“Burton’s Lost Knight”, a medieval alabaster effigy from Burton Abbey missing since 1924 has been found by historian David Adkins at Tutbury Castle and is set for a ceremonial return home
It has been more than a century since Burton’s most mysterious medieval relic was said to have vanished without a trace. The long-lost alabaster effigy dubbed locally as “Burton’s Lost Knight” – believed to be a Knight Templar – is set to return home.
The dramatic announcement comes after an exciting clue was published in the Burton Mail on 6th January 2024, under the headline “Historian Claims to Have Found “Most Important” Relic from Burton’s Past”. David Adkins, the historian in question, could reveal very little at the time, only offering a cryptic reference to the Ivanhoe railway line that runs through the town. Concerns over the artefact’s security and the identity of its owner meant the full story had to remain under wraps.
Now, after what David describes as an unexpected twist that risked the relic being “irretrievably lost or damaged”, he has confirmed that the greatest surviving treasure from Burton Abbey has been located – and negotiations are under way to bring it back to Burton.
At the heart of the story is a cross-legged alabaster knight who once stood in the abbey church from the mid-14th century. The effigy dates from the turbulent years following the persecution of the Knights Templar in 1307 and the order’s suppression in France. It is believed to be the only surviving knightly effigy from the abbey’s long history.
For centuries, the statue occupied a place of honour. Official records recount that the alabaster figure originally lay beneath the tower of the ancient abbey church. Though damaged, it was deemed important enough to be preserved when a new church was erected around 1720, where it was placed under the west tower and much admired. In the 1850s, it was moved again to be visible from the marketplace, and by 1878, it had been relocated outdoors to the garden of the priory – described as a house in the south-west corner of the monastic cloister.
Its disappearance in the 20th century only deepened the mystery. Records state that in 1924, the effigy was presented to Burton Museum. However, when the museum later closed, it vanished. The official online history notes that, like numerous other items of the town’s heritage, it “mysteriously disappeared”.
However, while investigating other missing exhibits once housed at Tutbury Castle, David came face to face with the knight for the first time. He said: “I was able to see – and touch – for the first time our ancient knight – the greatest lost treasure not only from our old museum, but also from Burton Abbey! From that point on, we knew we had to repatriate him back to Burton!”
David described the custodians of the castle, owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, as accommodating and supportive, while gratitude has also been extended to His Majesty the King for permitting the knight’s return.
But beyond its incredible rediscovery, why does the effigy matter so much?
Firstly, it is the last surviving alabaster knight from Burton Abbey. The abbey was once filled with statues and tombs, most of which were destroyed during the Reformation and Dissolution, or lost through later neglect. As the sole survivor of its kind, the knight represents an irreplaceable link to the town’s medieval past.
Secondly, he is a Knight Templar. The effigy once bore a single cross whose arms widened at the ends. Long thought to represent the crest of Burton Abbey, it is believed to be a Templar Cross – the emblem famously associated with the order. Combined with the knight’s crossed legs and documentary links uncovered at Burton Abbey and Sinai House in recent years, the case for a Templar identity appears strong.
The knight also sheds light on one of England’s greatest treasure mysteries: the Tutbury Hoard, the largest hoard of silver coins ever found in the country, numbering more than 250,000 pieces. The coins’ dates and diverse origins – including Bohemia, Scotland, and France – align closely with regions linked to the Templars. Tradition holds that the hoard was stored in an ancient Burton beer barrel during the 14th century, a detail that recently inspired the creation of the Templar barrel for the town’s Barrel Trail.
He also symbolises Burton’s pre-brewing industry. Long before beer made the town world-famous, Burton was a national centre of stonemasonry and alabaster carving. The mineral alabaster, found in abundance around the town, enabled medieval craftsmen to produce effigies and monuments that were distributed across Britain. Many ancient churches still contain alabaster memorials either quarried or sculpted in Burton.
Alabaster’s softer form – gypsum – also plays a role in Burton’s brewing heritage. Gypsum in the local bedrock influences the chemical composition of the water, giving it qualities ideal for brewing pale ales. In this way, the knight embodies both of Burton’s historic industries: stone and beer.
A few years ago, David revealed the evidence that suggested the Shroud of Turin was an old monastic tablecloth from Burton Abbey that had been used to cover an alabaster statue of the Fisher King. The first known painting of the Shroud, dated 1412, depicted it as a tablecloth, and features three local men – Henry de Stafford, John of Gaunt, and Sir Thomas de Blount – providing strong links with Burton. Sir Geoffrey de Charney is also in the painting, being the first known owner of the Shroud of Turin. The image on the Shroud is shown with accentuated hands covering the groin and thigh area – symbolic of hiding the famous wound of the Fisher King. Critically, modern analysis has found traces of gypsum on the Shroud and this could allow the opportunity to match the exact fingerprint of that mineral with the mineral of the knight – and he could help solve another mystery!
Perhaps most controversially, the effigy may offer insight on the long-debated connection between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. It has long been believed that Freemasonry inherited elements of Templar tradition, but concrete evidence has been elusive. The theory suggests that after fleeing France via La Rochelle in 1307, the Templars sought refuge in Burton. If they concealed treasure locally, only a select group would have known. By the mid-14th century, that knowledge may have passed to Burton’s rising elite – the stonemasons and marblers of the alabaster industry – whose guilds later evolved into early masonic traditions. If true, Burton could represent a missing link of international significance.
Nationally, the knight is unique. While a handful of stone Templar effigies survive – notably at London’s Temple Church – no other known alabaster example exists in England.
David says that talks are ongoing with the Duchy, Historic England, and local stakeholders to plan the knight’s return to Burton. There are hopes of a ceremonial procession from Tutbury to Burton, perhaps featuring a mounted bier and a blessing at the parish church before the effigy takes pride of place in the town’s museum.
After decades spent tracking down Burton’s scattered heritage, David Adkins believes this to be his most significant discovery yet. Speaking about Burton’s Lost Knight, he said: “He is a national treasure! I would like to thank the Duchy for their huge generosity in this matter and East Staffordshire Borough Council for giving me a room in the Town Hall to store him in until the new museum is ready. I am delighted to have been chosen by the Council a few years ago as part of the original Heritage Working Group and will continue to strive to bring all of Burton’s lost treasures back home!”