India House - Chapter 9

The India Office

As the Michaelmas term start got closer, Tatya grew more excited to start his law education at Gray’s Inn.

Law practice was focused around the Inns of Court. There were four - the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple, Gray’s Inn and Lincoln’s Inn. These Inns were medieval law guilds formed around Westminster going back centuries. The Inner Temple and Middle Temple had been established on the lands of the Knights Templar, the military and monastic order created to protect Pilgrims to the Holy Land. They even still had the insignia of the Templars - the Inner Temple had the Paschal Lamb, the lamb sacrificed during the first Passover, and the Middle Temple had the Lamb and Flag, representing the Lamb of God. Gray’s Inn and Lincoln’s Inn, which originated from medieval guilds, had a gold griffin, and a lion rampant to represent them.

These inns served as a society for the study and practice of law, and as chambers for barristers. They had a dining hall, a chapel, a library, and common room. Each…