Saturday 9 March 2024

Dates to remember in March 2024 – 2

 

Dates to remember in March 2024 – 2

English Civil War reenactment

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Some of the more esoteric memorable March days are intriguing and not as widely known as St Patrick’s Day, on 17th March, when the whole world seems to claim Irish ancestry, or the Gemini Boat Race, (usually just called the Boat Race), on 30th March.


11th March: Penny Loaf Day

The English Civil War, which was actually a series of wars, took place between 1642 and 1651. Newark-on Trent, in Nottinghamshire, was strategically positioned at the junction of the Great North Road, from London to the North, and the Fosse Way, from Exeter to Leicester by way of the Cotswolds. The roads linked Chester and York to Oxford, where King Charles I had his headquarters. Newark-on-Trent was a Royalist stronghold.

In March 1644, Henry Clay had a recurring dream for three nights that his house was on fire. Becoming convinced that his dream foretold disaster, he evacuated his family from the house. A short while later, a bomb fired by the Parliamentary forces destroyed the house on 11th March.

In gratitude, believing he had been saved by a miracle, Henry Clay left £100 in trust, the interest on half the sum to be paid to a vicar to preach a sermon annually commemorating the event and the interest on the other half to be used to buy bread for the poor of the parish every year.

This year, 2024, Penny Loaf Day will be celebrated on Sunday 10th March. A procession proceeds from the Town Hall to St Mary Magdalene. The loaves of bread are distributed to local charities.

A strange, rather macabre legend holds that the body of a drowned man could be located by putting quicksilver (mercury) in a penny loaf and throwing it in the river.


 18th March: St Edward the Martyr’s Day

Edward was the Anglo-Saxon king of England from 975 to 978. When he was 15, he was murdered on the orders of his step-mother on 18th March, 978, in Dorset. His body was buried at Wareham, but after miracles occurred at his tomb, he was venerated as a Saint and Martyr and his body relocated to Shaftesbury Abbey.

Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

In 1982, the Saint Edward Brotherhood was founded at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. Brookwood, the London Necropolis, is set in 220 acres and is the largest cemetery in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.  The Saint Edward Brotherhood is a monastic community who created a new church in the cemetery grounds, eventually to house the mortal remains of St Edward the Martyr. This was accomplished in 1988. Daily services are chanted at the shrine every day.

10 comments:

  1. I love the look of the bush in the final picture. Although it does remind me I should cut out several thousand unwanted limbs form my plum trees. I wonder is there any country anywhere that hasn't had several wars in its history?

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    1. Pruning is such a joy, isn't it;-)
      I doubt there are any countries that haven't been formed and scarred by wars :-((

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  2. What great history! Love that last photo. It's so interesting!

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    1. Brookwood is a really beautiful place, as interesting in its way as Highgate Cemetery.

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  3. I have blood from England, Scotland, Italy, France, Switzerland and Denmark but no Irish blood as far as I know.

    March does seem to be a busy month. I wonder if there could be any substance to putting mercury into bread to find a drowned man. It is just too strange to have been a myth. Someone must have actually thought it would work for a reason.

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  4. Perhaps the mercury reacted with chemicals released from the dead body - who knows?
    As far as blood goes, we're all mongrels!

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  5. Eddie and I were only talking about 'The Boat Race' earlier today.

    From as far back as I can remember ‘The Boat Race’ was always a must watch sports event in our family, it was part of our family tradition… which still continues. Yes, it‘s true the family are spread far and wide but we are all together in spirit for this event, and I know texts, emails and phone calls will be shared.

    Looking forward to watching it on 30 March :)

    All the best Jan

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    1. We always watch the Boat Race.
      It's a real feat of endurance for the rowers - strong backs and legs are required - and months of hard training and all on top of academic studies.

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  6. Quite a few days to remember in March it seems! It was interesting to read about both Penny Loaf Day and St Edward the Martyr’s Day, neither of which I was aware of. xxx

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    Replies
    1. It amazes me that so many events are commemorated. They become part of local tradition. x x x

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