Horton Journal of Canadian History ~ Papers
HOLY GRAIL IN NOVA SCOTIA: AN INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT YOU’VE
NEVER LEARNED IN HISTORY CLASS
By: Andrew Rafuse
Among historians there is a form of professional ignorance that immediately works to discount any new theories, new information which could change our views of modern civilization. This essay will explore one of these issues.
Who was the first European in Nova Scotia? Where was the first settlement? Why were they here? This essay will seek to answer these questions and provide supporting evidence to back up the claims made in this paper.
The Holy Grail is arguably one of the most prized religious items in the world. There has been debate among scholars for centuries as to what exactly the Holy Grail is. The generally accepted theory is that the Grail is the chalice that Christ drank from at the last supper, and the chalice used to collect his blood during the crucifixion. Another theory that has been gaining popularity recently is that the Grail is actually the bloodline of Jesus Christ, his descendants. A Biblical scholar who felt that Mary Magdalene was Christ’s wife first proposed this theory. (Bradley, P. 17)
If we look at the most powerful families in the world we soon see a trend. They
are, albeit distantly, related. The Rockefeller family can trace their lineage back to the
Steward family. The Stewards can trace their family bloodlines back further to early
Romano-Celtic rulers, who could trace their lineage to the “Holy Grail” and
through this woman to Joseph of Arimathaea. If we are to believe that the Secret of the
Holy Grail is that it was in fact a woman, the next direct descendant of Christ than these
families can trace themselves directly back to him through the Grail.
After Christ was crucified the care of the Grail was given to Joseph of Arimathaea; he
traveled west to the British Isles, arriving and settling in the area of Glastonbury.
Evidence shows that he stayed there for several years. To further Substantiate this claim,
in Glastonbury there is a tree, known as the “Glastonbury Thorn” the only known
area where this tree grows is in the Middle East, near where Christ was crucified. The
Legend of this tree is that when Joseph of Arimathaea arrived in Glastonbury, he stuck his
walking staff in the ground. This rooted and became known as the Glastonbury Thorn, which
was chopped down in the 1600s by a Puritan fanatic. (Bradley, P. 26)
In looking at the legend of the Holy Grail we cannot ignore role of Arthur in this legend. Evidence will prove that King Arthur did exist, and that there were in fact Knights of the Round Table. When looking at this one must be weary, and sift through the tales of magic and dragons to find the actual truth; this is a somewhat difficult task due to the nature of many of these tales.
What is known about Arthur is that he lived between 470 and 550 CE. A wound received at the Battle of Camlann in 542 left him crippled. After the battle he was taken to Glastonbury (then known as the Island of Avalon) to heal. Exactly how long Arthur lived after Camlann is unknown but some Welsh stories have him living on for a few more years as the crippled Fisher King of or near the Grail Castle.
The title of King was something which Arthur never received; he was however a military commander who was responsible for protecting the border between England and Scotland as well as portions of the English coastline from invasion. It is a myth that Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were the Guardians of the Holy Grail. It is known that during times of peace in Britain Arthur’s Knights would get bored and restless. As a way to alleviate this boredom Arthur sent his knights on quests to find the Holy Grail. These quests became little more than an excuse for the knights to plunder, rape and pillage. (Boyles, Livingston)
Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the first known legend written about “King” Arthur. He said the there were only a small number of Knights under Arthur’s command. This may be due in part to a mistranslation of the word “rotunda”. This is a roman word that means roughly, a large round building. Geoffrey may have miss-interpreted this when he was writing his story and thought that it meant a round table. Historical evidence will show that at times there were over 6000 Knights of the “Round Table”. (Bradley, P. 33)
These are the known facts about Arthur, as you can see his actual relevance to the Holy Grail is negligible. He was included in this essay to show his legendary connection to the Grail and to illustrate that his actual contribution was small.
The groups of people known as the Knights Templar may have had the most impact on the legend of the Holy Grail. This order began at the end of the first crusade with the mandate to protect pilgrims on their way from Europe to the holy land. The first Templar knights were poor, relying on alms from travelers to survive. The Order very quickly gained power in Europe as well as in the Holy Land. They changed their mandate slightly to include the protection and in some cases finding of holy relics such as the Shroud of Turin, Arc of the Covenant, and the Holy Grail.
Over the two hundred year life span of the Knights Templar they gained power in Europe on a massive scale, being exempt from all powers save that of the Pope himself. (Who Were the Knights Templar?)
Due to the immense power and wealth held by the Knights Templar they were feared and hated by almost all of the kingdoms of Europe; this would ultimately lead to their downfall. The king of France, Philip IV began making accusations against the Templars. They were subsequently arrested and tortured. Many of the knights confessed, through the use of torture, to things such as trampling and spitting on the cross, homosexuality and acts of sodomy and worshipping of the Baphomet, an alleged false idle (further research would later prove that this was in fact the Shroud of Turin.) (Griffin)
In 1307 the Pope Clement V, issued the Vox In Exelsco. This document officially disbanded the order or the Knights Templar and ordered them all to be arrested and tried for heresy. Shortly after there was another bull issued by the Pope, the Ad Providum, which passed all property and assets controlled by the Knights Templar to their rivals, The Knights of the Hospital (Pope of The Templar Era)
A portion of the Templar fleet set sail for Portugal, where, they simply took on new names. The rest set sail north to Scotland. Where the Scottish independence movement gave them an ideal cover.
At the time the most powerful family in Scotland was the Sinclair's, who’s land provided a perfect hiding place for the fleet of the Knights Templar. The knights established a fortress in Rosslin, Scotland to house their remaining treasures; including the Holy Grail. The Knights Templar would soon be able to repay the kindness of the Scottish people by fighting alongside them at the of Bannockburn and other battles for Scottish independence. (Prince Henry Sinclair)
The Templars lived in Scotland for many years without fear that their secret would be discovered or threatened. This time of comfort came to an end as the English began pushing north back into Scotland. This push made the Templars uneasy and they began to look for a way to move their precious relics out of Scotland. This escape came in the 1390s in the form of a man named Henry Sinclair. Sinclair had employed Antonio and Nicolo Zeno, expert mapmakers and navigators to help him sail west on a voyage of exploration. (Cummings)
Sinclair arrived in what is now Nova Scotia in 1398, he then sailed around the southern tip of the province and to New England. While in Nova Scotia it is thought that Sinclair established at least one settlement. Was this settlement where the new haven for the Knights Templar?
The site of the settlement is in central Nova Scotia, just south of the area known as “The Cross” or the crossroads in New Ross. The ruins were built in a style of architecture known as rubblework, which involved piling pieces of oddly shaped stone together so they lock together in a way and form a wall; after this was done than mortar may have been added. This type of architecture was consistent with fourteenth century Celtic architecture.
One of the mysteries of the site that has baffled scientists and historians for years is the “Holy” well within the walls of the ruined castle. This well has never run dry, even though it is on a hill and even when other wells in the area are completely dry. The New Ross fire department has this well on record as an inexhaustible water supply. Another curiosity about this well is the condition of the water. Deposits of heavy metals in the ground of New Ross causes the water to be very hard and have extremely high counts of heavy metals (ie lead, uranium). The water from this well is completely free of such metals; in fact it has the lowest count of metallic particles in the area.
Small-scale digs on the site reveal several artifacts from fourteenth century Scotland; including a piece of a sword blade, a dagger blade and several farming implements. It should be noted that this has only been placed from this time period by the assessments of historians; there has never actually been any scientific tests on the items to prove their origins.
If we look at the site on a larger scale we begin to see the significance of the area where the castle is located. It is in central Nova Scotia, near two rivers, the Gaspereau and the Gold. These rivers both flow from the same source but once they pass through New Ross they divide, the Gaspereau flows north and empties into the Bay of Fundy, while the Gold river flows south and empties into Mahone Bay. This made finding the site simple, if you knew what you were looking for.
Medieval navigation was less than advanced. It was nearly impossible for navigators to find their position on an east-west plane, however they could determine where they were based on north-south. Because of this the preferred and most efficient form of navigation was to sail directly north or south until you were at the same latitude as the end location and then sail east or west from there. This would often place the navigator within about 200 miles of their desired destination. In the case of Nova Scotia, a completely unpopulated (at least by Europeans) land, there were no towns or ports that could be used as reference for location.
Both Rivers emptied into bays that were on the same latitude, this made it confusing and almost impossible for navigators to distinguish between eh two. The Gold River empties into Mahone bay, near Oak Island; while the Gaspereau River empties into the Bay of Fundy, near and island- Oak Island.
If we look more closely at these islands we start to see some startling similarities; the Gaspereau Oak Island was part of a land reclamation project during the 1930s and is now a peninsula. However, the comparisons are still relevant.
Both islands are at the mouths of the rivers leading to the castle in New Ross. When you are sailing toward the islands the river is to the right of the island. Oak trees, something that doesn’t happen on any other island, populate both of the islands. The reason why they are not found anywhere else is simply, acorns don’t float. Were these islands markers that a navigator would use to find the castle?
Upon further exploration of the Oak Island in Mahone Bay one will find several more clues that point to a major settlement in Nova Scotia. Tourist maps of the island will show so-called “Pirate walls” along the coast of the island. These walls were, as the name implies, assumed to have been made by pirates; even though permanent construction and that type of hard work were not typical pirate traits. The style that the walls are built in does however date back to fourteenth century Celtic Europe, the same as the castle in New Ross. (Bradley Pp. 45-80)
The famous “money pit” as well fits into this theory. The construction of the money pit seemed to take place over about 500 years. Radio Carbon dating of boards found in the deepest part of the pit (approximately 200 feet) shows that the first part of the pit was constructed at the same time as the walls on the island and the castle. It was later built upon in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. This later construction may be when Pirates used it. No one has been able to successfully excavate the “Money Pit” as of yet so the question remains, what is in the pit? Was it a hiding place for treasures brought here by the Knights Templar? Was it a storage facility for gold mined in New Ross?
This essay has presented you with evidence, not concrete proof that there was an early
settlement in New Ross, Nova Scotia. As well that there is a connection between the
Knights Templar, an order charges with protecting sacred Christian relics and this
settlement in New Ross. The problem inherent with this subject is that there has been very
little official, professional research into the topic. When researching one must be
careful to sift through the legends and faerie tales that all to easily become wrapped up
in a topic such as this.
WORKS CITED
Boyles, Joe; Livingston, Jake. A Guide to King Arthur’s Forgotten Realm.
http://panther.bsc.edu/~arthur/.
Bradley, Michael. Holy Grail Across The Atlantic. Hounslow, Toronto, 1998.
Cummings, Pete. About Prince Henry Sinclair.
http://www.aloha.net/~bgraham/sinclair.html
Griffin, J. Templars. http://burns.tns.utk.edu/~jgriffin/Templars.htm.
Pope of The Templar Era. http://www.templarhistory.com/popes.html
Prince Henry Sinclair. http://www.templartreasure.com/Prince_Henry_Sinclair.html
Who Were The Knights Templar? http://www.templarhistory.com/who.html
