We went to Malmesbury Abbey yesterday. When you approach this pillar/buttress thing in a filled-in archway, you notice...
...small cannon or gate-gun dents in the stonework, just like the one at the site of the execution of The Levellers in Burford. You can see it would make a good target from some distance. I guess these holes were made during the middle of the 17th century too.
I think that this door must have been used to test the pattern of spread on shotguns too. It is completely covered in holes from pellets. There seems to have been a profound lack of respect for the Church in those days.
I have just found this in Malmesbury's historic website:
The starkest reminder of Malmesbury’s role in the Civil War can be seen at the West end of the Abbey. Here, the south-facing wall to the side of the main porch is riddled with bullet holes, indicating where prisoners of war were executed.
To match my being away from blogging for a few days when my God daughter was staying, you seem to have put on a post every single day - there was a whole list of things I hadn't read!! Sorry for no response - love the cards - not so keen on the story of starving the vicar to death.
ReplyDeleteActually this is my first post for a couple of days, Weave. I've been too busy entertaining Thömas with visits to the church and abbey!
DeleteThe real story is sometimes more difficult and cruel than we imagine.
ReplyDeleteYes. I suspected that the holes were to do with the Civil War.
DeleteI hope Thömas is liking his tour around the area.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. He is going back today by the slow route.
DeleteIt must have once been an important place with such an Abbey.
ReplyDeleteYes. The abbeys were richer than the Crown before Henry the Eighth.
DeleteI expect if you scraped around in the soil beneath that pillar you'd find some ancient shot.
ReplyDeleteI thought that but I didn't have the tools.
DeleteMalmsbury Abbey, has some history. Home to a beautiful garden once tended by naked gardeners and the home once of Dyson's vacuum cleaner factory until he betrayed his workforce.
ReplyDeleteThose naked gardeners used to live near here. Dyson didn't betray his workforce. The research and development unit is still in Malmesbury and employs about 2000 people. The main reason the production factory is somewhere else is because Malmesbury Borough Council refused him planning permission to extend the brown field site. Dyson have now bought Hullavington airfield for the electric car testing and development and employ more people. He was also refused planning for a design academy in Bath, so gave the money to the Royal College in London instead.
Deletewho was it worked out that the shots were fired from higher than the victims? I think it was mentioned on Time Team a while ago. Makes sense...or the shooters would get caught by ricochets
ReplyDeleteIt was me, in the post about Burford. I sound cocky I know, but I worked it out without the help of Time Team.
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