The Tau is a figure constructed of five lines and is considered an important emblem or insignia in Royal Arch Masonry and was the symbol of the Knights Templar of Saint Anthony of Leith. Find out why …
Among my Masonic illustrations I have many definitions of the Tau. Some are that it means TH or Templum Hierosolyma, Temple of Jerusalem; or that it means a treasure, or a place where the treasure is buried. The Tau is a figure constructed of five lines and is considered an important emblem or insignia in royal arch masonry. There is also a triple cross like a T from the Egyptian, Roman or English alphabet.
What is the connection to Leith? This symbol was the symbol of the Knights Templar of Saint Anthony of Leith. His church, landscaped burial place was at St Anthony’s Wynd, a Kirkgate ally that no longer exists. Its preceptor, however, was in the area running from the Kirkgate Mall and Community Center to the Yardheads (Yard in Yardheads, by the way, comes from Old High German Yarde, which means a monastic courtyard or wall) and Henderson Gardens. Proof of this comes from a Letter from King James VI that says All the arable land croft adjoining the garden of San Antonio, and also all that place and land where the Church and Preceptor of San Antonio de los Caballeros Templarios was located ” , which during the Siege of Leith bore the same name, in common with the property I of most Scottish parishes that was in the hands of the Knights Templar. Some houses in Edinburgh and Leith bore the Insignia of the Order, a Cross Tau with the motto Lavs Deo “to show that they held Superiority, but not, as is generally assumed by indicating that they themselves occupied the premises.
Further evidence was found in the last century when gas pipes were installed on St Anthony Street and substantial amounts of human remains were discovered. What they had found was the cemetery of the Preceptoría de San Antonio. This cemetery was quite substantial and covered much of what is St Anthony and Great Junction Street to the Foot of Leith Walk. When the New Kirkgate Mall was built, more human remains were found.
The church or monastery was very large, approximately 325 feet long from east to west. It appears to have had a double nave similar to the Templar church at Templecombe in England with a large central bell tower. The evidence for this comes from two sources. First from Sir Thomas Fisher in a letter to Somerset, Lord Protector of England, dated October 11, 1548, signifies a substantial Church in the area. Second, since the Siege of Leith when French gunners mounted their guns inside the Tower. Nevertheless. Within a few hours, the Tower was demolished by English cannon fire.
At this stage it is important to clarify an important point. According to many writers, Leith was a very poor place during the Middle Ages. That was not true. When Lord Somerset entered Leith during what was called the Rough Wooing in 1544, Leith was found to be extremely wealthy – as wealthy as London, if not more. This wealth came from the export of wool to the Netherlands after the English crushed Berwick in 1296 under Edward I. This led to the development of Leith as Scotland’s main port until the rise of Glasgow in the 18th century. The wool came from the Border Abbeys of Melrose and Kelso, who together with Dunfermline owned most of Leith and all the land from Melrose and Kelso to the Forth. They did not pay taxes to the treasury. The Church grew rich and so did Leith. This explains how a church as large as the Preceptorium of St Anthony could have been built and why many famous people from Scottish history came here.