The Goderich Signal-Star, 1969-11-13, Page 1811 -
6A GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13,1969
THE BLUE THUMS
BY G. MacLEOD ROSS
It is Shakespeare's John of
Gaunt who speaks the lines:
This royal throne of Kings, this
scepter'd isle,
This fortress built by Nature for
herself,
This precious stone set in a silver
sea,
This blessed plot, this earth, this
Realm, this England.
At Stratford on Avon is Holy
Trinity Church where
Shakespeare is buried. Here too
is Harvard House where the
mother of the founder of the
American University of that
name was born. In
Northamptonshire we find
Sulgrave Manor, the home of the
Washington family from 1539
TThiii Gib -Ws great
grandfather sailed for Virginia.
There is Kenilworth Castle
where Elizabeth I visited the
Duke of Leicester amidst much
merrymaking, for 320 casks of
beer were drunk.
The Cotswolds spell stone
cottages with split limestone
roof slates, sheep, fallow deer
and speckled trout; stone walls
and fences; a countryside full of
strange names such as Owlpen,
Birdlip, Lower Slaughter and
Chipping Camden. Slaughter
comes from 'slohtre' meaning a ,
muddy spot. Owlpen is where a
man named 011a built an
enclosure. Birdlip means 'cliff of
birds,' and `ceping' an old .word
for 'market' explainsChipping
Camden.
Roaming in the southeast we
find chalk cliffs, downs and
quiet villages, with the Weald of
Kent lying between the north
and south Downs, at one timea.
forest. This perhaps explains
why these countiesdr- e so ful of
the Saxon suffix 'den,' mea g
a clearing in the forest:
Crittenden, Smarden, etc. Today
Kent is known as the garden of
England and cider, hops, yost
houses and gypsies are part and
parcel of its scene. Canterbury
Cathedral has seen 16 centuries
of worship. Within its walls
Thomas a Becket was murdered
and here ' lies the Blabk Prince
beneath his spurs,. To the
Cathedral comes each day the
best turned out recruit from the
depot of the Queen's, The Royal
West Kent Regiment, to 'turn a
page in the book of
Remembrance' in •the chancel:
When Huguenots and Walloons
fled the Continent, their looms
were stored in the Cathedral
until such time as their owners
could establish themselves.
Dover, the 'sole remaining
Cinque Port to receive shipping,
was used by the Roman visitors.
Cricket is a way of life rather
than a game. and though it is not
peculiar to this area, it is much
played in Kent and Sussex., No
one knows exactly when the
game originated, but it was
played at Westminster in 1300.
Finally Kent recalls Dickens and
bad's Hill and, more recently,
Chartwell, Sir Winston's home
for four decades.
Passing west to those southern
counties which form Wessex, i.e.
Hants, Surrey and Sussex, the
first city of the south in
pre -Norman times was
Winchester. Iberians, Britons and
Belgae curie here before the
Romans fortified it. The King of
Wessex lived at nearby Wolvesley
and King Arthur assisted in the
compilation •of the
"Anglo-Saxon Chroncile." In the
High Street a magrtake,ritittatue
of Alfred shows hiin hording -his
sword on high by the blade to
show the sign of the Cross and it
was Alfred who became the
scourge of the,,Danish invaders.
Winchester is also known for the
origination of the bushel basket
and for the yard as a unit, of
measure. In the Great Hall, the
only remaining bit of William I's
castle is King Arthur's Round
Table where it has hung for 600
Sigirk the Tralr itself' i ng- Li led
for earl Y parliamwts. This Hall
is in one respect very modern
because it possesses one of the
earliest 'wire -tapping,' or more
exactly, eaves -dropping devices.
It consists of a piece of tube let
Rediscovering England
into the wall and known as the
King's ear, since it allowed
monarchs to listen in to the
deliberations of the parliaments.
Today when. practically every
elected body fears to debate in
public, this ancient device might
pass muster since electric
wire -tapping is in such disrepute.
In this Hall Sir Walter Raleigh
heard his death sentence, whilst
in the streets the first English
pipe . smoker was pelted by the
townspeople. The Cathedral, the
largest in England, was built by
our -ubiquitous friend William of
Normandy. In it are buried St.
Swithin as well as King Canute.
St. Cross Hospital, which began
its ministrations in 1136, is one
of the very oldest charities
whichin spite of inflation and
deflation, still dispenses beer and
bread freely to any suppliant,
needy or otherwise.
Southampton, one of the
oldest of many old places in
Britain, is the modern successor
to' the Roman Clausentum and is
associated with transatlantic
passenger service in the 'Mary,'
the 'Elizabeth' and now the
Q.E.2. It stole its trade from
Liverpool, which tended the.
Lusitania and the original
Mauretania and housed such
famous names in shipping as
Elder Dempster, Cunard, White
Star, Allan Line and C.P.R.
Southampton's West Gate gives
on to the West Quay fromwhich
the Pilgrim Fathers sailed in the
Mayflower.
Portsmouth, with the
narrowest mouth of any port,'
has been a naval station since the
time of King John. Today,
through this needle's eye, thread
battleships and submarines,
cruisers and destroyers. The
naval dockyard covers 300 acres
and in it is the shrine of the
Royal Navy: Nelson's:flag-ship.
Victory, revered, nay
worshipped, to this day. An
everlasting memorial to the man
who broke Napoleon's seapower
and' , saved England from yet
another invasion. Close by is
Buckler's Hard on the Beaulieu
River, where Nelson careened his
ships and where three vessels 'of
the Line which took part in the
battle' of Trafalgar were built by
Henry Adams, whose house still
stInds. Among the old pubs are
the Star and Garter and the
George, where Nelson
breakfasted before embarking
for Trafalgar.
While working in the
Portsmouth area in 1937, I came
upon an old plan in the C.R.E.'s
office, dated 1716. It was a plea
for the building of a new
Magazine and proceeded to
detail the 'inconveniences of the
Old 'Magazine.' It is such a
heartrending document that I
cannot refrain from quoting
some of it --for it gives such
atmosphere:
'1. In carrying Powder from
thence to the, Hoys, about 400
yards distance, to the end of the
Point, and by shaking the barrels
together on the Cart, there has,
been a Train along that Street
which in War Time is the most
popular part of the Town.
"2.4 When 'funerals pass 137
there, the Sparks of the Links
and Torches have been seen' to
fly against the Magazine Walls
and Windows:
"3. At shipping off the
Powder from the Point, among a
crowd of drunken sailors tending
the Man of Wars'. boats, is also a
very great hazard.
"5. Great Spring Tides come,
into the Ground Room under
the foundation of the Wall and
strike up Damps, which might be
scured by arching over that place;
but these Greater
Inconveniences are in great
measure the Ruin of the Place
arid some miles around. Am
humbly of opinion a New
Magazine in the Harbour, free
from the above said Hazards,
would be most for the Safety of
this Port."
It shoill& be understood that
there were- 6,000 barrels of
Powder in the said Magazine and
this was the_state of affairs 100
years before the Battles of
Waterloo and Trafalgar.
In Sussex , we, find vast
Arundel Castle, tiPe home of the
Duke of Norfolk, the hereditary
Royal Marshal of England,
whose salary of 20 pounds per
annum has never been raised
since the 15th Century. Battle
Abbey was founded by William
of Normandy to hallow "the
very spot where God granted
him the conquest of England"
and a nearby stone marks the
spot where , his adversary,
Harold, was struck down by an
arrow. Today red lupins spike
the stone.
The West Coiintry is just as
packed with historyc'and myth
and beautiful scenery as
elsewhere. The Cheddar Gorge
which inspired the writing of a
wellloved hymn: Rock of Ages.
In,Somerset the South Cadbury
hill fortress,' believed to be the
site of King Arthur's fabled
Camelot, has been under
excavation for four years. Very
recently the first skeleton was
exhumed; that of a 20 -year-old
boy, possibly a 2,000 -year-old
sacrifice to protect the fort from
enemies. King Arthur's tomb is
to be found in Glastonbury
Abbey, where it is said Joseph of
Arimithea once journeyed, and
planted the Glastonbury Thorn,
which blooms at Christmas to
this da`y. St. Joseph is also said
to have buried the Holy Grail in_
the nearby tor or hillock. All
this in A.D. 31.
Bath is where the Romans
found a chalybeate spring and
piped its water at 120 degrees
fahrenheit to their baths and left
such 'modern' ideas as
under -floor heating with hot air.
Here will be found the Pump
Room to remind us, of the
.Dandies and Beau Brutnmel; of
whom it was said: "They went
there well and came :away
cured." At Bradford'on Avon is
an original Saxon church, 1,000
year-old and on this same river
lies the port of Bristol, which,
when the Domesday Book was
compiled, ranked with London.
York and Winchester. The 'Great
Western,' the transatlantic
paddle ship was built here., the
first steamship to cross this
ocean. Bristol has been a wine
port since the Normans brought
in Bordeaux wines. From here in
1497 Henry VII sent off John
Cabot to discover
new -found -land, for which he
received ten pounds from a
grateful king. The sixteenth
century Merchant Venturers
have eir Hall here as also the
West Street
Laundromat
54 West St., Goderich
Dial 524- 9953
21 WASHERS — 10 DRYERS
COIN. OPERATED DRY CLEANING
DRY CLEANING ONLY WHEN ATTEND ANT IS ON DUTY
9 A.M. TO 6 P.M. DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY
ALSO FRIDAY EVENINGS
ANNOUNCEMENT
Almshouses they supported,
before Huronview.
Wiltshire, gives us Stonehenge,
believed to be at least 3,600
years old, yet no one has
discovered its "why." Its huge
50 ton stones are arranged to
form a sort of calendar from
which both solar and lunar
movements may be checked. At
the summer solstice the rising
sun shines on a flat stone,.
known as the blodd stone, since
it glows in the early rays.
Around 1922' or 23' the War
Office built some married
soldiers' quarters on the rising
ground over which the sun rose
on Midsummers Day. After they
had been occupied the local
Member, Colonel Glyn, the
sel f.appointed .Wardexi of
Wessex, complained in
Parlianient that they interfered
with the instant at which the sun
shone on the blood stone. Such
questions reverberate in the War
Office! The . Survey of Great
Britain was immediately
mobilized with their theodolites
etc. to disprove this
embarrassing assertion.
In 1215 copies of Magna
Charta- were distributed to key
castles and cathedrals around the
Country. The copy sent to Old
Sarum is still intact, one of only
three surviving copies.
Salisbury's sublime ' spire is'
1
'hereabouts also and lovely
Lul-w or th Cove, . once
'desecrated' as a Tank Gunnery
range which turned out some of
the best gunners with a tank
gun, as Hitler found. to his cost.
Berkeley Castle has been
inhabited by a family, who trace
their ancestry back to Saxon
times, for 800 years. Tintern
founded by Cistercian monks
and Hereford Cathedral which'
possesses a whole library of
'chained' books; a simple way of
preventing loss which might well
be copied today by our
reference libraries. Included, for
this is cider country, is a
'chained' cider Bible in which in
St? Luke 1:15 the words "strong
drink" appear as 'cider.' King
John lies in Worcester Cathedral
and a lion nibbles his sword in
token of. the blunting of his
power by the barons, at
Runneymede. As such, it arouses
thoughts of suitable memorials
to some of our politicians, who,
in their lifetime have nibbled
away our purses or more
especially their content. Where
are the Barons of today?
MAYTAG
THE DEPENDABLE APPLIANCES
Maytag puts the same.high quality work in all their washers
and dryers, only the feattrrell'are' different. If you want
dependable, trouble 'free performance for your money then
come in and select the features you want.
Join those who are happy they paid a little more for a
Maytag.
Remember, Maytag has become a leader in the dishwasher
and in sink food waste disposer lines too. •
HUTCHINSON TV
& APPLIANCES
308 HURON RD. PHONE 524-7831
3
\.,
RED CROSS
BLOOD CLINIC
•
WED., NOV. 19
Advertisement Publislied By
GODERICH,ELEVATORS LTD.
EXPERIENCED.
DECORATORS
Exterior And Interior
Painting & Wallpapering
Let us do your interior decorating ,and
wallpapering before the festive season arrives.
REASONABLE
RATES
W. PEpERSEN
101 Victoria St.
FR EE
ESTIMATES
J McCREIGHT
115 St. David St.
Phone 524-6667 or 524-9287
Shirley
Gay BREAD
REG. 274
349c
Eton in.Vitell Trimed '
ROUND mBONE
HouL
SHOULDER STEAK 89°Centre c
CHOPS .
own 'n ,Serve
Red lb. PORK
Brand, Tender & JuicY Br
BLADE STEAKS 79° lb. F'ORK CHOPS
89
• Poric Family Pack
S Boneless 7With Dressing)
(Cut into 9- / s ,
Pork told- Roast 9744 lb Loin 1 Chop'uarters
CANADA FCY. MAC CANADA NO . / Q ( t ,
AF'PLES it la bd 690 1?1?Ols 4;',7i, 290 iiAjiiissizei051 0198
79
Bag
Fi..0q1DA MARSH CA
SEEDLESS (RED OR WHITE) di
Shirley ,AayPEFRUIT.-...1
A i Cr, Tulip (Parchment
CINNAMON BUNS 2 VIP MARGARINE
0fPkig.
1.Z v;$4141tattritlitii $eiv50
TOMArO SOUP ..
: 12.0z.
Beans wtth .jo Tomato Sauce 136,88.
COLGATE . re 100 •••
ht it 0461
APPLE0,1.29
DR. C. F. DOOR LY — Family Practice — by appointment
DR. J. R. LEITCH — • Family Practice — by appointment
DR. R. W. FLOWERS — Internal Medicine — by ref'etral
OFFICES AT
A KELVINATOR (CHEST TYPE)
FREEZE
During IGA'S "fill your Frei's," Sole you'll save money end
YOU MAY -BE THE LUCKY WINNER OF
A KELVINATOR FREEZER
FILLED WITH OVER ;100 WORTH OF FROZEN FOODS t
WIN A KELVINATOR FREEZER !
Nome .
Address
City
Province
"I would, like to own • Keivinotor Fr becoi
Deposit this coupon at any ICA stare before
Saturday, Dee. 6, 1069
•
•
•
0
•
0
•
10
0
0
0