legend of Bacon’s Vault. A much later twentieth century man named Truxtun Beale saw fit to have himself buried in the Bruton Parish Churchyard even though he had been born in San Francisco.

This and a great deal of additional evidence may suggest that even the Beale Treasure Legend had been propagated in this tradition. Certainly both the Legend of Oak Island and the Beale Treasure are very popular in the public mind but neither has yet to produce any tangible treasure. In contrast both legends teach the seeker a great deal about the true history that has shaped the history of Canada and the United States. If you ever meet a Beale Treasure scholar you are now also meeting a Declaration of Independence scholar for example. These mysteries may be meant to teach you something beyond any golden treasure that may or may not exist in association.

The Beale family would have a major influence on the development of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Virginia while the Montagu and de Vere families played the same role in the development of Charleston South Carolina and Halifax Nova Scotia. The Montagu family was also a major force in the development of Virginia. Still a third group of this family line would influence the development of Newport Rhode Island and the legends associated with the Newport Tower.  All of these locations posses arrays of talismanic architecture that display the hidden tenets of the tradition of the Axis Mundi and the works of Shakespeare.

Bolstering this idea is the fact that many of the characters from Shakespeare’s Richard II and Henry trilogy are indeed the same families and influences that had created these four places situated along the east coast. It seems as if the works of Shakespeare had been used in mystery school fashion by these factions to hide or obscure the involvement of the Church in the colonies at this time. During this era Catholics were entirely out of favor during the time of Elizabeth I and slowly gained more freedom and exposure under James I as well as Charles I and II. In this way the Cavalier culture of early Virginia developed with a distinct Jacobite overlay. The influence of the Fallen Kings of Norman Italy, Wales, and Scotland also had a large influence in these terms in tandem with the Catholic Church that they also favored. Is it possible that all of these men were cloistered Knights Templar as well?

If this all is true where did Sir Francis Bacon or possibly this Catholic faction of people gain a value of this type of architecture and associated Prime Meridian? It may be that the legacy of Constantine and Charlemagne in this realm was also held in great esteem by the Knights Templar. Many of the mysteries of Sir Francis Bacon and Shakespeare may be revealed by an examination of the history of St. Alban’s England where Bacon was from. Many aspects of local culture from the Roman settlement of Verulamian to the construction of the St. Alban’s Cathedral may have had an impact on Bacon as well as the cadre of people that surrounded him.

How had Sir Francis Bacon become exposed to all of this intrigue and associations with this architectural tradition?

The development or initiation of Bacon into these mysteries may have primarily involved St. Alban’s Cathedral and its namesake. St. Alban himself was among the earliest Christian martyrs in England. He was said to have taken the cloak of an accused Christian and posed as the condemned during the Roman occupation. This after having housed and hidden the Christian for a time, which exposed him to this new faith. St. Alban was said to have been beheaded with a spring developing at the spot where his head came to rest after rolling down a hill. Eventually the Cathedral would be built on this spot. This story also has many of the overtones of the tale of the Green Man.

After several different incarnations of the Church structure it assumed its current form under the guidance of Adrian IV the only Englishman to ever hold the Papacy. Adrian had been originally trained at the Monastery of St. Alban’s there. The only English Pope to ever exist came from and designed the current form of St. Alban’s Cathedral. Amazingly Adrian IV’s given name is Nicholas Breakspeare!

Is it somehow possible that even this man’s name could have inspired the name of the bard that had written the works many attribute to Bacon or his group of scholars? In the past it is plain to see that intentional “alchemical” misspellings are applied so as to appear very obvious to the seeker. The similarities in the name Shakespeare and Breakspeare can’t be ignored in this context. Some even associate Adrian with the family of Sir Lancelot himself with others insisting that Adrian was indeed Lancelot himself. The name Breakspeare corresponds with some descriptions of Lancelot as the “breaker of spears.” Adrian IV was the Pope who crowned Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa one of the rulers who had seemingly followed a predetermined quest that had been left by Charlemagne that led him to open his vault in search of answers.

The figure of Adrian IV the only English Pope would likely serve as a grand symbol of the Catholic Faith in England and may have also served as the center for a mystery school intelligence service designed to maintain the Catholic faith in England the later the fledgling colonies. It seems that later this group may have used the works of Bacon in tandem with this intelligence service and other more traditional activity. It may be that even the name of the bard was selected due to this similarity in names. To anyone aware of Adrian’s real name of Breakspeare this may have been something of note or a kind of metaphorical hint as to the origins of the entire phenomena. Pope Adrian IV also was noted as having had a great influence on the Norwegian Church even after the time they had become Lutheran. Adrian has actually travelled to and preached in Norway.

In the context of our studies here it may be interesting to note the way St. Alban’s Cathedral points on the globe. In our other studies this examination of the use of such a structure as suggested in Fulcanelli’s “Mystery of the Cathedrals” as an Axis Mundi does reveal some astounding associations that harken back to the Holy Land and the United States as well.

If an arc is plotted on the globe at the southeasterly orientation of St. Alban’s Cathedral on the globe it transects central Europe and Mediterranean to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. This is an amazing association in relation to the theories of Petter Amundsen that seem to suggest the Ark of the Covenant’s location was known of by Bacon and is now possibly located at Oak Island Nova Scotia as his theories and decipherment suggests. This is also an amazing correlation to a place that was so important to the Knights Templar.

The theory stated here and in the work “The Sacred Towers of the Axis Mundi” states that the Templars valued the Dome of the Rock because they believed Constantine had built it. It may also be that they had recovered his remains along with information that would go on to influence their beliefs beyond the grasp of the Church. This may also explain why Knights Templar descendant and possible member Sir Francis Bacon and associates would contrive similar mysteries meant to impart this information in a metaphorical way that cannot be empirically proven and only understood by those that had been initiated into these mysteries.

An examination of Petter’s work in this realm also led to an examination of St. Alban’s Cathedral using the application of the template of the Axis or Prime Meridian as described by this author(Cort Lindahl) in three consecutive books. In context this would make the fourth similar mystery including those of Lalibela Ethiopia, Chartres Cathedral, and another similar Ark Legend that exists in the Great State of Arkansas of the United States. Both the Baconian mysteries of Williamsburg and Stirling Castle also include references to the Ark of the Covenant.

St. Alban’s with its associations to Bacon and now the Dome of the Rock may indicate an additional Ark of the Covenant legend that may have been designed by individuals who were aware of the how St. Alban’s points to the Dome of the Rock. This would fit the use of this tradition by a group whose name even is suggestive ofa value of geometry, cartography, Temples, and associated templates. This new legend also is reflective of the planners having been aware of the true role and significance of Sir Francis Bacon in the entire scheme as well as the involvement of the legacy of Pope Adrian IV and the Knights Templar.

The northwesterly azimuth opposite of the arc extending to the Dome of the Rock transects the globe to Nebo, Arkansas. Mt. Nebo east of Jerusalem is one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant was supposed to have been hidden. The Town of Nebo in ARKansas is named for Mt. Nebo resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Though the town of Nebo is in the foothills of the OzARK mountains there is indeed a real Mt. Nebo in Arkansas. This Mt. Nebo is pointed to by the International Peace Garden where right here in this book it is speculated that the Ark is indeed located. So at every turn here were are being presented with possible Ark of the Covenant locations that all seem to have developed in part using the imagery and influence of Sir Francis Bacon. This very same arc extending from the octagon of the Peace Garden to Mt. Nebo also points to a Spear of Destiny mystery in Louisiana in Point Coupee’ or “Cut off Point” Louisiana. This may refer to the tip of the Spear of Destiny that was once possessed by the Byzantines in Constantinople.

Which Ark mystery is the real one? Are we being led on some sort of “National Treasure” wild goose chase? Is the real Ark of the Covenant somewhere in North America or in Ethiopia where the Old Testament suggests it was once taken? Part of the legend of the Ark in Ethiopia includes a reproduction of it being located in each Church to throw of any potential Ark stealers. It is likely that these places and names in Arkansas were all arranged with regard to the Ark of the Covenant by later people who were aware of what had been done by Bacon and other real Knights Templar descendants earlier.

 All of these subsequent Ark quests seem to be patterned on the original mystery of the Ark in Ethiopia. So this Ethiopian Imagery at Oak Island and other places is both associated with the Enochian overtones of some Masonic metaphors and the Legend of the Ark of the Covenant. This Ark mania even extends to the George Washington Masonic Memorial where there is a reproduction of the Ark of the Covenant. Other quests of this type involve the Holy Rood (True Cross), Spear of Destiny, Stone of Destiny, The Terraphim, as well as other relics. There are some grizzly suggestions that some of the valued relics are the heads of people like St. Alban’s and Mary Queen of Scots here again possibly related to a value of the concept of the Green Man. These biblical “Terraphim” or stone heads may also be related to some of the values of the Knights Templar and their said worship of similar objects in some accounts. Are these hidden objects real or are these quests meant to teach one the true nature of those who created these questions?

The Town of Nebo has another association that may link us back to the cadre of First Families of Virginia now from Minnesota including the Ames and Hill families. The Ames brothers were the principal builders of the trans continental railroad. Their family also comprised the first two Grand Commanders of Minnesota Knights Templar. The Ames also owns the company that makes ceremonial Masonic swords and medals. There are indeed Ames intermarriages with Bacon’s in U.S. history.

To mark the highest point of elevation along the route of the transcontinental railroad the Ames constructed what is now known as the Ames pyramid. This strange pyramid was once adjacent to a small railroad town that disappeared when the route of the line was moved sometime later. At this point the town is entirely gone and a large stone pyramid built by the Ames brothers stands in the sagebrush desert of southeastern Wyoming.

The Ames Pyramid points to the Kensington Rune Stone in Minnesota. This may be a metaphorical clue as to their family knowledge of the stone as discussed earlier. Interestingly this pyramid also points an arc to Magazine Mountain Arkansas and the Town of Nebo Arkansas in a single arc. Magazine Mountain itself is home to a treasure mystery of its own and is interesting that one meaning of magazine is “repository.” This definition may also apply to the octagonal Powder Magazine in Williamsburg that is part of the Legend of Bacon’s Vault in Williamsburg. The Newport Tower was once also referred to as a “Magazine.”

It is possible that all of this imagery in Arkansas was established by those who were aware of the association to St. Alban’s Cathedral and the legacy of Sir Francis Bacon. If true then who may this person have been? Who in Arkansas may possess the family legacy and information that would compel them to create such an array? An array that is associated directly with the image of Bacon and the International Peace Garden that, let us not forget, is pointed to by the Peace Temple of Rome the last known location of the Temple Treasure in Jerusalem.

Is it possible that Albert Pike famous prognosticator and leader of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in America had left this Baconian mystery for us?

Though it may be tempting to attribute this arrangement or knowledge of it to Albert Pike due to his Freemasonic connections this is likely not the case. It appears that this notion was first brought about by the French and Spanish Jesuit priests that were part of the settlements of those countries prior to the Louisiana Purchase going to the United States. Albert Pike though possessing the historical and intellectual tools to understand such a scheme does not appear to be the person that brought the imagery or idea of the Ark of the Covenant to Arkansas.

The notion of the Ark in this part of the world includes a complex series of Christian belief coupled with contact with Native Americans who already had a strong sense of astronomy and millennial time. This is the same pattern of manipulation that was employed by the Spanish in Mexico including serious cultural blowback to the invading culture. The fact that the Native American’s had an advanced understanding of what certain Europeans considered occult information led many to believe that ancient people’s had visited the America’s and imparted these skills to them. In Arkansas this idea is even supported by Native American material culture that even includes what may be a magnetic compass with many analysts coming to the conclusion that one specific item recovered was a sundial.

The Menard Mounds complex in Arkansas has yielded some amazing artifacts including a circular dish with 36 even divisions displayed around the rim of the stone dish that even resemble the “engrailing” on the arms of the Sinclair family of Rosslyn Chapel. Discovered with the ‘dish’ were male and female figures that appear to have had a fertility message included in their design. The discovery of these items along with stories of a stone circle of inscribed obelisks at this site add to the notion that these items were used for astronomy or navigation. The legend of these obelisks even has many of the overtones of the Kensington Rune with reports stating that they had “Phoenician” writing on them. This is also reminiscent of the sandstone pillar on the Milk River in Alberta that includes a Hebrew inscription.

Amazingly the Menard Mounds sits on the exact 34^th Parallel. This situation on an even degree of latitude fits the scheme of other axes like the hexagon of Baalbek (34^th parallel), Athens Greece (38^th), and Jefferson’s Monticello (38^th). It is possible that this site was used for navigational or astronomical uses that would fit into an ancient European scheme of cartography and fixing one’s position on the globe. Here referenced in the Native American culture may be knowledge of how to fix ones position on what is said to be a ancient Greek grid. Many speculate that the Greeks were the first to develop the very system of latitude and longitude that is used today. Coincidentally if one divides the circle of Stonehenge using an octagonal scheme oriented to true north an azimuth on the globe from Stonehenge reaches the Menard Mounds complex. Menard Mounds also sits in a geographic region where the magnetic pole and Pole star are aligned. So in this region any magnetic compass would have also pointed to the Pole Star.

Though this site is not along the azimuths associated with the Ark of the Covenant there it is easy to see why and how these artifacts and stories would lead one to a belief that the Ark was possibly in Arkansas. These items had been found in the nineteenth century and scholars of the day compared them to Phoenician or Hebrew culture and even stated the belief that it was possible that these cultures had come to North America and had left these items. This is the same era of Joseph Smith founder of the Mormon faith and his assertions that ancient peoples had also come to the continent so this idea was somewhat popular at the time. It is possible that all these theories were erroneous and did not take into account ideas that may have been shared with Native Americans. This also does not consider the notion that Native American ideas and culture could have made their way back to pre contact Europe just as easily as they had come to the New World from the Old Country.

What is interesting in relation to all of this is how St. Alban’s points the way to Nebo Arkansas in relation to all of this other material culture that was used to infer the same concept. Who had known of these associations enough to even develop this theory? We must also consider that European factions that were aware of the works of Bacon and the significance of how St. Alban’s Cathedral pointed this way had set all of this up. The prime suspects would have to include a group of people who we have already seen displaying a great interest in the concept of the Axis and Templum as well as the Ark of the Covenant. It had to have been Catholic factions among the early French and Spanish explorers who first noticed these similarities. One of the earliest explorers to this region was Hernando de Soto.

This is the same dynamic one can see in the writings of La Moyne D’Iberville and his description of Le Baton Rouge that resembles descriptions of the Viking Yrrgdrasil Tree. La Moyne also described the native lodges in Louisiana as including two pillars on either side of the entrance in a Masonic reference. It is only natural that these men would explain native material culture in terms they were familiar with. La Moyne was an interesting character that also contributed a great deal to the history of French Arcadia where Oak Island is located. In some ways it is almost as if the French and Catholic factions wanted people to believe more ancient people had come to the America’s long ago. Unfortunately it is not clear if this were true or a manipulated reality meant to misinform their enemies.

One common thread from the mysteries of Oak Island and the Kensington Stone is the possible involvement of the French who were present at both sites in history and are known to value legends and myths like Oak Island, The Spear of Destiny, and Ark of the Covenant. In short this narrative may have also been left behind to confuse and astound the Spanish and Americans who would also eventually control Arkansas. Is it possible that the French had left behind an intentionally contrived mystery using secret terms that would mislead only a specific group. Is this story real or a product of some intelligence service oriented ploy to mess with the heads of one’s enemy? We should consider both views here. It is clear as noted earlier in the life of La Salle and d’Iberville that the French had left marker stones that claimed Louisiana. The Kensington Stone was found in this very context on the border of Louisiana and Rupert’s Land of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Something strange is going on and it involves Bacon, The Ark of the Covenant, hidden history, and the arts of astronomy and navigation. In addition it involves a Native American value of astronomy and associated navigational skills. This in a very real way repeats the pattern of Spanish contact with the Aztecs and their amazement with regard to Native astronomical and time keeping abilities. It is entirely possible that French factions would be aware of the scheme of St. Alban’s Cathedral and where it pointed to on the globe. In addition it is clear that the Jacobite Catholic faction had even influenced the alliance that had existed between the new United States and France. Part of this alliance did involve many of the French and English colonists and their Catholic faith. Even the border between Louisiana and Rupert’s Land of the Hudson’s Bay Company was a political division between Jacobite interests and the French. After the revolutionary war the French alliance and these ideals were kept alive by the Society of the Cincinnati.

Here we may be forced to consider that the same secrets encoded into the Great Cyclic Cross of Hendaye had influenced the French view of what Native Americans knew in this realm. Naturally the French would have assumed that Europeans had come and influenced the Native culture with what was at the time considered alchemical or occult information. Who had taught these skills to the Natives? This was the information of Gods and Kings. Their ethnocentrism would have caused them to believe that these people were not capable of such advanced thinking and geometry.

Wrong.

This entire erroneous view is primarily what led to the early analysts of the Menard Mound artifacts to assume that Phoenician or Ancient Hebrew people had come to America. This same attitude coupled with secret information could easily compel one to assume that ancient secrets including the Ark of the Covenant had been hidden in Arkansas. It may also be assumed that these European individuals may have been privy to the directional qualities of St. Alban’s Cathedral. It is also possible that whatever cross cultural ideas had influenced this phenomena in the New World could have come at any point in history after the development of seagoing vessels.

It would be interesting to see if somehow Albert Pike was aware of all of this. He held a position within the Scottish Rite and a great intellect that would have allowed him to interpret these historical factors. There is no reference or record of him knowing anything about this though it is likely that he was at least aware of the associated scheme and overtones. There is no doubt that Pike would have been familiar with the impact that Sir Francis Bacon had on the development of Freemasonry and Rosicrucian thought.  It is clear that Pike opposed the Catholic Church and held a kind of secular view that is promoted in the Scottish Rite. As a result he would have been interested in any gnostic or hidden history associated with the state in which he dwelled. Albert Pike did find his way to Arkansas under mysterious circumstances. It is a mystery as to why he stayed though later he did still manage to attain the status he has in Freemasonry and History.