Thinking about old churches and their relationship with paganism. Starting with 'A'. Alphamstone or St. Barnabas church was on the Suffolk//Essex Border. It was a long drive from Chelmsford but through pretty Essex countryside. You would think that Essex is all full of 'Essex Girls' and gypsies - not so, not so. It has a certain lushness to the landscape, wooded and pastured it still retains that Olde England heartland if you look for it.
It was quite a long drive, I notice in the second blog I tell the tale of finding the bible upturned on the lectern at the page describing 'whores' I was so furious that this may have been the subject matter the local vicar had given.
But there is another tale to tell. It is to do with electricity and a labourer called Eddie Tuffin. The church could not afford electricity but Eddie was not defeated by that. He took one of his ferrets, tied a line to it and then put him down a land drain on his side of the road that ran across to the church - easy, tie an electric cable to the ferret and electricity was supplied to the church.
There are a few churches that somehow, mysteriously have large stones incorporated into their foundations and fabric. It shows that they have early beginnings. Either the reason was domination by the Christian church, or maybe, when the Saxons were changing their religion from pagan to christianity they overlapped the two. But not being quite sure of the changeover. This letter from Gregory to Mellitus, explains the forces that were beginning to break the bonds of paganism.
Letter from Gregory taken to England by Mellitus; Letter sent June 601
When almighty god has brought you to our most reverend brother Bishop Augustine, tell him what I have decided after long deliberation about the English people, namely that the idol temples (fana idolurum) of that race should by no means be destroyed, but the idols in them. Take holy water and sprinkle it in these shrines, build altars and place relics in them. For if the shrines are well built, it is essential that they should be changed from the worship of devils (cultu daemonum) to the service of the true god. When these people see that their shrines are not destroyed they will be able to banish error from their hearts and be more ready to come to the places thaey are familar with, but now recognizing and worshipping the true god.
Gregory's answer to a letter from Augustine which must have been outlining the English religious customs;
Because they (the English) are in the habit of slaughtering much cattle as sacrifices to devils, some solemnity ought to be given in exchange for this. So on the day of the dedication or the festivals of the holy martyrs, whose relics are deposited there, let them make themselves huts from the branches of trees around the churches which have been converted out of shrines, and let them celebrate the solemnity with religious feast.
Do not let them sacrifice animals to the devil, but let them slaughter animals for their own food to the praise of god, and let them give thanks to the giver of things for his bountiful provision.
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| Stone built into the wall Stone was rare in Essex, and these random stones found by the River Stour could have been the result of glacial movement from elsewhere. |
When I hear about Eddie Tuffin I can't help but think of Eddie Grundy on The Archers - just his kind of trick! I've just been reading about the cobbles in front of Trinity College in Cambridge, some of them clearly derived from Norway, brought here by glaciers of course.
ReplyDeleteYes it does sound a bit like Eddie Grundy. I remember that a lot of bricks came over to the east coast as ballast for the ships John. The glacier/boat transport saga over Stonehenge bluestone from Wales was always a matter of debate. Seems to have come down on the side of human transport.
DeleteHave you visited Sarcen Valley at Avebury? The place is strewn with huge glacial boulders on the doorstep of the stone circle. If the church could not afford electricity, what was on the other end of the cable that the ferret dragged through?
ReplyDeleteYes I have Tom, Piggledene isn't it called, always difficult too park to see the stones though.
ReplyDeleteYou have to walk there.
DeleteActually, a lot of people go there in off-roaders. It is at the bottom of an ancient green way.
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ReplyDeleteI have walked on the old Green road from Avebury up to the sarsens on the top there Tom. But not to Piggledene it is a good way further. I was looking at the photos the other day, the stunted hawthorns and stones. As for off-roaders, wretched people ruining the green lanes with the great ruts their vehicles make. Don't say you have a friend who does exactly that ;)
The Letter from Gregory confirms the cunning and political creativity of those who sought to diminish and magic away ancient beliefs and rituals in the name of Christianity. I can't help feeling that they robbed us of things that were precious and part of our heritage in favour of unsubstantiated foreign stories about an almighty god and his mythical son.
ReplyDelete"Cunning and political creativity" To be found in any century of course. The pagans though were pretty barbaric according to Tacitus the Roman writer. So the human race inherits a diversity of religions made up by those in power but used as a controlling force.
ReplyDeleteThat's certainly an interesting way to harness electricity, poor ferret!
ReplyDeleteHello, It is still surprising how many people still keep ferrets. The old cycle path between Bath and Bristol would often have escaped ferrets running around.
DeleteSorry, I missed this interesting post - am late to the feast. Smiling at the thought of the Eddy Grundy moment where the ferret delivered light to the church! Reminds me of when Keith and I (combined age 132) slung a hook across the river with a rope attached, which we then tied to the telegraph pole so that BT could no longer (after 3 months) tell us that they had to get divers in to replace our phone line. The river at this point, I might add, was only knee deep . . .
ReplyDeleteGosh, you can just see that Christianity went down a storm with the pagans whose beliefs were being ripped out and mutated - not even gently eroded. That looks a fascinating church btw.
That sounds like a good trumped excuse from BT. I remember that river when we visited you. I think it was high and a tree or something had got caught on the bridge.
ReplyDeleteAs for the triumph of Christianity over paganism, I think it was a long battle. The old fears and superstitions still lurked under the surface through the later centuries..