December 2019

The photo above shows the west tower and lead-clad spire of St. Nicholas’ church Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Although looking like a ‘needle spire’ it is in fact a ‘broach spire’ evidenced by the triangular anchors at the base of the spire at each of the four corners (for further discussion on church spires see ‘Landmarks […]

The photo. above shows the south-facing façade of Burton Agnes Elizabethan/Jacobean Hall. St. Martin’s church stands nearby as do the remains of an earlier medieval manor house contemporary with the events recorded by Briony (s.p.b.s). In concluding her article Briony makes various points; She used a ‘combination of documentary, landscape and standing buildings evidence in

Although I have read about it I am yet, personally, to visit St. Martin’s church, Burton Agnes and therefore reproduced above is a view of the church from the north-west copied from p. 15 of Christine Barker’s book Churches of the Yorkshire Wolds, 2 (s.p.b.). Of course Briony McDonagh writes of this church in her

Continuing immediately on the last blog, Alice had married into the Griffith family while Agnes the St. Quintin family. Surely both were the descendants of Norman knights and almost certainly in both the households of Alice and Agnes Norman French would normally be spoken, unlike in the households of the surrounding peasantry. The picture above

Bryony’s map from her article (see above) shows the parishes of Harpham and Burton Agnes with the site of their churches and their dedications labelled. It also shows two historic townships to the east of Burton Agnes and a third township Gransmoor to the south, this last entirely on The R. Hull valley floodplain. The

Again apologies for break in service – changing to Windows 10 plus bad bought of sickness followed by chest infection. Following the last blog about Hessle Local History Society another article of interest was printed in the latest edition of Landscape History (the twice yearly journal of the Society for Landscape Studies) – interesting because