The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple is an institution, community and physical environment with a rich, complex and fascinating history. From the arrival of the Knights Templar to the Inn's present position at the heart of an international network of its members, the Middle Temple has long been at the heart of countless intersecting spheres of history and culture.
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Uncovering the history of the Hardwicke Society, a subsidiary membership organisation of the Inns of Court marked by its distinguished membership, vibrant debating culture and robust library of advocacy.
Taking a look at the Balls given at the Inn from the early twentieth to the early twenty-first centuries - from waltzing in Hall on the eve of the First World War to the uproarious 'Glastonbury in a Tuxedo' events at the turn of the millennium.
From telegraph to telephone, Middle Templars had a front-row seat to advances in telecommunications during late Victorian and Edwardian London. This edition looks back on how these sweeping changes affected the Inn and intersected with the lives of those who lived and worked in its precinct.
Telling the story of the foundling children abandoned at the Inn and taken into its care, looking at who they were, where they came from and how the Inn provided for their health, education and future.
The dawn of the 19th century saw little change at the Middle Temple from the previous decades, despite the turmoil in the world outside. The Benchers seemed concerned with passing orders on the cleanliness of forks and smoking tobacco in Hall, and life went on in a rhythm of restful disorder.
Looking into the connection between sport and the Middle Temple, from sporting clubs at the Inn to the professional sporting careers of members.
The Middle Temple's surviving records begin at the dawn of the 1500s, by which point it was already a well-established part of the national life. The Inn's prominence would only increase over the coming century.
Examining the turbulent effects of the Civil War on the Inn - member fought against member and Bencher against Bencher, and the widespread disruption to learning and dining culminated in permanent changes to the life of the Society.