Following the dissolution of the Order by Henry VIII in 1541, its London home in Clerkenwell passed into Crown hands. The buildings on the site went through a number of uses in succeeding years, and the Order’s church became a second parish church in the 18th century, to meet the needs of London’s growing population. The Beadle was a senior official within the Church, and this silver figurine would have topped his ceremonial staff of office.
