Walking England - Six Feet First
Part IV
Special to the Sentinel By Willis P. Richard

We walked from our hotel this morning along a section of the 290 mile Macmillian Way, a long distance footpath that runs from The Wash on the east coast to Abbotsbury on the southern coast. Our first stop was at Christopher White's Hookhouse Pottery. Christopher was away, but his father hosted us. We viewed some of his pottery and strolled around the well appointed grounds.

Our feet carried us on to the hamlet of Beverstone. We paused there briefly to view a 13th century mooted castle, which still provides a home, and the church of St. Mary, which is believed to have been built in 1225.

The Elizabethan manor house of Chavenage was our next stop. For me, it was the highlight of the day and one of the most significant events of our trek. Tea and cookies preceded a tour conducted by the current owner, David Lawsly-Williams.

The house is on what were originally monastic lands. It has had only two owning families. The present one arrived in the area in 1410 and purchased the estate in 1891. A bachelor uncle had the house and gave it to David as a wedding present in 1958. There are now two generations coming behind him, so the house stay in the family for a long time.

The glass in the windows is from the Priory. One scene is of the Biblical story of woman dancing naked in front of Herod. One young girl visitor heard the story and told her mother a woman danced naked in front of Harrods, London's leading department store.

Oliver Cromwell had resided here. His room, David said, is the second most haunted room in Gloucestershire, the most haunted being the room where King Edward II (1307-1327) was put to death, in the words of Rebecca Fraser's in "The Story of Britain" by means of "a red hot poker which was stuck up him."

"Poor Old Edward," lamented David.

Cromwell came here toward the end of the Civil War (1642 - 1649). His kinsman, Col. Nathaniel Stevens, was staying here, so this was logical. Stevens, a leader of the most moderate wing of the Roundheads, came back here after King Charles I was beheaded (1649) and met a very angry daughter. The room contains a good portrait of Cromwell. There is also a picture of Charles I, and some of his hair is mounted there.

The adjoining room belonged to Major General Henry Ireton, Cromwell's son-in-law. There are pictures of him, and a metal tag over the door reads " General Ireton".

This was of particular interest to me. I have written a biography of James Iredell, a North Carolinian who was a George Washington appointee to the original U.S. Supreme Court. Iredell family tradition holds that the name originally was Ireton, but was changed when the monarchy was restored to avoid the disfavor that might come from the Crown's associating them with Henry Ireton.

The house contains three of Cromwell's swords. One is Scottish; not surprising,we were told, because so many mercenaries fought in the Civil War.

The house serves as a site for filming movies, and David once received 3.5 million pounds for a movie made there ( about 7 million dollars at the present exchange rate).

Unfortunately, a man took all of David's Elizabethan original documents about the house. He also had some pictures that belonged to the Crown. He wrote to Buckingham

Palace about them, and the reply came that the Queen wanted them back. Fortunately, he was paid for them, and he used the proceeds to re-roof the house.

We were shown a gun found near a deceased soldier at Dunkirk. On the outside, David pointed out the Elizabethan wing (16th century) and the Edwardian wing (1904). He showed us a yew tree that a forester believes would have been there in 1400. Shakespeare's plays are performed here every summer. This year's will be "The Merry Wives of Windsor". There is an Anglican Chapel on the premises, which prompted David to say, " I'm one of the few Roman Catholics who has to look after anAnglicanChurch Chapel." Prince Charles once held a reception here following a veterans' recognition ceremony.

A two mile lane walk then brought us into the Cotswold town of Tetbury, where we had lunch in The Priory Inn ( a spinach salad for me.) A break of almost an hour allowed us to stroll around the town. I found a used book store and made two purchases: Lawrence Stern's "Tristram Shandy" (an 18th century novel widely read by the American founders), and Charles Dickens' "My Early Life."

At 2:45 we met at The Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Tetbury. There was organ music as we entered the sanctuary. Jonathan, the organist, informed us that the church had provided a scholarship that paid one-half of the cost of his organ lessons. We also met Noelle, the church warden. There had been Christian worship here since at least 681 A.D. In 1777 the medieval church, with the exception of the tower and spire, was demolished. The present building, designed by Francis Hiorn of Warwick, was opened in 1781. It is one of the earliest and best examples of Georgian Gothic churches in the country. It has undergone several changes, the most significant being in 1901 and 1993. The last restoration attempted to undo much of the " Victorianisation" and restore the interior, insofar, as practicable, to its original Georgian plan.

We had about a one hour and forty minute walk back to The Hare and Hounds. Enroute

we walked past Highgrove, the present home of His Royal Highness, Charles, the Prince of Wales, and on his grounds. Several of us had our pictures made standing in front of his gate, with a sign that says it is a crime to enter. Elliot Roosevelt once lived there.

We were back at our hotel around 4:30 p.m., so there was time to relax before dinner. Dinner was more of the same: good food, good conversation, great fun. We went out into the garden area afterward for coffee and conversation. Anna Bryan shared some delicious chocolates her aunt had givevn her in Germany. Steve Hindsman made a presentation to Sabrine, the head waitress, and Ken thanked the chef. At around 9:45 p.m. we retired to our rooms to begin packing for tomorrow's departure.

~~~~ Distance Walked:

9.6 miles

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