Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other MatterWalter, J. Conway (James Conway)
History
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other Matter
Walter, J. Conway (James Conway)
Woodhall Spa (England)
A pleasant walk of less than a mile over meadows, or “Ings,” brings us to
the village of Minting, the last syllable of its name, possibly, being
derived from the said “Ings.” Here, as has been already mentioned,
formerly existed a Priory of Benedictine monks, a “cell” or offshoot of
the Gallic monastery of St. Benedict super Loira, and founded in 1129 by
Ranulph de Meschines, Earl of Chester. No buildings remain above-ground,
but they must have been very extensive, as mound and hollow and stew pond
cover an area of four or five acres. The benefice is in the gift of St.
John’s College, Cambridge. The church, previously a very poor structure,
was restored by the Vicar, the Rev. F. Bashforth, in 1863, at a cost of
over £800, the late Mr. Ewan Christian being the architect. The font is
modern, but handsome, in form hexagonal. There is a north aisle with
three bays and Norman arches. Three windows in the north wall and two in
the south are debased. The east window is a good sample of the
Perpendicular, and on the outside has figureheads of king and queen, as
terminals of the moulding. A curious slab, carved on both sides,
formerly lay loose in the porch, having been part of a churchyard cross.
At the restoration it was cut into two sections, and these were placed on
the east wall of the nave, north and south of the chancel arch, thus
shewing the two carved surfaces. The device on the northern one is a
rude representation of the Crucifixion; the Saviour’s legs are crossed,
and a figure stands on either side, probably St. John and the Virgin.
Below is a rudely-cut foliated pattern. The design of the slab on the
south, formerly the back, is also rude foliation. On the north wall of
the chancel there is an oval brass tablet to the memory of Gulielmus
Chapman, of which one is tempted to say that, unless the individual
commemorated was an almost more than human embodiment of all the virtues,
the author of the epitaph must have acted on the principle recommended by
the poet Matthew Prior,—
Be to his virtues very kind,
And to his faults a little blind.
It runs as follows:—“Gulielmus Chapman, Probus, Doctus, Lepidus,
Facundus, Hic jacet. Pietate, Fidelitate, Benignitate, Modestiâ, Nulli
Secundus, Hanc Vicariam bis 20 et octo annos tenuit. Clarus in Umbra,
Rarâ in senectute Emicuit, Die 14 Aprilis decessit, Anno Ætat. 82, Anno
Dom. 1722.”
The villagers of this parish, 100 years ago, are said to have exercised
the art of weaving on a considerable scale, and one of the writer’s
parishioners states that his grandmother lived there and had a hand-loom.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account