Medieval Shrewsbury.

 

 Shrewsbury is a medieval town that gets it's name from the Saxon name of 'Scrobbesbyrig'.  How old the city of Shrewsbury actually is not known, the first writings about this place was in 901 and was at that time part of the Kingdom of Mercia.  Shrewsbury was a very  important boarder city between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons of Wales. By 925 the city had coinage, this was during Athelstan reign.  The coinage also meant that the city was fortified, this is known because if a city was to have a mint where the coinage was made, by the law of the land it had to be fortified.

There were known to be at least 4 church's by the year 1066 which is of course when William the Conqueror claimed the British Isles.   The first Earl of Shrewsbury was Roger de Montgomery he started to build a castle in 1074 in the same location where Shrewsbury Castle stands today.  Further along in this blog will be some pictures of the castle and the surrounding building.  I was quite astonished that Shrewsbury Prison was so close, in New Zealand a lot of prisons are a good distance from the towns and cities.

In 1218 the town received a grant, this was to build the first ever town walls in England.  Shrewsbury also received one of the earliest grants of pavage in 1266 so that the new market place could be paved.

Shrewsbury is 9 miles from the Welsh boarder, however in 1215 and 1234 Llywelyn the Great led Welsh forces against the town, due to this the defences were increased.  There was a parliament held in Shrewsbury in 1238 by Edward I, this Parliament was the first to include a House of Commons.  The Parliament was set up so that Dafydd ap Gruffydd (who was the last free ruler of Wales) fate could be decided.  I have no knowledge of his trial however it is said that Dafydd was executed, in those days it meant he was hanged, drawn and quartered, Dafydd was accused of High Treason.  So now you know the last Welsh ruler was pout to death in Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury is a town that is mainly known for its Woollen trade, the woollen cloth was sent to London to be sold.  Nothing much changed until the railways were introduced.  I didn't get time to visit the churches in Shrewsbury, however there were plenty of them as you will see in the following photos

 

This is the coat of Arms that is on the Old Market Hall

 

Today the Old market Hall holds a lovely Café and a Cinema

 

Inside the Café you can see the workings for the clock

 

The building is magnificent and I wonder if this was once the front of the building

 

This is a photo of one of the many Tudor buildings, this is viewed from the Old Market Hall.

 

 

How is this for a Information Centre!!

 

This is the back of Shrewsbury Castle and the most elegant Railway Station.

 

Looking down on the Railway Station from a walkway around the bottom of the Castle

 

 

Shrewsbury Library.  There is a statue just above the green hedge, I have a feeling this is Charles Darwin who was born in Shrewsbury.  Another bit of history I didn't know.

 

This  three story Tudor building looks like it is been renovated, it stands just outside the castle gates.

 

A view towards the castle entrance.

 

 

Through the gates

 

From 1926 - 1981 the Castle was used as the Council Chambers for the local government

 

This  Castle has been used to house the Shropshire Regiment Museum since 1985, it is wonderful to look around, I was amazed at how many years of the Regiment that is covered.

 

This is a map of a Battle that took place in France in 1916, the map shows where many brave men died and now lay buried, many of those were of course from the Shropshire Regiment, this includes Private John James Keay who lost his life on the 18th July 1916.  This young man is related to Tina.

 

One of the helpful gentleman who explained to Tina where and how the battle was fought and why there was no bodies recovered.  Just at the top of this photograph you can see another document, this is a memorial with details of Private John James Keay.

 

 

 

This photo shows the uniforms of an Officer and a Private in World War I from the Shropshire Regiment.

Anyway those where the important ones that I thought you would enjoy looking at.  The next photos mainly of the old Tudor buildings that abound along with some of the churches.  I had thought that my home town of Sandbach had plenty of Tudor building, however these were around nearly every corner.

 

Looks like the buildings are about to fall over, how  they have managed to stand for so long shows how great the craftsman of the day were.

 

Fish Street

 

Beside and below the church

 

Notice the cobbled roadway

 

Groupers Lane

 

This church is very close to the one that is shown earlier

 

A view down the road from the walkway around the bottom of the Castle.  Apparently there is a penny arcade somewhere along there.

 

This is a side view of the three story Tudor house outside the Castle gate.

 

 

Of course there were Georgian Houses too

 

I cant remember the name of this Manor, however it is hired out for various things

 

This is a view from the Manor to the road

 

I really need to read the plaque above the stone again, apparently it is a stone that came down in the Ice Age.

 

Well it was a wonderful day though rather soggy as the day progressed, this is also the main reason why the photos look dark, all the walking has made us both tired, i tmay just be an early night this time.  Enjoy and take care x

History of Boston Lincs

Well I have finally had a look around this grand market town of Boston that first came to notice in the 1200's, it's May Market was so famous that the Royal Court closed down and they travelled to Boston to buy goods.  There is a lot of history surrounding this town including the trial of the Pilgrim Fathers; William Brewster and William Bradford. 

The Pilgrims were puritans that were made unwelcome in England.  When they tried to escape down the Boston River to Holland, they were captured and tried at the Guildhall in 1607 due to not conforming to the Church of England.  Many were released and sailed for the Netherlands a few years later, others left English shores on the Mayflower in 1620 and sailed to New England.

 

The Guildhall at Boston, Linc's holds 600 years of history. 

 

 It was built in 1390s for the Guild of St Mary's.  Due to the religious restriction Henry VIII closed and demolished many monasteries and guilds, however in a very clever move Boston became a Borough, Henry VIII handed over what the Guild had owned to this new Borough and the rather rich Guild members applied for the jobs in this new Borough preserving what they considered their due.

http://www.bostonguildhall.co.uk/

 

 

This was on the gate to the Guildhall, if anyone knows Latin, maybe you can let us all know what it says please.

 

This is the old Chapel where Monks and Beadmen would pray for the soul of others.  Beadmen were some of the poor of the parish who were taken in, fed and given a bed in exchange for the prays.

 

 

This is a view that leads down to the kitchens

 

From the top of the stairs

 

The Banquet Hall

 

 

Couldn't resist the Gargoyles

 

The dock and court room where the Pilgrim Fathers were tried

 

In side the dock were stairs that took you back down to the cells

 

In the drawers on the left of this photo were very old charter documents, one had a seal with it.

 

What the open roof looks like with out a ceiling.  This roof holds the building together.

 

The spits in the kitchen

 

A view from the kitchen area

 

This plaque is fro the Pilgrim Fathers and their trial

 

It was John Cotton in 1612 who was the Vicar of St Botolph's Church was instrumental in the naming of Boston, Massachusetts, America, he helped to found the city in 1630 due to the lack of religious freedom in England he also encouraged people to join the Massachusetts Bay Company.  In 1633 John Cotton emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts leaving the religious restrictions behind.

 

St Botolph's Parish Church, Boston, Lincs

 

 

 

A view of the church tower from the river bank

 

 

 

St Botolph's is also known as the Stump due to it's church tower.  Originally the tower was very short due to lack of funding to build it.  Today it has the tallest parish church tower in Britain , standing at 83 metres.  Work has recently been completed on the outside of this stunning church.  In side it is beautiful, though work is still on going at this time.

 

 

Blackfriars Arts Centre.

 

The  Blackfriars Arts centre is an old Dominican Friary dating from the 13th century.  It was rebuilt in 1309 and became the refectory of the order of Blackfriars, they were also known as shodfriars due to the fact that they wore sandals rather then walking barefoot.  It is told that King Edward I was entertained here by the friars.  During the dissolution of monasteries the building fell into a long decline.  In the 1930's the building was acquired by the Boston Preservation Trust.  It is now rebuilt and used as a small theatre and arts centre where many famous people have appeared on stage.

 

 

Fydell House

 

Fydell House was built by Samuel Jackson in 1720, a traditional Georgian home.  In 1726 Joseph Fydell a local merchant and cloth importer bought and altered it.  Today is still retains it's walled gardens.  In 1938 Joseph Kennedy  an ambassador of the USA opened the American Room.

 

The rest of the photos are of buildings that are in and around Boston town.  The only photos I have yet to get is of Maud Fosters Windmill and Hussey Tower.

 

 

An original Elizabethan House

 

 

This was built in 1772

 

The Assembly Rooms

 

Look at the lean on this house, it is one of the oldest still standing

 

I think this is or was the rectory where the vicars live/d

 

The courthouse

 

Enjoy the history and photos, leave a message if you wish, I would love to know what you think of the beautiful cities and towns I have visited so far.