Last Sunday was our last day of our three day car rental. The first part of the day the girls and I got to be driven to church, like some kind of rock stars. Making our usual trek to church involving a half mile walk and 20 minute bus ride to go 2.5 miles away is the time I miss having a car the most. After church, with just a few hours left of our car rental, Mike and I decided on another close-to-home location: Crowland. The girls were outing-ed out and stayed home. As you can see from the pictures, Crowland has an abbey. The site has been a religious one since the 700s AD. Old! It was conquered by the Danes in 866. Did everyone else know the Danes were once about in Britain conquering things? My history is a little spotty. The buildings now seen were built later.
This is the only remaining Norman arch from the abbey.
I really like this medieval knight looking guy (saint?).
I'm so curious about this headstone. Doesn't it look like it says: Eliz. Wife of James Hobourn who died Nov 15ish Aged 10 Years? First, I must have the "ish" wrong. Wouldn't they be pretty sure what day she died? And they couldn't have been using "ish" back then could they? Then, the bigger issue, what is a 10 year old doing already married? I know they would marry princes and princesses super young way back when for political purposes, but country town folk?
In the middle of town, there's this bridge to nowhere, with no water in sight. Apparently, the rivers that used to flow here were rerouted. The city and abbey of Crowland were an island at one time. Thanks to drainage, it's all just flat plains now.
We took a nice little country walk, some along this little river, and some past all these golden fields very reminiscent of middle America.
Loving your excursions! That headstone is interesting! I can't imagine Elizabeth married off already!! How sad is that.... Anyway, glad you got to church in your car for once ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that it is 1811 not 18 ish. His second wife was 22 five years later when she died. Maybe this was David Copperfield's step father.
ReplyDeleteI had Paul read the tombstone before I saw the comments, and he clarified it the same way Mike did. :)
ReplyDeleteEach time you post, I enlarge the photos and dream of stepping into them. I wish it was like Wonkavison!