The Maldon Estuary in Essex flows out to the sea and during the medieval era, it carried vessels laden with goods produced on the massive farm, Temple Cressing, just upriver!
The river Brain, (no juvenile comments please) passes right by the Temple Cressing Farm and flows down to the Maldon Estuary.
Brain river is an Old English term for possibly Branoc’s Tree… There are many musings on this which Wiki covers if you are curious: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braintree,_Essex
Maldon is on the east coast of England, just north of London. The steamers and yachts moored on the shoreline are a testament to the days gone by… The river is capable of supporting large vessels, filled with produce and aimed at the Holy Land or other Templar holdings in need of the stuff of life such as wheat, barley, peas and other goods produced on the farm.
The Templars were tied into the merchant guilds of Europe and traded with them… They were not just men on horses, they were part of their communities…
This aspect of their life enabled their traditions to seep out into the Guilds, the broader population base and eventually morphing into secret societies.
I felt it was important to show the lay of the land and how the Templars lived and worked in their daily life, not just on the battle field… It is with this understanding that we may have a deeper insight into the survival of Templar refugees after the arrests of 1307…
I have more to share on this front soon!
