I do not know why the plaque on the church says old St. Mary the Virgin Church and the material below calls it the old church of OUR LADY, but it appears they are talking about the same church.
The following is taken from:
A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1908.
Of the old church of OUR LADY the chancel only remains, though the limits of the old nave are preserved by blocks of stone marking the position of its western angles. It was burnt down in 1883, a new church being built in the middle of the village to take its place. It had no aisles, but on the north side an eighteenth-century building which contained the pew of the Guidott family, and on the west gable of the nave was a wooden bell-turret.
The chancel dates from c. 1190, having a north window of that date, a small pointed light with a wide internal splay and semi circular rear-arch. The east window is of doubtful date, a wide single light which was probably divided into two by tracery, which is now lost. In the south wall is a blocked doorway, built of old material reused, and a square-headed window of two trefoiled lights, of late fifteenth-century date. The west wall is modern, there having been no chancel arch in the old church, and in it is a round-headed doorway, also made up of old material, some of it of twelfth-century date. On the gable above it is a wooden bell-cote with a small modern bell. In the floor is a slab with the brass of Katherine Dabridgecourt, 1607, the figure, inscription plate, and one shield of arms being preserved. |
| Edwin Parker |
 |
| Maria Blake Parker |
 |
| William Charles Parker |
 |
| This is a casket cart. Grandpa William Parker, as church cemetery caretaker and sextant, may have used a similar one. Holding the cart is Glen Parker, William Charles Parker's great-great-grandson. (Through Edwin Parker, Parel Parker, and Robert Parker.) |
The Old Thatched Cottage - Edwin Parker was born in this old thatched cottage. In his histories, you will find poems he wrote about this cottage and his family hearing the gospel within its walls from the missionary, William Budge.
 |
| This is a picture of the cottage the family has had for many years. |
Memories of the Old Thatched Cottage In the old thatched cot that I had almost forgot In the year of ’51 the work was first begun, Although the beginning was then very small Its blessings were felt by young, old and all Who obeyed its teachings and never forgot What they first heard with joy in the old thatched cot. In the year of ’52 in the month of May Another Mormon Elder came that way, Then up the street we all did trudge To hear him preach—‘twas William Budge. In plainness he taught the gospel plan That had been revealed from heaven to man, Many listened, a few did yield, Some in Preston and some in Weild. He first baptized one and then another, But first of them all was my mother, Then the tenth child came to her lot; She taught them the gospel in the old thatched cot, When the winter came in fifty-two Father could get no work to, Although he looked around each way, Except on the roads at a shilling a day. ‘Twas very hard for so he said To work for so little to buy us bread, But he worked away like a good old boy, In his hobnailed shoes and corduroy, And the battle of life he bravely fought In those bygone days in the old thatched cot. And mother she cooked whatever she got Over an open fire, in an oval pot, And sewed by hand till late at night For the girls and boys by candle light In a brick-floored kitchen (we had not Parlor) But a warm old place in the chimney corner. And thus we lived in tribulation When first we heard of emigration. But fifty years have passed since then, And the boys that are left are quite old men; And still they rejoice it was lot To hear the gospel in the old thatched cot. Edwin Parker, Hooper, Weber County Utah, August 2, 1904 (Edwin died in 1935 in Hooper, Utah)
A cottage very much like Edwin Parker's thatched cottage.
When we received our mission call to southern England, I wanted to know if the old thatched cottage still existed. I went to Google Maps with this above picture and thought that if both William and his wife, Maria, worked at the church, then the cottage was probably not too far from the church. As I searched up the road, I found this thatched cottage only a short distance away that looks very much like the one in the picture!
On August 5, 2017, we visited this cottage and took these pictures. The cottage looked much the same, though if it is the same cottage it has had some remodeling done to it over the years. In visiting with the current owner, she indicated there has been major flooding in the cottage as it lies in an old river bed, and they had recently put in a water wall to keep the water out of the cottage. She told me that the house was built between 1803-1805 by John Blackburne, the owner of the Manor of Preston Candover. He had fallen on hard economic times and built the cottage to live in with a couple of his bachelor friends while he rented the large manor house to others. She directed me to the following:
A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1908.
In 1783 William Woodroffe Guidott sold the estate "The manor of PRESTON CANDOVER" for £9,000 to John Blackburne, a merchant of London, and John Slade, in equal shares, and in 1789 John Blackburne bought Slade's moiety. (fn. 23) By his will dated 1792 he left his manor and lands to his son John. (fn. 24) He died in debt, and in 1829 an order was made for the sale of his estate to defray his liabilities. (fn. 25)
 |
| Pump at the town square in Preston Candover, across from the Pub. |
Visiting these sites has been one of the highlights of our mission. I could feel the presence of these wonderful ancestors who sacrificed everything for the Gospel. The gospel was true then, and I testify that it is still true today. It was worth sacrificing for then, and it is still worth whatever the Lord requires at our hands today.
No comments:
Post a Comment