Expert analyses images of possible Knights Templar graves - did they belong to ancient order or not?

One recent request came from a member of the public living in the north of Wolverhampton near Boscobel on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border. He said he had found some grave stones with what appeared to be Templar symbols on them.

The stones are placed at the site of White Ladies Priory, an English priory in ruins which was dissolved in 1536, and became famous for its role in the escape of Charles II of England after the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

The name White Ladies refers to the canonesses who lived there and who wore white religious habits.

Mr Dyas said he had looked at the photos, which show the grey-coloured graves and faint symbols, and said that while the symbols on the graves looked Templar, he believed them to be Catholic graves and explained his thoughts behind it.

He said: "Thank you for sending me these images from white Ladies Priory which, according to English Heritage, only had five nuns at any one time.

"The grave symbols look Templar, but my own belief is they are simply the Catholic cross called Cross Pate and still seen in almost all Catholic churches.

"Also, Templars rarely had upright grave stones. In France and Portugal, they did, but not England.

"White Ladies was dedicated to St Leonard, the patron Saint of Captives, so that suggests a mystery.

"Were these Templars escaping captivity in Europe, hence upright graves?

"Personally, I don't think so and these graves, I believe, are probably Nuns, so a lot more research needs to be done."

Since publishing his most recent report on Templar Knight graves at St Mary's Church in Enville in Staffordshire, Mr Dyas said the emails he had had ranged from people just asking questions to one person who said he had seen Templar emblems on a cathedral on the south coast.

He asked that people consider doing their own research first before contacting him to get a better idea of what they are looking at.

He said: "The man told me about this cathedral and sent me photos of the symbols which in my opinion, were Templar symbols, but whether Templars put them there is a different thing altogether.

"So always, even in cases of them definitely being there, I think primary research has to be done because you have to look at whether these really are Templar graves and you have to look at the time period and ask what the Templars were doing there."