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Ridgeway – Day 4 (Summary)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix a broken image link]

DISTANCE WALKED: 21.9 miles

BRAVEST PERSON: No award. So, the award goes automatically to the bravest person on day three, which was Julian.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I have a fetish for shower caps” – Bev “Sorry about her” – Julian “Can I just say, you have very nice eyelashes” – Bev “Test it and see how hard it is” – Bev “It’s still a bit fluffy” – Susanna “I thought you were Ian Botham” – random member of the public about Dave “Can you put a finger in?” – Susanna “She always presses her treasures between her buttocks” – Susanna

Well, that was another long day. We set off early and I’m writing this at 00.23, primarily because I’ve been kept chatting in the bar. It’s a hard business this walking… I also know I’m behind with photos, but they will be added this week!

Anyway, I had breakfast at the Miller of Mansfield in Goring and I had a rather lovely selection of yoghurts and a bacon sandwich. I had a good night’s sleep and was ready at 09:15, which was the agreed time. Susanna however faffed about and so we didn’t actually meet until 09.30, although no-one complained. Other than Bev.

The walk in the morning was leisurely and I reassured everyone how well they were doing. We look a relaxed pace and started to eat through the miles, which made me full of confidence. We reached the only church where the Ridgeway actually crossed their churchyard and we thought we’d go in.

So, at the church I had a go at getting through the door, but as I’m a slight idiot, I couldn’t get through. So Bev, Steve, Dave and Susanna had a go, and at that stage we realised that it was locked. As I’m British, I thought that was the end of the matter, even though there were interesting medieval wall paintings inside. But Susanna was having none of it, she bravely phoned up the number on the board and a very kind man went to open the church up.

We spent some time looking around the church and it was a delight, the photos of that will come in due course. We all enjoyed that little slice of history and we continued on our walk, all confident because I reassured everyone how well we were doing.

We had a very leisurely lunch, plonking ourselves on the path itself on a little grassy knoll. Bev enjoyed her sausage whilst we all decided who would play us in a film. Bev managed to come up with a load of offensive suggestions for everyone, but I agreed with Susanna that Marlon Brandon could have played me, but only in his very younger days.

After our long lunch of nearly an hour we ploughed on, really enjoying the rather more interesting terrain that we’ve had in recent days. It was less exposed today and we had much more walking through trees and by the river, and that change made things much easier on my feet.

I haven’t mentioned my feet yet today, the very feet that nearly fell off yesterday. Fortunately, they held up well today and I didn’t encounter any real problems. Everyone had tired feet that were quite sore, but that’s different from broken feet.

We stopped a church in Nuffield as they advertised outside that they had tea and coffee available, now that the village’s pub was shut. It was a lovely church, although the quality of the coffee was questionable, but I was really impressed that the church opened itself up. This was very much the Christian spirit and Bev rewarded them with a large donation. She probably thought it was some form of religious indulgence to forgive her sins, but nonetheless everyone appreciated the stop.

The stop in the church was also interesting as a couple came in who were in charge of the floral displays. They gave us some information that was particularly intriguing, including telling us that David Frost was buried in the churchyard, and we went to look at their graves.

At this point, a little problem appeared on the horizon. Everyone thought that we were around two hours away from the end of the walk, about five or six miles. I looked at my map, and to my confusion, we were only half-way. I had seriously under-estimated where the hotel was, and although that’s good news for tomorrow as the distance is shorter, it was very bad news for today.

So, given this dreadful news, I sidled out of the church to have a panic outside. I took the opinion that a trouble shared is a trouble doubled, so I told Steve who was calm, cool and collected. This is why he’s the group’s official driver, as he doesn’t buckle under pressure.

I don’t think it’s sexist to admit that I told the men first about the situation. We all agreed that we would rush the next few miles and then come clean. I say we, but I take responsibility for my little miscalculation. Anyway, we rushed through several miles and no-one complained. Other than Bev obviously, who came running at the front. She thought she was making a subtle point about the speed, but I can read her like a book.

We continued on and I told the ladies in the group what I had done, but only when we had ninety minutes left. Maggie walked off during the explanation, but I think that was because she was distracted with her feet rather than being angry at my little mistake. Bev went loopy, but I have her wrapped around my little finger, so I wasn’t too bothered.

The last ninety minutes weren’t the easiest, as everyone was tired and had hurting feet. Reaching the hotel was particularly exciting, as it had been a long day and the afternoon was hard work. The rooms were clean though and I got my free drinks vouchers for Accor status.

We had dinner and I was very impressed, my sausages and mash were lovely, although I replaced the mash for chips. Lots of gravy and everyone enjoyed their meal. Well, other than Bev, who complained about the croutons.

I thought we’d be having an early night at 21.00, but no such luck, the chat went on until the early hours of the following morning. I will probably regret that tomorrow, but such is life. There was a lot of gossip and a lot of chat about people who we know. We also talked about the people we miss, and there are some who would have really added to this week. But that’s the great thing about Hike Norfolk, we’re welcoming and we miss some of our members.

So, that’s pretty much it for today. We all had fun, but it was a difficult day that was full of challenges. Well, one challenge really, the bloody long way that we had to go. The distance tomorrow is a little lower, and I hope that we can sail through without too many problems. My foot will need some repair, but hopefully that can be managed and I can be as brave tomorrow as I was today.

Just one full day and one half day now left, the end is in sight!

May 2, 2025
Ridgeway – Day 4 (St. Mary, North Stoke)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

The thirteenth century church of St. Mary in North Stoke is the only churchyard which the Ridgeway actually crosses, so we thought that it would be rather pleasant to go inside. We were delighted to see on approaching the door that it was open.

After I had failed to open the door, Steve and Dave decide that they’ll use their wit and initiative to enter. It soon transpires that the church is unfortunately locked, despite the open sign on the door. This doesn’t stop Susanna, she finds a phone number on the church noticeboard and calls the church warden, a pleasant man who comes rushing over to open the building. His efforts were much appreciated, as the interior of the church meant that a stop here was certainly worthwhile.

Susanna enjoying the beautiful interior of the church, with the nave dating to a slightly later period to the chancel.

The font dates to the early English period, probably thirteenth or fourteenth century, although the cover appears to be much later.

One of the earliest of burials in the church, which is located in the chancel. The chancel itself dates from around the early thirteenth century, and this grave appears to be contemporary to that date or just after.

This path is the official route of the Ridgeway, which cuts across the churchyard.

Some of the wall paintings, which are relatively very well preserved. They date to the fourteenth century and one includes the killing of Thomas Becket in the late twelfth century.

I hadn’t heard of her at the time, and I didn’t take a photo of the grave, but Dame Clara Butt is buried in the churchyard. Susanna knew of her and was particularly excited at the news.

This lychgate dates to 1923 and uses some of the oak from the old Goring bridge which had been constructed in 1837.

May 2, 2025
Charlecote House – St. Leonard’s Church (Christina Cameron-Lucy)

I’m rather more interested in the graves and memorials of the less wealthy, such as William Malins, but it’s hard to entirely ignore the wealthy and this is the memorial located in St. Leonard’s Church at Charlecote commemorating Christina Cameron-Lucy (1845-1919). Born Christina Campbell, she married Henry Spencer Lucy (1830-1890) at St. George’s Church in Hanover Square in London in 1865, so there’s some considerable decadence there. In 1898, she decided to take the surname of Cameron-Lucy to bring the two families together in her name. There’s a disconnect here as Henry is buried at Charlecote, but circumstances meant that at this stage Christina decided to let the entire property out.

Christina is buried in the Cameron of Callart Mausoleum, which has fallen into a state of slight disrepair, although bits of it have been repaired relatively recently. Indeed, her memorial at Charlecote refers to her as Christina Cameron Campbell of Callart, this link was important to her. Christina and Henry had four children, Ada Christina Lucy (1866-1943), who married Sir Henry Ramsay-Fairfax (later Fairfax-Lucy), Constance Linda Lucy (1867-1955) who married John Secker, Sybil Mary Lucy (1868-1886) and Joyce Alianore Lucy (1871 – 1948), unmarried.

There’s a story somewhere here about why Christina decided not to be buried with her husband, I assume it’s because she felt a greater affinity to her Scottish roots although I wonder what Henry would have made of that.

May 2, 2025
Charlecote House – St. Leonard’s Church (William Malins)

This grave is located outside St. Leonard’s Church at Charlecote as I’m rather engaged, or as much as anyone can be, with burials at what are effectively country house churches.

William Malins was born in 1781, the son of William Malins and Elizabeth Malins, and he married Catherine Smith in the church on 18 July 1820, although this would have been in the medieval building that was demolished and rebuilt after his death. He lived long enough to appear on the first census in 1841, which noted that he was 60, his wife was 55 and he had a son George Malins, aged 20, and a daughter Emma Malins, aged 17. The census also noted that he was a farmer and this would fit, as his family had owned a farm at Ettington, which is in the neighbouring village to Charlecote. William died on 29 August 1843 and was buried on 2 September 1843.

There’s an interesting question which underlies this which is whether William Malins would have had any social interactions with the owners of Charlecote Park, namely George Lucy and Mary Elizabeth Lucy at the time. It was likely that Malins was a tenant farmer, as that was the most common set-up in this period, paying rent to the Lucy family and perhaps (but not necessarily) having something of a long tenure. Although I like to imagine that William would have popped down to Charlecote House to have his lunch, it doesn’t seem entirely likely, although perhaps he was in the same fox hunting brigade. William is buried outside of the church, whereas the Lucy family had their own chapel inside, so I’m imagining that in life, as in death, they were kept close but still separate.

May 2, 2025
BBC News Story on Oldest Living Person

I really like this story, which is that the oldest person in the world is a lady from Surrey who is 115 years old and 253 days. The element that intrigues me the most is:

“Ms Caterham was born on 21 August 1909 and is the last surviving subject of Edward VII.”

There is just one person in the world who was alive when King Edward VII (1841-1910) was Monarch, I think that’s really quite something. Mind you, given my healthy diet and how I treat my body as a temple, I wouldn’t be surprised if I live just as long.

May 1, 2025
Charlecote House – St. Leonard’s Church

St Leonard’s Church occupies a significant position within the historic landscape of Charlecote and it is situated immediately adjacent to the main entrance gates, forming an integral part of the approach to the great house. It’s thought that there has been a church in this location since at least the twelfth century, although little remains of the medieval church as it was pulled down in 1849. The old building just wasn’t good enough for the country house, the Lucy family wanted something rather more decadent.

The new church was constructed between 1850 and 1853, with the impetus for this ambitious project coming from Mary Elizabeth Lucy (née Williams, 1803-1890) who was the wife of George Hammond Lucy (1789-1845). Following her husband’s death, Mary Elizabeth conceived the rebuilding as some sort of grand memorial to him, personally funding the work and laying the foundation stone in 1850.

The lighting was a little odd in the church and my photos have come out looking like postcards from the 1980s. The interior of the church is in the Gothic Revival style and it was designed by John Gibson.

The font was also designed by John Gibson and it’s an impressively decorated piece.

Some of the detail on the font.

The chancel of the church and we didn’t investigate too much further down here as the organist was playing away and occasionally stopping and angrily commenting on his own performance, so Richard and I didn’t want to disturb the arrangement. I must admit, I like a bit of musical frustration when visiting an historic monument, it adds some atmosphere to the proceedings.

Looking back along the nave with a rather svelte Richard strolling down purposefully.

A rose window in the Gothic style and some intricate stained glass work.

It’s rather a shame that the church has faced attack.

From the outside, the size of the private chapel leading off from the chancel is particularly noticeable. Apparently, some of the wood used in this chapel dates from the earlier church which the Victorians demolished.

Personally and this might be evident by the slightly short post, I’m not that engaged with the church as although it’s beautiful, there’s little of heritage and it’s the medieval aspect that particularly intrigues me. Everything obviously cost a lot of money, it was done well and it was in keeping with the rather decadent nature of the main house. But, I like a slightly rough and ready church, one where there are traces of medieval changes all over the place, something that has been erased here.

May 1, 2025
Charlecote House – Worn Out Sundial

Adding to my long series of irrelevant posts, I was intrigued about this sundial. I think it’s because Charlecote House is relatively pristine maintenance wise and looked after, but this has fallen into disrepair at some stage. And, no-one seems to know much about it, but the best guess is that it was installed in the 1820s when the property was being modernised. But, it might be older, so that’s another riveting factual post from me. I did ask AI to date it, but it knew that it was at Charlecote and then based its guesswork on that. It seemed to like the idea that it’s an older sundial that was restored in the 1820s, so that seems a decent compromise. Anyway, I just like some things to fade away without being restored and that’s reason enough for a whole blog post about a bit of old stone.

May 1, 2025
Acocks Green (Birmingham) – The Spread Eagle

At the weekend, slimline Richard and I thought that we’d pop to the Spread Eagle in Acocks Green near Birmingham. As usual, I’ll take the history of the pub name from the JD Wetherspoon web-site:

“Named after one of the oldest pubs in Warwickshire, which stood close by, until it was demolished in 1929, through road-widening, The Spread Eagle (the first pub) was pulled down in 1929. The green, far from being an age-old local landmark, was created in the early 1930s.”

The pub is located at the ‘413’ in the above map from the 1870s. It’s certainly all got a lot more developed in the area in the last 150 years.

One of the display boards in the pub mentioned Hancock’s Half Hour and this intrigued me. There’s no direct link between Tony Hancock (1924-1968) and the pub, but he did live in nearby Hall Green.

But, back to the food planning. Richard decided that he would treat himself to some toast which was the most that his diet would allow, and even that was pushing it. He ordered his toast and waited excitedly. I was pleased to discover that the pub was in the lowest JD Wetherspoon price band and so I went for a traditional breakfast and unlimited coffee.

My traditional breakfast was served promptly and just as a team member came over and said to Richard that they didn’t have any toast and they wondered if he would like anything else, as they assumed he wouldn’t want raw bread. The team member obviously didn’t really expect to have a customer come in that wasn’t really meant to be eating anything as decadent as toast, so there was little else that could be offered. Meanwhile, I had lost interest in his problems at this point as I had food to eat and although I would have rather had toast than raw bread myself, this food and unlimited coffee came in at under £5 so I didn’t feel the need to be overly disappointed. Full marks for the eggs still be runny and the bacon not being fatty. Richard was contemplating his entire day as his hopes to just have a little toast were shattered and I did wonder whether it might have been easier for them to buy a small-scale toaster until their commercial arrangement was fixed.

As it’s a JD Wetherspoon venue, I felt the need to have a little look through the on-line reviews and see if anything there surprised or delighted me.

“We were having fun as a family for a Birthday and the old blonde dragon came over and told us to be quiet in a very rude way”

I bet “having fun” meant being loud and disturbing other customers as why otherwise would a team member even be engaged in worrying about matters?

“The manager a move her station threatened to bar customers spending money for singing and having the craic for no reason obviously feels insecure in her job and cannot control the clientel on her establishment.”

It sounds very much like she was in full control of the customers.

“To noisy stink of smoking as you enter”

There are a few of these and they’re right, the smokers are dominating the entry doors….

“Staff very rude and got barred for no reason”

I’m not convinced.

“I am getting sick of people deciding what we can and cannot do in pubs. Now this pub, on an empty Thursday evening, is telling me I cannot stand at the end of the bar and have a beer.”

Probably as the team members know that customers blocking the bar is sub-optimal.

“Dreadful typical weatherspoons pub to be avoided if possible if you have any taste in pubs you visit.”

I like it 🙂 Anyway, lack of toast aside, this seemed a well run venue although the coffee machine was struggling to cope with the number of customers seeking to use it. I liked it here, although I tend to like nearly anywhere, and although it was too early for beer there were a number of keenly priced real ales. All really rather lovely.

April 30, 2025

Charlecote House – Painting of Davenport Lucy

This painting is displayed in the Great Hall of Charlecote House and was given to the National Trust by Sir Montgomerie Fairfax-Lucy (1896 – 1965) in 1946 when the property and most of its contents were transferred to them. This is probably Davenport Lucy (1659/1660-1690) although it was previously thought to have been Elizabeth Lucy. This habit from the time of dressing children up as girls has certainly caused some issues in identifying centuries later on who is who. It’s not known who painted it and the National Trust’s estimated painting date of 1660 is a little aspirational given when Davenport was born and so it likely dates to around 1665.

Anyway, it’s time for a table.

Date	Event
c. 1659/60	Birth
1677	Death of father, Sir Fulke Lucy
24 May 1680	Commissioned Cornet, Royal Horse Guards
1681	Jointly sells land at Bank Top (Henbury estate) with mother Isabella
1 May 1681	Promoted Lieutenant, Royal Horse Guards
1684	Inherits Charlecote Park upon death of cousin, Capt. Thomas Lucy
By Oct 1684	Promoted Captain, Royal Horse Guards
Post 1684	Sells the Henbury estate
1689	Death of mother, Isabella Lucy
20 Aug 1690	Killed by cannonball at the first Siege of Limerick, Ireland

Davenport Lucy was the eldest son of Sir Fulke Lucy (c. 1623–1677) and Isabella Davenport (d. 1689) and Sir Fulke was the sixth son of Sir Thomas Lucy and Alice Spencer (with Richard Lucy being the third of six sons). As a younger son in a large gentry family, he did not inherit the primary family estate of Charlecote. Instead, he was the designated heir to his parents’ property, primarily the Henbury estate which he inherited from his mother.His path to establishing his own standing instead involved political service and a strategic marriage, although he did inherit Charlecote in 1684. He served as Member of Parliament for Warwick in 1659 and later for Cheshire from 1664 until his death in 1677. He was knighted sometime after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, evidently sharing the political skill of Richard Lucy.

But, moving straight on to Davenport’s death. The Siege of Limerick (1690) was a key event in the Williamite War in Ireland (1689–1691), a conflict between the Catholic supporters of the deposed King James II (known as Jacobites) and the Protestant forces of King William III (Williamites). It took place in August and September 1690, following William’s victory at the Battle of the Boyne in July of that year. Serving as a Captain in the Royal Horse Guards within William III’s besieging army, Davenport Lucy was directly involved in the military operations. On 20 August 1690, during the intense fighting and bombardment characteristic of seventeenth-century siege warfare, he was struck and killed by a cannonball which I imagine he considered to be somewhat sub-optimal. It’s not known if he was buried in Ireland or whether his body was returned to Charlecote. Adding to the complexity, his lack of successors meant that they were left faffing around with the family tree to see who would take it on next.

April 30, 2025

Charlecote House – Painting of Richard Lucy

This painting displayed in the Great Hall of Charlecote House is of Richard Lucy (1619-1677) who was the third son of Sir Thomas Lucy III and Alice Spencer. It’s not known who painted it, but it dates from between 1650 and 1658, showing Richard thinking he’s something of an intellectual with his book and globe. The artwork (and indeed the entire house) was presented to the National Trust in 1946 by Sir Montgomerie Fairfax-Lucy (1896 – 1965), two years after the death of his father, Sir Henry Ramsay-Fairfax, 3rd Bt (1870 – 1944).

Richard Lucy interests me because of the period in which he lived, which was right in the middle of the English Civil War. Richard was the third of six sons of Sir Thomas Lucy (c. 1585–1640) who was himself a Member of Parliament, and his wife Alice Spencer (c. 1590–1648) of Claverden, Warwickshire. The Lucys of Charlecote were significant landowners, known not only for their administrative roles but also as patrons of the arts and scholars, fostering a notable library at Charlecote Richard’s grandfather, another Sir Thomas Lucy (d. 1600), was also an MP and magistrate, famously (though perhaps apocryphally) linked with prosecuting a young William Shakespeare for pinching some deer.

Richard was well educated and he matriculated at Queen’s College at Oxford University on 17 September 1634, recorded as being aged 14. A young learner and all that, he must have been impressively studious for a teenager. Well, and wealthy, that helps. Following university, he undertook a period of foreign travel between 1637 and 1640, a common practice for broadening horizons and completing a gentleman’s education. Later, in 1652, he was admitted as a student to Gray’s Inn, one of the prestigious Inns of Court in London, suggesting an interest in law, even if he didn’t fancy the full wig and gown commitment. Richard wasn’t the most important though as he was third in line, behind his elder brothers Spencer and Robert. Consequently, he did not initially stand to inherit the principal family estate and it was only upon the deaths of both Spencer and Robert that Richard succeeded to Charlecote in 1658.

Richard had done politics, he had been the Sheriff of Warwickshire from 1646 to 1647 and he was appointed to the Barebones Parliament of 1653. This was a small Parliament, tasted primarily with trying to sort out the complete mess that they’d killed the King and they now had a country that was falling apart. His appointment is intriguing as there were no elections in that year to this institution, the members were appointed by Oliver Cromwell’s Army Council. They wouldn’t have selected someone opposed to their aims, so Richard must have been tolerating their work or seen as someone competent enough to have on board to help resolve the mess that had been created.

However, matters soon changed and Richard hit a little snag. He was mentioned as being one of approximately 40 members who were refused admittance to the House of Commons (likely during the Second Protectorate Parliament, around 1656) because they declined to take an oath recognising Cromwell’s government or pledging loyalty to the Protector. This act of refusal places Lucy within a significant group of MPs who resisted the increasing consolidation of power under Cromwell or objected to the specific terms of engagement demanded by the regime.

Despite this little debacle, Lucy’s political standing remained sufficient for him to be elected again and in 1659, for the Third Protectorate Parliament (convened by Richard Cromwell), he achieved the notable distinction of being elected for two constituencies simultaneously: his established seat of Warwickshire and the borough of Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. The rules then are the same as today, he had to pick one and he went with Warwickshire which made sense as he lived there and faffing about getting to the Isle of Wight would have been inconvenient. Although, perhaps he hankered over the island life, as he was elected to Yarmouth the following year and he remained the representative until his death in 1677. Although he remained relatively quiet in this Parliament, he did well to navigate the period when the Monarchy was restored, although as a major landowner it wouldn’t likely have been difficult.

So, all told, he was something of a political survivor and he must have shown some skill in being able to navigate the Commonwealth and the Monarchy, a period of general chaos in England. So, perhaps it was only right that he did appear like an intellectual in this painting…..

April 30, 2025