Founded in 1118 by Hugo de Payens and Godfrey de St. Omar, the Order of the Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem is the starting point for what we now refer to as the Knights Templar (KT).
These two men had King Baldwin I of Jerusalem allow them to congregate in the Royal Palace and their Emblem ultimately came to be a Red Cross on a white background – based on the English flag.
This is why these particular masonic rings are often referred to as English Knights Templar rings.
King Richard (the Lionheart) of England learned the Crusaders had lost Jerusalem to the Saracen leader Saladin and decided to take up the cross of the crusades, hence the connection between the English flag and the Knights.