church to the equivalent of a continental European cathedral was begun in 1309 under Sir John Truesdale, Vicar of St Botolph's ('Sir' being a title of priests at the time). In this period there was change and upheaval across the continent and England following the arrests of the Knights Templar by King Philip the Fair of France on Friday, 13 October 1307.

England became a refuge for many individuals with ties on both sides of the channel, and there