The ruins of Saint Andrew - Southolm Juxta Hale

I'm interested in Church ruins because they often contain lost graveyards and a source of social history. Regrettably the site of  Saint Andrew (Southolm Juxta Hale) is a bit of a mystery. I know where the Church should be in the landscape although there is clearly nothing on the surface. Industrial ploughing has taken away the site of the building in the plough soil and the locals have robbed out the stone and flint. Whilst the remains of the departed are no longer commemorated they continue to rest in this magnificent environment.

From the Anglican Church website.... "Holme Hale was originally two lordships: Holm and Hale, both held in the 14th century from Lord Fitzwalter: Holm by Sir Robert de Hulmo and Hale by Sir Edmund de Illeye. The two lordships were separate, distinct places, each with a church dedicated to St Andrew. The Black death in 1349 decimated the population, and the two lordships were eventually combined in about 1375, doubtless on the authority of Edward III"

It's a pity that the modern Church of Saint Andrew in the nearby village of Holme Hale has always been locked when visited. Doubtless through the needs of the Anglican clergy and community.



Saint Andrew - The deserted village of 'Southolm Juxta Hale'.
The faithful departed under the field
© Godric Godricson















Shingham - Saint Botolph



Saint Botolph - Shingham
The Church stands in admirable isolation

© Godric Godricson

I love "Planet Norfolk" partly because it has so many interesting places and it throws up surprises in abundance.

I like to be surprised by Churches and graveyards in out of the way places and I found Shingham in this manner.

I'd never heard of the place before although the Church is a little jewel. The graveyard is large and has the air of a site that has at some point been cleared of many memorials and left as a large parkland. Saint Botolph sits in this park and dominates the consecrated site like a ship in a dry dock. At some point it feels as though the Church will slip its moorings and sail away.

This Grade 1 listed Church is Norman and has a beautiful door although (after peeking into the wndows) the interior has gone to rack and ruin under the disinterested watch of the Anglican Authorities who argue in an animated way about the sex lives of consenting adults whilst  national treasures slip away into the ground. The Church needs to be protected from the 'care' of the Authorities before the building finally crumbles away like others in this area. If this is the care that a grade 1 listed building receives then I query the fate of the others.



Saint Botolph - Shingham
The Norman arch

© Godric Godricson



Saint Botolph - Shingham
Detail from the Norman arch

© Godric Godricson



Saint Botolph - Shingham

Detail from the Norman arch

© Godric Godricson





John Woolsey Died 1812



John Woolsey Died 1812
 Saint Mary - Burgh Next Aylsham

© Godric Godricson



All at sea off Malta

"Sea burials are not a common occurrence in Malta, but a recent one created some embarrassing moments when a coffin containing the corpse of a foreigner, was lowered into the waters only to float straight back to the surface". For the full story from "Malta Today" take this link

Book recommendation

Death and the Noble Body in Medieval England : Danielle Westerhoff

I don't normally recommend books as the majority seem overpriced in an internet age of 'just in time printing'. This book is just shy of £50 and that's expensive by anyone's standards in an age of austerity. Have a look at the online version and see what you think. The book is well written and gives an inspiring account of burials where there is a seperation of the vicera/heart and the entire body. This is something that I haven't  written about and something of which I hadn't been much aware. I would suggest having a cheeky online read for an abridged glimpse into this unusual world of double and triple burial.