Worcestershire Beacon hill sunset. Great malvern hills. England.
Friday 14 March 2014
Sunset at a old triangulation station & Diamond Jubilee Toposcope on Worcestershire Beacon hill.
Sunset at a old triangulation station & Diamond Jubilee Toposcope on Worcestershire Beacon hill., a photo by ttwff on Flickr.
Sunset at a old triangulation station & Diamond Jubilee Toposcope on Worcestershire Beacon hill. Great malvern hills. England.
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Horses garden waste can kill.
Horses garden waste can kill. The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Saturday 1 March 2014
View of Long Compton village.
View of Long Compton village.
The village of Long Compton was once home to numerous witches.
On 15 September, 1875, the normally tranquil Warwickshire village of Long Compton was the scene of a bloody and bizarre street murder which sent shock waves through Victorian Britain.
The victim was 79-year-old Anne Tennant, the wife of an agricultural labourer, and her killing could hardly have been more public or more brazen. As she went to the local baker's shop to buy a loaf of bread for her husband's tea, a man stepped forward, thrust his pitchfork through her throat pinning her to the ground and then carved bloody crucifixes on her face and chest with a bill hook. Horrifying as the murder was, there was something especially terrifying about it for the local country people who understood the ancient superstitions which had gripped this isolated rural spot for more than 4,000 years.
The perpetrator was arrested only a short time after the alarm was raised and immediately admitted what he had done. In fact, he even claimed that his actions were to protect the community and that there were 16 other witches in the parish whom he would also like to kill. It comes as perhaps something of a shock to discover that several of his neighbours agreed with him. There was clearly a deep social schism at the time running through the community and fed by years of fear and suspicion.
The killer was James Hayward, a young man of weak intellect who had lived in the same street as the Tennants and their seven children for nearly 30 years. They both lived in the southern part of Long Compton which to this very day is known as the 'Witch End' of the village because of the number of witches who lived there. When an inquest was held in the Red Lion two days after the incident, the jury returned a verdict of 'wilful murder' and he was committed for trial at Warwick Assizes.
The case was heard the following December when, as part of his defence, Hayward asked the judge to weigh the dead woman's body against the church Bible, a traditional way of determining the existence of a witch. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, was detained at Warwick Gaol at Her Majesty's pleasure and starved himself to death a few months later.
The tragedy was one of the more extreme incidents involving witchcraft which occurred in Long Compton over a period of several hundred years and which continued well into the 20th century. The tradition stemmed from superstitions surrounding the Rollright Stones, an ancient stone circle situated a mile away just over the border in Oxfordshire.
The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Long Compton, St Peter and St Paul's Church
Long Compton, St Peter and St Paul's Church. St Augustine is said to have preached on the site of the church, and while he was here, raised a man from the dead.There is a badly worn tomb, with a recumbent effigy of a woman. This effigy is believed to be a witch.
On 15 September, 1875, the normally tranquil Warwickshire village of Long Compton was the scene of a bloody and bizarre street murder which sent shock waves through Victorian Britain.
The victim was 79-year-old Anne Tennant, the wife of an agricultural labourer, and her killing could hardly have been more public or more brazen. As she went to the local baker's shop to buy a loaf of bread for her husband's tea, a man stepped forward, thrust his pitchfork through her throat pinning her to the ground and then carved bloody crucifixes on her face and chest with a bill hook. Horrifying as the murder was, there was something especially terrifying about it for the local country people who understood the ancient superstitions which had gripped this isolated rural spot for more than 4,000 years.
Long Compton recorded in the Domesday Book as Cuntone. The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Friday 28 February 2014
The Beggars lane footpath sign.
The Beggars lane footpath sign. The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Tuesday 25 February 2014
St. Ann's Parish Church shadows.
St. Ann's Parish Church shadows. The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Thursday 20 February 2014
The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War was fort here on 23 October 1642.
The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War was fort here on 23 October 1642., a photo by ttwff on Flickr.
The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War was fort here on 23 October 1642. The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Tuesday 11 February 2014
Rhidorroch Ho rock face.
Rhidorroch Ho rock face. The Cape Wrath Trail. Highlands. North West Coast. Scotland.
View of Ben Nevis snow top peek (Scotland and Britons highest point) & Trislaig Multi Colour recycle bins.
View of Ben Nevis snow top peek (Scotland and Britons highest point) & Trislaig Multi Colour recycle bins., a photo by ttwff on Flickr.
View of Ben Nevis snow top peek (Scotland and Britons highest point) & Trislaig Multi Colour recycle bins. The Cape Wrath Trail. Highlands. North West Coast. Scotland.
Sunday 9 February 2014
Butter Cross (Mediaeval conical stone cross with ball on top).
Butter Cross (Mediaeval conical stone cross with ball on top). This village is famous for the ancient game of Bottle kicking which happens once a Year on Easter. The Macmillan Way. long-distance footpath. England.
Summer sunset selfie shadow wild camping by a river.
Summer sunset selfie shadow wild camping by a river. The Cape Wrath Trail. Highlands. North West Coast. Scotland.
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