The Westford Knight, shown along Depot Street in Westford, Massachusetts

A detail of the rock, showing the "sword". The "shield" has been painted on, supposedly to indicate an underlying carving

The Westford Knight is alternately perceived as a carving, a natural feature, or a combination of both, found on a glacial boulder in Westford, Massachusetts in the United States. It is notable for being the subject of controversial speculation that it is evidence of exploration of North America by Europeans prior to Christopher Columbus. Such evidence is not currently accepted by most archaelogists or historians. The Westford Knight, in Westford, Massachusetts © 2004 Matthew Trump File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Westford Knight, in Westford, Massachusetts © 2004 Matthew Trump File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Detail of the Westford Knight, showing the sword and shield © 2004 Matthew Trump File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Detail of the Westford Knight, showing the sword and shield © 2004 Matthew Trump File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...   Settled: 1635 â€“ Incorporated: 1729 Zip Code(s): 01886 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... An historian is someone who writes history, a written accounting of the past. ...

The rock is located along Depot Street in the town of Westford, just north of the town center. It is inconspicuous, situated along the side of the road and surrounded by a small chain fence. Next to the rock is a small monument commemorating the "inscription".

Description

The rock and carving is first mentioned in print in an 1883 town history, identified as an Indian carving. The carving was subsequently identified as a broken Norse Sword by William Goodwin in his book on the America's Stonehenge site. Frank Glynn re-located the carving and chalked in a full figure, resembling a Medieval knight, with a sword and shield. Some of the rocks at Americas Stonehenge Americas Stonehenge, once known as Mystery Hill, is the site of a number of large rocks and stone formations scattered around roughly 30 acres (120,000 m²) in the town of Salem, New Hampshire, in the northeast United States. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ...

The common interpretation by those who advocate that the feature on the rock is a human figure is that it commemorates a fallen member of the party of Henry Sinclair, a Scottish Earl whom some believe to have made a voyage to the New World in 1398, traveling to Nova Scotia and New England.^{[citation needed]} The existence of such a voyage is not accepted by mainstream archaeologists and historians. Usually it is claimed that the knight is Sir James Gunn, a member of Clan Gunn and a Knight Templar who reportedly traveled with Sinclair. The monument next to the "knight" commemorates this interpretation, stating as fact that Sinclair and his party traveled to present-day Massachusetts. Believers in this theory often cite the Newport Tower in Newport, Rhode Island as further evidence to support their claim. Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney, Baron of Roslin, and Lord of Shetland (c. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic) Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II  -  First Minister... Events Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland destroyed. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... The Westford Knight, shown along Depot Street in Westford, Massachusetts A detail of the rock, showing the sword. The shield has been painted on, supposedly to indicate an underlying carving The Westford Knight is alternately perceived as a carving, a natural feature, or a combination of both, found on a... Clan Gunn Crest: Aut pax aut bellum (Either Peace or War) Clan Gunn is a Scottish clan associated with northeastern Scotland, including Caithness and Sutherland as well as the Orkney Islands. ... The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), popularly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple, were among the most famous of the Christian military orders. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... The Newport Tower. ... Newport is a city in Newport County, Rhode Island, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Providence. ...

Such claims are rejected as pseudoarchaeology by many mainstream historians. A recent investigation of the rock by David K. Schafer, Curatorial Assistant for Archaeology at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, [1] concluded that except for the "sword handle", which is definitely a punch carving, the entire feature consists of naturally-formed scratches caused by glaciation. The local town historian of Westford has claimed that there is evidence that the T-shaped inscription was made in the late 19th century. Furthermore, historians believe that the area around the rock has undergone erosion since the clearing of trees in the 18th century, and that during the time of the alleged voyage by Sinclair, the rock was probably in a hardwood forest covered by 3 or 4 ft (1 or 1.3 m) of earth. Moreover, the area of Westford is inland and not easily accessible by water, making it highly improbable that any nautical voyage would venture there. However, it is worth noting that the carving sits alongside a current road which lies on what would have been a natural path used to descend the hill through the woods. Had the expedition been made, this was a likely route for the group to follow. Pseudoarchaeology is an aspect of pseudohistory. ... The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... Glacial and Glaciation redirect here. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Some suggest that the timing is also inconsistent with history, as at the time of the alleged voyage (1398), the Order of the Knights Templar was not in existence, having been publicly disbanded ninety years earlier. However, there are those that claim that the order continued to exist "underground" after that time. There is no evidence to suggest any Templar connection between the St Clair/Sinclair family and the order.

See also

• Knights Templar legends
• The Skeleton in Armor

Main article: Knights Templar The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. ... The Skeleton in Armor is the name given to a curious archaeological artifact unearthed in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1832, and subsequently destroyed in a fire in 1843. ...

Books

• Robert Ellis Cahill, New England's Ancient Mysteries 1993, Old Saltbox, Danvers, Mass: ISBN 0-9626162-4-9
• David Goudsward, Ancient Stone Sites of New England 2006, McFarland Publishing: ISBN 0-7864-2462-1

External links

• Orkneyjar.com site on the Westford Knight, showing an outline of what believers claim to see
• Discounting of the knight from archaeological standpoint
• The Clan Gunn Society has an article about the knight.
• Skeleton in the Armor Fall River police report on an alleged Templar relic in New England