~*Photography Originally Taken By: www.CrossTrips.Com Under God*~

 

Equipment

 

The equipment of the USCG consists of thousands of vehicles (boats, ships, helicopters, fixed-winged aircraft, automobiles), communication systems (radio equipment, radio networks, radar, data networks), weapons, infrastructure such as United States Coast Guard Air Stations and local Small Boat Stations, each in a large variety.

 

Main article: Equipment of the United States Coast Guard

 

[edit] Symbols

 

[edit] Core values

 

The Coast Guard, like the other armed services of the United States, has a set of core values which serve as basic ethical guidelines to Coast Guard members. As listed in the recruit pamphlet, The Helmsman,[9] they are:

 

* Honor: Absolute integrity is our standard. A Coast Guardsman demonstrates honor in all things: never lying, cheating, or stealing. We do the right thing because it is the right thing to do—all the time.

* Respect: We value the dignity and worth of people: whether a stranded boater, an immigrant, or a fellow Coast Guard member; we honor, protect, and assist.

* Devotion to Duty: A Coast Guard member is dedicated to five maritime security roles: Maritime Safety, Maritime Law Enforcement, Marine Environmental Protection, Maritime Mobility and National Defense. We are loyal and accountable to the public trust. We welcome responsibility.[10]

 

[edit] Coast Guard Ensign

Coast Guard Ensign

Coast Guard Ensign

 

The Coast Guard Ensign (flag) was first flown by the Revenue Cutter Service in 1799 to distinguish revenue cutters from merchant ships. The order stated the Ensign would be "16 perpendicular stripes, alternate red and white, the union of the ensign to be the arms of the United States in a dark blue on a white field." (There were 16 states in the United States at the time).

 

The purpose of the flag is to allow ship captains to easily recognize those vessels having legal authority to stop and board them. This flag is flown only as a symbol of law enforcement authority and is never carried as a parade standard. See [2]

 

[edit] Coast Guard Standard

Parade Standard of the U.S. Coast Guard

Parade Standard of the U.S. Coast Guard

 

The Coast Guard Standard is used in parades and carries the battle honors of the U.S. Coast Guard. It was derived from the jack of the Coast Guard ensign which used to fly from the stern of revenue cutters. The emblem is a blue eagle from the coat of arms of the United States on a white field. Above the eagle are the words "UNITED STATES COAST GUARD;" below the eagle is the motto, "SEMPER PARATUS" and the inscription "1790."

 

[edit] Racing Stripe

Racing Stripe

Racing Stripe

 

The Racing Stripe was designed in 1964 by the industrial design office of Raymond Loewy Associates to give the Coast Guard a distinctive, modern image and was first used in 1967. The symbol is a narrow blue bar, a narrow white stripe between, and a broad red[11] bar with the Coast Guard shield centered. The stripes are canted at a 64 degree angle, coincidentally the year the Racing Stripe was designed. The Stripe has been adopted for the use of other coast guards, such as the Canadian Coast Guard, the Italian Guardia Costiera, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Australian Customs Service. Auxiliary vessels maintained by the Coast Guard also carry the Stripe in inverted colors.

 

[edit] Semper Paratus

 

The official march of the Coast Guard is "Semper Paratus" (Latin for "Always Ready"). An audio clip can be found at

 

Missions

 

The Coast Guard carries out five basic roles, which are further subdivided into eleven statutory missions. The five roles are:

 

* Maritime safety (including search and rescue)

* Maritime mobility

* maritime security

* National defense

* Protection of natural resources

  

The eleven statutory missions, found in section 888 of the Homeland Security Act are:

 

* Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security (PWCS)

* Counter Drug Law Enforcement

* Migrant Interdiction

* Other Law Enforcement (foreign fisheries)

* Living Marine Resources (domestic fisheries)

* Marine (maritime) Safety

* Marine (maritime) Environmental Protection

* Ice Operations

* Aids to Navigation (ATON)

* Defense Readiness

* Marine (maritime) Environmental Response

 

The OMEGA navigation system and the LORAN-C transmitters outside the USA were also run by the United States Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard Omega Stations at Lamoure, North Dakota and Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i (Oahu) were both formally decommissioned and shut down on September 30, 1997.

 

[edit] Uniforms

 

In 1972, the current Coast Guard dress blue uniform was introduced for wear by both officers and enlisted personnel (Prior to 1972, they wore U.S. Navy-style uniforms with Coast Guard insignia). Relatively similar in appearance to the old-style U.S. Air Force uniforms, the uniform consists of a blue four-pocket single breasted jacket and trousers in a slightly darker shade. A light-blue button-up shirt with a pointed collar, two front button-flap pockets, "enhanced" shoulder boards for officers, and pin-on collar insignia for Chief Petty Officers and enlisted personnel is worn when in shirt-sleeve order (known as "Tropical Blue Long"). It is similar to the World War II-era uniforms worn by Coast Guard Surfmen. Officer rank insignia parallels that of the U.S. Navy but with the gold Navy "line" star being replaced with the gold Coast Guard Shield and with the Navy blue background color replaced by Coast Guard blue. Enlisted rank insignia is also similar to the Navy with the Coast Guard shield replacing the eagle on collar and cap devices. Group Rate marks (stripes) for junior enlisted members (E-3 and below) also follow U. S. Navy convention with white for seaman, red for fireman, and green for airman. In a departure from the U. S. Navy conventions, all petty Officers E-6 and below wear red chevrons and all Chief Petty Officers wear gold. Unlike the US Navy, officers and CPO's do not wear khaki; all personnel wear the same color uniform. See USCG Uniform Regulations [4] for current regulations.

 

Coast Guard officers also have a white dress uniform, typically used for formal parade and change-of-command ceremonies. Chief Petty Officers, Petty Officers, and enlisted rates wear the standard Service Dress Blue uniform for all such ceremonies, except with a white shirt (replacing the standard light-blue). A white belt may be worn for honor guards. A mess dress uniform is worn by members for formal (black tie) evening ceremonies.

 

The current working uniform of a majority of Coast Guard members is the Operational Dress Uniform (ODU). The ODU is similar to the Battle Dress Uniform of other armed services, both in function and style. However, the ODU is in a solid dark blue with no camouflage patterns and does not have lower pockets on the blouse. The ODU is worn with steel-toed boots in most circumstances, but low-cut black or brown boat shoes may be prescribed for certain situations. The former dark blue working uniform has been withdrawn from use by the Coast Guard but may be worn by Auxiliarists until no longer serviceable. There is a second phase of Operational Dress Uniforms currently in the trial phases. This prototype resembles the current Battle Dress blouse, which is worn on the outside, rather than tucked in.

 

Coast Guard members serving in expeditionary combat units such as Port Security Units, Law Enforcement Detachments, and others, wear working operational uniforms that resemble Battle Dress uniforms, complete with "woodland" or "desert" camouflage colors. These units typically serve under, or with, the other armed services in combat theaters, necessitating similar uniforms.

 

Enlisted Coast Guardsmen wear the combination covers for full dress, a garrison cover for Class "B," wear, and a baseball-style cover either embroidered with "U.S. Coast Guard" in gold block lettering or the name of their ship, unit or station in gold, for the ODU uniform. Male and female company commanders (the Coast Guard equivalent of Marine Corps drill instructors) at Training Center Cape May wear the traditional "Smokey the Bear" campaign hat.

 

A recent issue of the Reservist magazine was devoted to a detailed and easy to understand graphical description of all the authorized uniforms.

 

[edit] Issues

 

The Coast Guard faces several issues in the near future.

 

Lack of coverage affects many areas with high maritime traffic. For example, local officials in Scituate, Massachusetts, have complained that there is no permanent Coast Guard station, and the presence of the Coast Guard in winter is vital. One reason for this lack of coverage is the relatively high cost of building storm-proof buildings on coastal property; the Cape Hatteras station was abandoned in 2005 after winter storms wiped out the 12-foot (3.7 m) sand dune serving as its protection from the ocean.

 

Lack of strength to meet its assigned missions is being met by a legislated increase in authorized strength from 39,000 to 45,000. In addition, the volunteer Auxiliary is being called to take up more non-combatant missions. However, volunteer coverage does have limits.

 

Aging vessels are another problem, with the Coast Guard still operating some of the oldest naval vessels in the world. In 2005, the Coast Guard terminated contracts to upgrade the 110-foot (33.5 m) Island Class Cutters to 123-foot (37.5 m) cutters because of warping and distortion of the hulls. In late 2006, Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, decommissioned all eight 123-foot (37 m) cutters due to dangerous conditions created by the lengthening of the hull- to include compromised watertight integrity. The Coast Guard has, as a result of the failed 110 ft (34 m) conversion, revised production schedules for the Fast Response Cutter (FRC). Of the navies and coast guards of the world's 40 largest navies, the U.S. Coast Guard's is the 38th oldest.[12]

 

Live fire exercises by Coast Guard boat and cutter crews in the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes attracted attention in the U.S. and Canada. The Coast Guard had proposed the establishment of 34 locations around the Great Lakes where live fire training using vessel-mounted machine guns were to be conducted periodically throughout the year. The Coast Guard said that these exercises are a critical part of proper crew training in support of the service's multiple missions on the Great Lakes, including law enforcement and anti-terrorism. Those that raised concerns about the firing exercises commented about safety concerns and that the impact on commercial shipping, tourism, recreational boating and the environment may be greater than what the Coast Guard had stated. The Coast Guard took public comment and conducted a series of nine public meetings on this issue. After receiving more than 1,000 comments, mostly opposing the Coast Guard's plan, the Coast Guard announced that they were withdrawing their proposal for target practice on the Great Lakes, although a revised proposal may be made in the future.

2-16-08

 

My name is Lori Zarlenga- Blaquiere. I was born on September 14, 1961 in the state of Rhode Island. I am writing to you for your immediate help. My life is in immediate danger from orders issued by President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to

assassinate/murder me. You can contact me at my email LoriZarlenga@gmail.com and

my space.com/lorizz Also, you can find me on “google” by entering my name as keyword. My case is legitimate. Please do not disregard my case.

 

I have evidence and tapes on top officials and law enforcement among others to support my

claims. The current Rhode Island Senators Sheldon Whitehouse , Senator Jack Reed and former Senator Lincoln Chafee, among others are covering up and will not help me.

 

I posted a diary on the Daily Kos website on August 12, 2007 with regard to my life being in immediate danger from orders issued by President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to assassinate/murder me.

 

I continued to stay on the Daily Kos website until sometime after 5:00 am and received

comments from the Daily Kos members community. The Daily Kos has over 1 million

members on their website.

  

On August 12, 2007, I was uploading exhibits, photos, and evidence to the Daily Kos members that support my claims against the United States Government et al.

  

On August 12, 2007 at approximately between 5:00 am & 6:00 am a West Warwick

Police officer came out to my house at 101 Border Street West Warwick, R.I. and violently banged at the doors at my house and continued to violently bang at the doors of my house for a long period of time in a terrorizing manner. The West Warwick Police Officer was given orders to stop me from getting the truth out to the American public .

   

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that on August 21, 2007, a West Warwick Police vehicle came

up behind the vehicle where I was located in the back seat with my 5 year

old granddaughter and my mother Victoria Zarlenga who was seated on the passenger

side and my son Michael Zarlenga who was driving the vehicle on Cowesett Avenue

West Warwick, R.I.

 

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that the police officers proceeded to get out of their police

vehicles with their guns drawn and aimed at the vehicle where I was located in the back

seat of the vehicle along with my 5 year old granddaughter, my mother and son .

  

The Coventry police, East Greenwich Police, the Rhode Island State Police, and the West

Warwick Police were on the scene.

   

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that a West Warwick Police Officer pulled me out of the

vehicle where I was located in the back seat near my 5 year old granddaughter, with my

mother and son in the front seat of the vehicle.

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that the Police proceeded to slam me to the ground and force

handcuffs on me and force me in the back seat of the West Warwick Police Vehicle.

  

I repeatedly asked the West Warwick Police Officer why the police forced handcuffs on

me and forced me in the back seat of the police vehicle, but the West Warwick Police

Officer repeatedly ignored me.

   

I continued to ask the West Warwick Police Officer why the police forced handcuffs on

me and forced me in the back seat of the police vehicle, he then stated to me that he was

trying to protect me .

   

While I was in the West Warwick Police vehicle, I observed police officers saluting to

each other with regard to capturing me.

 

While I was in the back seat of the West Warwick Police vehicle, a West Warwick Police

Officer asked me if I was injured and if I needed to go to the hospital inorder to lure me

into consenting to go to the hospital.

  

I stated to the West Warwick Police officer that I did not need to go to the hospital.

The West Warwick Police Officer told me that the fire rescue was going to take me to the

hospital for a psych evaluation.

    

I stated to the West Warwick Police officer that I did not want to go to the hospital and

that I did not need a pych evaluation. However, the West Warwick Police Officer told me

that I had to get into the Fire Rescue and go to the hospital. As a result, I had no other

choice but be taken by fire rescue to Kent County Memorial Hospital for a psych

evaluation without my consent.

  

My mother told me that the police officers apologized to her and stated to my mother

that they made a mistake .

  

I was subsequently taken by ambulance and transferred

to Land mark Medical Center without my consent and held hostage in lock down mental

health unit against my will. All of the evidence that was in my favor was ignored

by the doctors, social workers, and psychiatrist at Kent County Memorial Hospital and

Landmark Medical Center. The doctors, social workers, and psychiatrist at Kent County

Memorial Hospital and Land mark Medical Center manipulated and skewed the true facts

to cause me harm in connection with helping law enforcement and United States

Government from preventing me from exposing the truth to the American people and

my case continuing on Appeal with regard to the criminal acts committed by law

enforcement and the United States Government.

  

My Mother stated to the psychiatrist and nurses at Landmark Medical Center that I was

not delusional or paranoid and that I have never been a danger to myself or others and

that I have no history of mental health, and that I have never had a history of being

prescribed psychiatric medication and that I did not need psychiatric medication

my complaints against law enforcement are legitimate.

However, Dr. Elahi disregarded my mother statements and proceeded to contact his lawyer to

discuss whether or not he should discharge me, despite all evidence in my favor.

  

My family member stated to me that nurses at Landmark Medial Center made

statements about being disgusted with Dr. Shahid Elahi for consulting with his lawyer

with regard to whether or not to discharge me and delaying my discharge.

   

The nurses at Landmark Medical Center stated to me that I did not belong at Landmark

Medical Center Mental Health Unit

  

I have never had a history of mental illness.

   

On September 4, 2007, I was discharged from Landmark Medical Center.

  

I have never had a history of being targeted by the United States Government, Federal

and State law enforcement, among others prior to my L-tryptophan lawsuit.

       

In August of 2007, I had an Appeal pending in the First Circuit United States Court of

Appeals with regard to my December 7, 2006 Complaint against the United States

Government et al. As a result, of being held hostage in the hospital from August 21, 2007

to September of 2007, along with intimidation from law enforcement, among others in

connection with the United States Government I was unable to respond important

deadlines set by the First Circuit United States Court of Appeals . As a result, my Appeal with the First Circuit United States Court of Appeals is in default/dismissed for lack of

diligent prosecution.

    

As a result of my ingestion of contaminated L-tryptophan manufactured by Showa

Denko K.K., I developed a disease Eosinphilia Myalgia Syndrome. There are

approximately 5,000 people who ingested contaminated L-tryptophan

manufactured by Showa Denko K.K., and developed a disease Eosinphilia Myalgia

Syndrome. There maybe more unreported cases of Eosinphilia Myalgia

Syndrome caused by ingestion of contaminated L-tryptophan .

   

The L-tryptophan problem is the fault of the FDA due to lack of enforcement of 172.320,

among other violations of the FDA rules. Therefore, the FDA permitted the continued

illegal use of L-tryptophan.

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K., for violation of the FDA

rules mentioned herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold

to the American Public and caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-

tryptophan .

    

On October 25, 1995, I filed a products liability lawsuit against the Defendants

Showa Denko, K.K., Showa Denko America, Inc. General Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al. in

the State of Rhode Island Superior Court.

  

My case was transferred to Rhode Island District Court, (Blaquiere v. Showa Denko, K.K.,

Showa Denko America, Inc. General Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al., C.A.No.1:95-629 ).

  

My case was subsequently transferred for discovery to (MDL) United States District Court

Columbia, South Carolina, C. A. No. 3:96-361-0.

  

My case (Blaquiere v. Showa Denko, K.K., Showa Denko America, Inc. General

Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al., (C.A.No.1:95-629 ) was remanded to Rhode Island

District Court in 2003.

 

I hired a lawyer Dennis S. Mackin in 2000/2001 who used my case to file discovery

motions in the(MDL) United States District Court Columbia, South Carolina, (C. A. No. 3:96-

361-0), damaging to the defendant ShowaDenkoK.K.,their lawyers,Cleary,Gottlieb,Steen,and

Hamilton, and the United States Government.

  

My former lawyer Dennis Mackin was paid off to withdraw from my case and to

not go forward with the discovery motions and depositions damaging to Showa

Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government.

       

The discovery sought in my case that my former attorney Dennis Mackin filed in 2001 in the(MDL) United States District Court Columbia, South Carolina, (C. A. No. 3:96-361-0) was to demonstrate that Showa Denko K.K. and its attorneys have been involved in a continuing conspiracy to not only circumvent the discovery process, but to manipulate any scientific examination of Showa Denko K.K.’s reckless and wanton conduct”.

 

The United States Government wiretapped my phones, hacked my computers, surviellanced me during my L-tryptophan litigation and to the present. The United States Government obstructed justice, unlawfully sabotage my case inside and outside of the court system at every level.

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin stated in his October 12, 2001 Reply of Plaintiff to Defendant's Motion to Qaush Deposition of Kenneth Rabin , that "additional questions must be answered about political pressure brought to bear upon members of the South Carolina Congressional delegation."" What information was given to Senator Thurmond, Senator Hollings and Congressman Ravenell?"

   

Documents made by Showa Denko K.K. included a budget attached to their public

relation scheme which was an amount determined for congressional

contracts, including the South Carolina delegation which was for 16, 000.00.

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin stated in his motions that, “ The research of

this Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome has been twisted by the endless

manipulations by Showa Denko K.K and their lawyers,Cleary,Gottlieb,Steen,and

Hamilton and their confederates”. “ Worst of all, the scientific literature now

contains representations by shills for Showa Denko K.K. that will cause erroneous

medical science in the future”.

 

The United States Government is involved in the cover up .

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin informed me that a promoter of an EMS

 

support group was being surveillanced and that anyone that who was viewed as a

 

threat was being surveillanced and intelligence was gathered .

  

The defendant Showa Denko K.K. a corrupt corporate giant, their corrupt lawyers,

and the United States Government conspired with all the courts at every level to

sabotage my case and the L-tryptophan litigation.

 

Showa Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government view me as

a threat, since my lawsuit still remains open that is damaging against Showa

Denko K.K. and General Nutrition Centers (GNC), among others. Also, Showa Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government, President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri fear the threat of civil and criminal action against them for their unlawful criminal activities.

  

I pose a threat to Showa Denko K.K. and the United States Government since,

my L-tryptophan lawsuit could re-open previous settlements entered into by

2,000- 5,000 L-tryptophan litigants on the basis of fraudulent inducement and the

United States Government's involvement in the cover up.

 

They were entered into by L-tryptophan Plaintiffs who were unaware of the defendants fraudulent concealment and the United States Government's cover up.

 

Showa Denko K.K., the United States Government, President George W. Bush and

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri fear a movie being made and publicizing

their criminal activities which has continued to date.

    

President George W. Bush's father former President George H. W. Bush Sr. was

President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 during the Eosiophilia Myalgia Syndrome epidemic.

  

I filed a Complaint on December 7, 2006 against the United States Government et al. in

the United States District Court of Rhode Island, CA. No. 06-534 ML. My complaint is

pending in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The United States Government have hired

my family, among others as informants to surveillance and gather intelligence on me.

  

At the time that I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint against a number of defendants

who are employed by the United States Government, I was unaware of orders issued by

President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to assasinate/

murder me.

   

I spoke to a state senator with regard to my circumstances of law enforcement on the state and federal level that have harassed, targeted, survillenced me and have come out to my house and follow me on a daily basis. Also, the West Warwick police have even parked at my grandchild’s school shortly after I exposed President George W. Bush orders to assassinate/murder me.

  

The state senator stated to me that federal law enforcement, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Department of Justice are employed by President George W. Bush.

 

Moreover, my case is not isolated by a small number of police and law enforcement targeting and surveillanceing me. There are to many law enforcement and police and government officials organized at the highest level on the federal and local level that have targeted and surviellanced me. The state senator stated that the orders to murder me are coming from the President George W. Bush .

 

Further, the Rhode Island State Police who have been targeting and surviellancing me are given orders from Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri

   

In June or July of 2007, President George W. Bush came to Rhode Island and went on a

private helicopter ride with Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri and had discussions.

      

Shortly after I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint against the United States

Government et al, two key defendants named in my complaint retired Captain Gregory

Johnson of the West Warwick Police Department and Supervisory Special Agent

Nicholas Murphy of the Federal Bureau of investigation of R.I., and there may be others

who have also retired.

  

I am targeted, followed, and surveillanced by police officers, among others in the towns and places I travel in the state of Rhode Island and out of the state of Rhode Island on a daily basis.

 

The level of intensity and the number of police targeting, surviellancing, and following me has increased after I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint. And now since I have exposed President George W. Bush who issued orders to assassinate/murder me, the level of intensity and the number of police surviellacing and following me has further increased.

  

My telephones are wiretapped. The United States Government is hacking my computers.

The Federal Bureau of investigation, among others covered up the investigation of the hacking of my computers.

  

The Federal Bureau of investigation, United States Attorneys Office , Attorney Generals office, Department of Justice, among others are covering up and aware of the fact that I was kidnapped and assaulted by a Warwick Police Officer Joseph Mee on January 22, 2006 that was organized at the highest level of United States Government to assassinate/ murder me.

   

Further, law enforcement, among others are covering up the fact that on December 15, 2005 and December 16, 2005, Captain Gregg Johnson and Officer Patrick Kelly and the Kent County Memorial Hospital Emergency Room Staff violated my constitutional rights and deprived me of liberty against my will and without my consent to cause me harm in connection with the United States Government and Showa Denko K.K.

  

On April 14, 2006, I spoke to Laura Lineberry who is Condalezza Rice's personal assistant. Laura Lineberry informed me that she could not help me with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein, and that I should leave a message with the Representative of Secretary of State. I left a message with the Representative of Secretary of State, but no one returned my call.

  

On April 14, 2006, I contacted the White House comments department in Washington, DC for help with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein, and spoke to a young lady number(77) who stated she would pass on my comments to her supervisor and that her supervisor would summarize my comments and give it to President Bush. On April 14, 2006, I was unaware that President George W. Bush issued orders to assassinate/ murder me.

  

President George W. Bush, Condalezza Rice's office , nor anyone associated with the White House, responded in any way shape or form to my plea for help with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein.

 

I have evidence of my telephone calls to the White House, among others.

 

The IP Addresses with regard to the hacking of my computers have been traced to Washington, D.C.

         

You can view my complaint at pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.

 

My login is: lz0129 My password is 3y6!pomz ( party name is under my married name of Blaquiere) December 8, 2006 thru December 8, 2007 is the date you would use to view my complaint, since December 8, 2006 is the date my complaint was entered by the United States District Court of Rhode Island.

 

The United States District Court of Rhode Island omitted my supporting exhibits on

Pacer website and have intentionally obstructed my case and deprived me of a fair judicial process, inorder to protect and insulate the United States Government et al.

   

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INITIATE ACTION AGAINST SHOWA DENKO K.K. FOR THE FOLLOWING VIOLATIONS:

    

The L-tryptophan problem is the fault of the FDA due to lack of enforcement of 172.320, among other

 

violations of the FDA rules. Therefore, the FDA permitted the continued illegal use of L-tryptophan.

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K.,for violation of the FDA rules mentioned

 

herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold to the American Public and

 

caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-tryptophan in violation of the FDA rule.

     

In 1970 FDA considered L-tryptophan (amino acids) , when used as nutrients or dietary supplements, to

 

be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for those uses, and published that fact in the code of Federal

 

Regulations.

   

In 1972 FDA engaged in rule making to withdraw and remove approximately twenty amino acids

 

including L-tryptophan from the GRAS list ( generally recognized as safe) and to regulate them as

 

approved food additives that could not be sold without FDA's prior approval in the form of a food

 

additive petition, (37 Fed. Reg. 6938; April 6, 1972).

    

In 1973 FDA promulgated a binding substantive rule that is presently on the books, the Food additive

 

regulation that makes all amino acids, when used as components of dietary supplements,

 

unsafe food additives that violate the adulteration provisions of Act. 21 C.F.R. 172. 320.

    

In 1977, FDA seized L-tryptophan tablets on the grounds that the L-tryptophan that they contained

 

was an unapproved food additive. The court, however, found for the manufacturer of the tablets

 

because L-tryptophan was still on the FDA's GRAS list, (FDA had failed to remove it after the 1973

 

rulemaking), and the manufacturer was acting in accordance with the FDA's regulation.

   

In 1977, FDA deleted the listing of twenty amino acids that were the subject of the 1973 rulemaking

 

form the GRAS list, ( 42 Fed. Reg. 56720; October 28, 1977).

  

The FDA never renewed its regulatory action against dietary supplements containing L-tryptophan .

   

The food additive regulation that the FDA adopted in 1973 does not list (approve) L-tryptophan for

 

this use, and foods that contain unapproved food additive are deemed to be adulterated (21 U.S.C. 342

 

(a) (2) (c)).

  

FDA has not brought an action since 1977 against an L-tryptophan dietary supplement.

    

The FDA sought to enforce the rule prohibiting the use of amino acids in dietary supplements in two

 

seizure actions against products containing L-tryptophan. Those seizure actions were not successful.

 

The U.S. Government voluntarily dismissed the second lawsuit because the lawsuit was controlled by

 

a very hostile judge and the government feared that it would obtain an adverse ruling that would

 

insulate all dietary supplements from regulation under the food additive provisions of the act.

  

The FDA has not made any efforts to regulate amino acids since 1982. FDA ignored the food additive

 

regulations since 1982. In 1990, there was evidence showing that 30 amino acids other than L-

 

tryptophan were being sold by at least 22 companies.

    

The FDA has failed to date to bring charges against Showa Denko K.K. Showa Denko K.K. was in

 

violation of the FDA Food additive regulation that makes all amino acids, when used as components of

 

dietary supplements, unsafe food additives that violate the adulteration provisions of Act. 21

 

C.F.R. 172. 320. FDA should have gone after Showa Denko K.K. on an adulteration charge that the

 

L-tryptophan in the supplements is an unapproved food additive under 21 U.S.C. 342 (a) (2) (c).

 

Also, FDA failed to bring charges against Showa Denko K.K. with regard to L-

 

tryptophan being unfit for food, ( 21 U.S.C. 342 (a) (3). L-trytophan associated with illness

 

Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome, is unfit for food.

  

The FDA could have gone after L-tryptophan supplements as drugs. The FDA could have

 

developed evidence that L-tryptophan used for therapeutic purposes to combat sleeplessness and PMS

 

which is what L-tryptophan was advertized for is considered a drug and the FDA finding L-tryptophan

 

had not met the FDA's rational food supplement test would permit the FDA to bring drug charges

 

against the product under either 21 U.S.C. 321(g) (1) (B) or (c), National Nutritional Foods

 

Association v. Mathews, 557 F.2nd 325, 334 ( 2d Cir. 1977).

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K.,for violation of the FDA rules mentioned

 

herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold to the American Public and

 

caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-tryptophan in violation of the FDA rule.

       

On the Rhode Island ACLU website, there is a lawsuit against the United States

Government for Illegally surviellacing individuals attending a peace group in Rhode

Island and in other states.

 

The United States Government has files on these peace groups and have labeled these

peace group individuals as a threat because their simply anti-war.

 

The illegal acts of our United States Government is not an example of democracy, it is a

Dictatorship ruled by a dictator President George W. Bush who has committed crimes

against humanity and has violated our human rights.

  

Representative John Conyers Jr, was the Chairman re: the July 18, 1991 hearing on the FDA oversight of L-tryptophan. Representative John Conyers Jr, is currently the Chairman of the U.S.

House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary who can call for an investigation and immediate congressional hearings into this matter.

  

Please help me by writing to congress and. to investigate and call for immediate congressional hearings into this matter. Also, contact Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Jack Reed to investigate and call for congressional hearings into this matter. If the American people place enough political pressure to investigate and call for congressional hearings into this matter, then an investigation into this matter will go forward and the truth will be exposed to the American people.

 

Also, please contact Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator John McCain, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and all members of the Senate to call for investigation and congressional hearings with regard to law enforcement engaged in an ongoing organized crime to assassinate/murder me by orders issued by President George W. Bush.

 

President George W. Bush has scammed the American people into believing that the Iraq

war is a "just war" and that the United States military are fighting for democracy,

freedom and for our safety here at home, and yet at the same time President George W.

Bush is committing the worst crimes in american history against innocent american

citizens.

    

Please expedite the above and contact me at my email: LoriZarlenga@hotmail.com

  

You can view documents and obtain information about L-tryptophan and Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome on the National EMS Support Group website at www.nemsn.org

  

You can find me at myspace.com/lorizz

  

Also, you can find me at my website www.tiptopwebsite.com/lorizz.

  

I posted a letter explaining in more detail on my website and on my space.com/lorizz

  

If you have any questions or want to view my exhibits that support my December 7, 2006 complaint filed in the United States District Court of Rhode Island, then you can e-mail me and I will send you attachments you can view .

    

Thank You, Lori Zarlenga

  

It am the weekend again, but after a week off, so one belnds smoothly into the other.

 

And next week I have a four day trip to the Isle of Wight for work, which will do me good too.

 

Not much planned for the day, once shopping was done. And I do that as Jools is still coughing and so did not want to go round the supermarket coughing like that.

 

So, I d the week's shop, though not much needed as I will be away four days, so I am back with three bags of shopping, and we have the usual Saturday breakfast of fruit followed by bacon sandwiches.

 

Posting shots on other social media showed me many churches had to be revisited. Just about the last one to be thus revisited was Minster-in-Thanet, as the album had 55 shots from two previous visits, and I thought such a large and imposing church deserved more.

 

So, it was a quiet drive over to Sandwich, taking the bypass round Stonar, then turning off at the delightfully named Sevenscore for the drive along the back lanes into Minster, passing by the Abbey, outside of which was an actual nun, all dressed in cowl and long black gown.

 

A little further on is St Mary, and parking is easy just outside the churchyard, and although it looked locked, the west door under the tower was unlocked, and inside there were no others inside, so I had it to myself.

 

I had hoped I had missed whole or fragments of glass, but there was none to be seen, some nice arts and crafts ones of Queen Bertha, which I record. I think I snap everything, so after half an hour we are done.

 

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Minster Abbey on the Isle of Thanet was founded in AD 669 by Domneva, niece of King Erconbert of Kent. The enormous parish church, built some distance to the south-west of the abbey, dates from two distinct periods. The nave is Norman, a magnificent piece of twelfth-century arcading with tall cylindrical pillars. The chancel and transepts are thirteenth century, with a three-light east window, each one double shafted inside. This end of the church has a simple stone vaulted ceiling which adds greatly to the grandeur. The glass is by Thomas Willement and dates from 1861. Ewan Christian restored the church in 1863 and added vaulted ceilings to the transepts. They had been intended by the medieval designers, but were never built. There is a set of eighteen fifteenth-century stalls with misericords and an excellent sixteenth-century font and cover.

 

kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Minster+in+Thanet

 

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MINSTER.

THE next parish to Monkton eastward is Minster, antiently written both Mynstre, and Menstre, being so named from the Saxon word Minstre, signifying a church or monastery. It is divided into two boroughs, viz. Way Borough and Street Borough; the former of which lies on the ascent on the northern side of the street; the latter contains the street and church, with the southern part of the parish.

 

THIS PARISH is about three miles and an half from east to west, and near as much from north to south. The farms in it are perhaps as large as in any other parish in this county; the occupiers of which are, in general, men of considerable ability. The west part of this parish is bounded by a lynch or balk, which goes quite across the island to Westgate, called St. Mildred's Lynch, an account of which has already been given before, and which is the bounds of this manor from that of Monkton, as well as of the parish. This lynch has formerly been much broader than it is now, many of the farmers, who occupy lands bounding on or near it, having through a coveteous humour, not only dug up the mould or top of it, to lay on their land, but in some places have ploughed upon it. Too many instances of this kind are practised in other places, not only of this island, but of the county in general, so that there is scarce a remembrance left where those balks or lynches have been; such has the greedy avarice of the occupiers been, and this is one instance of the ill consequence of the neglect of the courts leet and baron. The village of Minster lies nearly in the centre of it, on low ground at the foot of the high lands, having the church on the south side of it; northward of the village it rises to high land, being a fine open champion country of uninclosed corn land, on which are situated Minster mill, Allan Grange, and Powcies, the latter at the extremity of the parish, close to which was, till lately, a small grove of oaks, the only one in this island. Lower down, about a mile southward, is Thorne manor, and beyond that Sevenscore farm. At the south-eastern extremity of the parish, and partly in St. Laurence, is Cliffsend, or Clyvesend, so called from its being at the end of the cliff, which extends from Ramsgate; it was antieutly a part of the estate of St. Augustine's monastery, and is called by Thorne in his Chronicle, the manor of Clyvesend. Here are now two considerable farms besides cottages.

 

About a mile and an half south-east from Minster church, is Ebbsfleet, formerly called by the various names of Hipwines, Ippeds, and Wipped's fleet; this seems to have been a usual place of landing from the ocean in this island; here it is said Hengist and Horsa, the two Saxon generals, first landed with their forces, about the year 449. Here St. Augustine, often called the Apostle of the English, first landed, in the year 596; and here too St. Mildred, of whom mention has been made likewise before, first landed from France, where she had been for instruction in the monastic life; and not many years ago there was a small rock at this place, called St. Mildred's rock, where, on a great stone, her footstep was said, by the monkish writers, to have remained impressed. (fn. 1) Below the church of Minster, southward, is the large level of marshes, called Minster level, at the southern extremity of which runs the river Stour, formerly the Wantsume, which, as has already been noticed before, was antiently of a much greater depth and width than it is at present, flowing up over the whole space of this level, most probably almost to the church-yard fence, being near a mile and an half distance; but the inning of the salts by the landholders, which had been in some measure deserted by the waters of the Wantsume at different places, so far lessened the force of the tide, and of the river waters mixing with it, that it occasioned the sands to increase greatly near this place, where it was at length entirely choaked up, so that a wall of earth was made by the abbot of St. Augustine, since called the Abbot's wall, to prevent the sea at high water overslowing the lands, which now comprehend this great level of marshes, at present under the direction and management of the commissioners of sewers for the district of East Kent. A part of these marsh lands have been much improved by means of shortening the course of the river Stour to the sea, by the cut at Stonar, which lets off the superfluous water in wet seasons with greater expedition, and a very valuable tract of near two hundred acres has been lately inclosed by a strong wall from the sea near Ebbs-fleet. Between the above-mentioned wall and the river Stour lie a great many acres of land, which the inhabitants call the salts, from their being left without the wall, and subject to the overflowing of the tide, so long as it continued to flow all around this island. Over against the church is a little creek, which seems to have been the place antiently called Mynstrefleet, into which the ships or vessels came, which were bound for this place. As a proof of this, there was found some years ago in a dyke bounding on this place, in digging it somewhat deeper than usual, some fresh coals, which very probably had fallen aside some lighter or boat in taking them out of it. (fn. 2)

 

I ought not to omit mentioning, that on the downs on the north part of this parish, where the old and present windmills were placed, is a prospect, which perhaps is hardly exceeded in this part of the kingdom. From this place may be seen, not only this island and the several churches in it, one only excepted; but there is a view at a distance, of the two spires of Reculver, the island of Sheppy, the Nore, or mouth of the river Thames, the coast of Essex, the Swale, and the British channel; the cliffs of Calais, and the kingdom of France; the Downs, and the town of Deal, the bay and town of Sandwich, the fine champion country of East Kent, the spires of Woodnesborough and Ash, the ruins of Richborough castle, the beautiful green levels of Minister, Ash, &c. with the river Stour winding between them; the fine and stately tower of the cathedral of Canterbury, and a compass of hills of more than one hundred miles in extent, which terminate the sight.

 

In the marshes on the south of this parish, there was found in 1723, an antique gold ring; on the place of the seal, which seemed to represent an open book, was engraved on one side an angel, seemingly kneeling, and on the other side a woman standing with a glory round her head; on the woman's side was engraved in old English characters, bone; on that of the angel, letters of the same character, but illegible. A fair is kept in this village on a Good Friday for pedlary and toys.

 

By the return made to the council's letter, by archbishop Parker's order, in the year 1563, there were then computed to be in this parish fifty-three housholds. By an exact account taken of Minster in 1774, there were found to be in this parish one hundred and forty-nine houses, and six hundred and ninety-six inhabitants; of the houses, sixteen were farm-houses, and one hundred and thirty three were inhabited by tradesmen, labourers, and widows.

 

THE MANOR and ABBEY OF MINSTER was antiently called Thaket manor, and continued so till, from the foundation of the abbey or minster within it, it acquired the name of the manor of Minster, though in the survey of Domesday, taken in the year 1080, it is still called Tanet manor, Kar exoxnv; but I have met with it no where else so late by that name.

 

This manor was in the year 670 in the possession of Egbert, king of Kent, whose two nephews Ethelred and Ethelbright, sons of his father's elder brother Ermenfride, deceased, (who left likewise two daughters, Ermenburga, called also Domneva, married to Merwald, son of Penda, king of Mercia, and Ermengitha, were left to his care, under promise of their succeeding to the kingdom. These princes were kept under the inspection of one Thunnor, a flattering courtier, who persuaded the king to have them murdered, left they should disturb him in the possession of the throne; which Thunnor undertook and perpetrated. To expiate this crime, the king, by the advice of archbishop Theodore, and Adrian, abbot of St. Augustine's, sent to Domneva, who had taken the vow of chastity on her, to offer her any satisfaction for this crime, when, as an atonement, she requested of the king, according to the custom of those times, to grant her a place in Tenet, where she might build a monastery to their memory, with a sufficient maintenance, in which she, with her nuns, might continually pray for the king's forgiveness, who immediately by his charter, which concludes with a singular curse on the infringers of it, (fn. 3) granted her for the endowment of it full one half of this island, being the eastern part of it, comprehended within the bounds of this manor, and since separated from the western part of the island and manor of Monkton, by a broad bank or lynch, made quite across the island, since called St. Mildred's Lynch, and remaining at this day.

 

The story of this grant, as told by Thorn, a native of this parish, and a monk of St. Augustine's monastery, in his chronicle of that abbey, is, that Egbert granting Domneva's petition, demanded of her how much land she desired; who replied, as much as her deer could run over at one course; this being granted, the deer was let loose at Westgate, in Birchington, in the presence of the king, his nobles, and a great concourse of people. Among them was Thunnor, the petrator of the murder, who, ridiculing the king for the lavishness of his gift and the method of its decision, endeavoured by every means to obstruct the deer's course, both by riding across and meeting it; but Heaven, continues the chronicler, being offended at his impiety, whilst he was in the midst of his career, the earth opened and swallowed him up, leaving the name of Tunnor's-leap, or Thunor's hyslepe, to the ground and place where he fell, to perpetuate the memory of his punishment, though it was afterwards called Heghigdale. Meanwhile the deer having made a small circle eastward, directed its course almost in a strait line south-westward across the island from one side to the other, running over in length and breadth forty-eight plough-lands; and the king, immediately afterwards delivered up to Domneva the whole tract of land which the deer had run over.

 

This tract or course of the deer, which included above ten thousand acres of some of the best lands in Kent, is said to have been marked out by the broad bank, or lynch, across the island, since called St. Mildred's Lynch, thrown up in remembrance of it; (fn. 4) but notwithstanding this well-invented story of Thorn, it is more probable that this lynch was made to divide the two capital manors of Minster and Monkton, before this gift to Domneva.

 

Puteus Thunor, (or Thunor's leap) says the annalist of St. Augustine's monastery, apparet prope Cursum Cervi juxta Aldelond; and the place where the king stood to see this course is represented to be by it, where formerly was a beacon, it being some of the highest land hereabouts, where the king might see the course. This Puteus Thunor, or Thunorslep, is very plainly the old chalk pit, called Minster chalk-pit, which its not unlikely was first sunk when the abbey and church here were built, and the bottom of it in process of time, being overgrown with grass, gave occasion for the invention of this sable of Thunor's being swallowed up by the earth at this place. The name of Thunorslep has been long since obliterated, and even the more modern one of Heghigdate has been long forgotten. Weever says, he lieth buried under an heap of stones, which to that day was called Thunniclam.

 

Domneva being thus furnished with wealth and all things necessary, founded, in honor of the B.V. Mary, a monastery, or cloyster of nuns, afterwards called ST. MILDRED'S ABBEY, on part of this land, on the south side of the island near the water, in the same placewhere the present parochial church stands. Archbishop Theodore, at the instance of Domneva, consecrated the church of it, and she afterwards appointed the number of nuns to be seventy, and was appointed by the archbishop, the first abbess of it; she died here and was buried on the glebe of the new monastery. Ermengitha, her sister, was after her death sainted, and lived with Domneva, in the abbey here, where she died, and was buried in a place about a mile eastward of it, where the inhabitants have found numbers of bones, and where it is probable, she built some chapel or oratory. In a field or marsh called the twenty acres, a little more than a quarter of a mile eastward of the church of Minster, are several foundations, as if some chapel or oratory had been built there. (fn. 5)

 

Domneva was succeeded as abbess by her daughter Mildred, who was afterwards sainted. She is said to have been buried in this church. On her death Edburga succeeded in the government of this monastery, who finding it insufficient for so great a number of nuns, built another just by, larger and more stately, which was consecrated by archbishop Cuthbert, and dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul; and to this church she, about the year 750, removed the body of St. Mildred, at whose tomb many miracles were said to be wrought afterwards. Edburga was buried at Minster in her own new church, and was afterwards sainted. She was succeeded as abbess of this monastery by Sigeburga. In her time was the first depredation of the Danes in Thanet; who sell upon the people, laid every thing waste, and pludered the religious in this monastery; from this time they continued their ravages throughout this island almost every year; hence by degrees, this monastery fell to decay, and the nuns decreased in number, being vexed with grief and worn down with poverty, by the continual insults of these merciless pirates, who landed in this island in 978, and entirely destroyed by fire this monastery of St. Mildred, in which the clergy and many of the people were shut up, having fled thither for sanctuary; but they were, together with the nuns, all burnt to death, excepting Leofrune the abbess, who is said to have been carried away prisoner.

 

The Danes, however, spared the two chapels of St. Mary, and of St. Peter and St. Paul, in one of which divine service was afterwards performed, for the inhabitants of this parish and the adjoining neighbourhood. The antient scite of the monastery, together with this manor, and all the rest of the possessions of it remained in the king's hands, and they continued so till king Cnute, in the year 1027, gave the body of St. Mildred, together with the antient scite of the monastery, this manor and all its land within this island and without, and all customs belonging to this church, to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, which gift was confirmed by king Edward the Confessor. (fn. 6)

 

The abbot and convent of St. Augustine becoming thus possessed of this manor, fitted up the remains of the abbey to serve as the court-lodge of it; accordingly it has ever since borne the name of Minstercourt. In the survey of Domesday, taken in the 15th year of the Conqueror's reign, anno 1080, this manor is thus described, under the general title of Terra æcclæ Sci Augustini, the land of the church of St. Augustine.

 

In Tanet hundred. St. Mildred's.

 

The abbot himself holds Tanet manor, which was taxed at forty-eight sulings. The arable land is sixty-two carucates. In demesne there are two, and one hundred and fifty villeins, with fifty borderers having sixty-three carucates. There is a church and one priest, who gives twenty shillings per annum. There is one salt-pit and two fisheries of three pence, and one mill.

 

In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth four times twenty pounds, when the abbot received it forty pounds, now one hundred pounds.

 

Of this manor three knights hold so much of the land of the villeins as is worth nine pounds, when there is peace in the land, and there they have three carucates.

 

After which king Henry I. granted to the monastery of St. Augustine, about the 4th of his reign, a market, to be yearly held within this their manor of Minster, with all customs, forseitures, and pleas; which was confirmed among other liberties by Edward III. in his 36th year, by inspeximus.

 

King Henry III. in his 54th year, anno 1270, granted to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, free-warren in all their demesne lands of Minster. (fn. 7) King Edward II. in his 6th year, confirmed to the abbot free-warren in this manor among others, and next year anno 1313, in the iter of H. de Stanton and his sociates, justices itinerant, the abbot, upon a quo warranto, claimed and was allowed sundry liberties therein mentioned, in this manor, among others, and likewise free-warren in all his demesne lands of it, view of frank pledge, and wreck of the sea; one market weekly on a Friday, and one fair yearly on the eve and day of St. Mildred the Virgin, and other liberties therein mentioned; as having been granted and confirmed by divers of the king's predecessors, and allowed in the last iter of J. de Berewick and his sociates, justices itinerant; and that king Edward II. by his charter in his 6th year had sully confirmed all of them, and by the register of this monastery, of about this time, it appears that this manor had within its court the same liberties as those of Chistlet and Sturry. King Edward III. in his 5th year, exempted the abbot's homagers and tenants of this, among other of their manors, from their attendance at the sheriff's tourne, and afterwards by his charter of inspeximus in his 36th year, confirmed to this abbey all the manors and possessions given to it by former kings; and by another charter, the several grants of liberties and confirmations made by his predecessors, among which were those abovementioned; and king Henry VI. afterwards confirmed the same.

 

Next year the abbot and his servants taking distresses on their tenants of this manor, the tenants, to the number of six hundred, met and continued together for the space of five weeks, having got with them a greater number of people, who coming armed with bows and arrows, swords and staves, to the court of this manor and that of Salmanstone, belonging likewise to the abbot, laid siege to them, and after several attacks set fire to the gates of them. For fear of these violences, the monks and their servants at Salmanstone kept themselves confined there for fifteen days, so that the people enraged at not being able to encompass their ends in setting fire to the houses, destroyed the abbot's ploughs and husbandry utensils, which were in the fields; and cut down and carried away the trees on both these manors.

 

At the same time they entered into a confederacy and raised money here by tallages and assessments, by means of which they drew to them no small number of others of the cinque ports, who had nothing to lose, so that the abbot dared not sue for justice in the king's courts; but a method it seems was found to punish these rioters, or at least the principal of them, who were fined to the abbot for these damages six hundred pounds, a vast sum in those days, and were imprisoned at Canterbury till the fine was paid. The uneasiness of the tenants under such respective suits and services, seems to have occasioned the abbot and convent to have compounded with them, which they did in the year 1441, anno 20 Henry VI. By this composition the abbot and convent agreed, that the tenants should not in future be distrained for the rents and services they used to pay; but instead of them should pay compositions for every acre of the land called Cornegavel and Pennygavel, (fn. 8) which composition for the Cornegavel and Pennygavel land, continues in force at this time, being sixpence an acre now paid for the Cornegavel land.

 

In the time of king Richard II. this manor, with its rents and other appurtenances, was valued among the temporalities of the abbot and convent, at 232l. 4s. 3d. per annum; and the quantity of land belonging to it was by admeasurement 2149 acres and one rood.

 

In which state this manor continued till the final dissolution of the abbey of St. Augustine, which happened in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was surrendered, together with the rest of the possessions of the monastery, into the king's hands; at which time the manor and rents were of the value of 276l. yearly. (fn. 9) After which, the see of this manor, with the antient court-lodge of it, formerly the monastery, and then called Minster-court, with all the lands and appurtenances belonging to it, continued in the crown, till king James I. in his 9th year, by his letters patent, granted to Sir Philip Cary, William Pitt, esq. afterwards knighted; and John Williams, citizen and goldsmith of London, this lordship and manor of Menstre, with its rights, members, and appurtenances, late parcel of St. Augustine's monastery, except and reserved to the king's use, all advowsons and patronages of churches, chapels, &c. belonging to this manor; and he granted likewise all the rents of assize called Cornegavel land, in the parish of St. John, parcel of this manor; and the rents of assize of free tenement called Pennygavel land, in the parishes of St. Peter and St. Laurence, (fn. 10) to hold the manor, with its right, members and appurtenances, of the king, as of his manor of East Greenwich, by sealty only, in free and common socage, and not in capite, nor by knight's service; and to hold the rents of assize of the king in capite, by the service of one knight's fee; which grant and letters patent were conconfirmed by an act specially passed for the purpose, that year.

 

Some years after which, the heirs of the beforementioned Sir Philip Carey and John Williams, then Sir John Williams, bart. of Carmarthenshire, divided this estate; in which division, the manor itself with the court-lodge, part of the demesne lands, royalties, and appurtenances, was allotted to Sir John Williams, bart. (who died in 1668, and was buried in the Temple church, London); whose descendant of the same name, bart. of Carmarthenshire, dying without male issue, his daughter and sole heir, then the widow of the earl of Shelburne, carried it in marriage, at the latter end of king Charles II.'s reign, to Col. Henry Conyngham, afterwards a major-general in king William's reign, who died possessed of it in 1705. He left two sons, William and Henry, and a daughter Mary, married to Francis Burton, esq. of Clare, in Ireland. William, the eldest son of the general, succeeded him in this manor and estate in Minster, but died without surviving issue, upon which this estate descended to Henry Conyngham, esq. his younger brother, second son of the general, who was in 1753, anno 27 George II. created baron Conyngham, of Mount Charles, in Donegall, in Ireland; and afterwards by further letters patent, in 1756, viscount Conyngham, of the same kingdom; and again in 1780, earl Conyngham, and likewise baron Conyngham, of the same kingdom, with remainder of the latter title to his sister's sons. He married Ellen, only daughter of Solomon Merret, esq. of London, by whom he had no issue. He died s.p. in 1781, and was succeeded in his title of baron Conyngham by his nephew Francis Pierpoint Burton Conyngham, eldest son of his sister Mary, by her husband Francis Burton, esq. above-mentioned, which Francis, lord Conyngham, died in 1787, leaving by his wife Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Nathaniel Clements, esq. and sister of Robert, lord Leitrim, (who survived him) two sons, Henry, who succeeded him in title, and Nathaniel, and three daughters, Catherine married to the Rev. John Shirley Fermor, of Sevenoke; Ellen, to Stewart Weldon, esq. and Henrietta.

 

Henry, so succeeding his father as lord Conyngham, was created in December 1789, viscount Conyngham and baron Conyngham, of Mount Charles, in Donegall, to whom the inheritance of this manor and estate now belongs; but the possession of it for life is vested in the right hon. Ellen, countess dowager Conyngham; widow of Henry, earl Conyngham, above-mentioned. The arms of lord viscount Conyngham are, Argent, a shake-sork, between three mullets, sable. Supporters. The dexter—An horse charged on the breast with an eagle, displayed, or, maned and hoofed of the last. The sinister—A buck proper, charged on the breast with a griffin's head, erased, or, attired and unguled of the last. Crest—Anunicorn's head erased, argent, armed and maned, or. Motto—Over fork over.

 

A court leet and court baron is held for this manor, by the stile of the courtleet, and view of frank pledge, for the manor of Minster, in the hundred of Ringslow, alias Tenet, and the court baron for the said manor.

 

The court-lodge, formerly a part of the nunnery, was, after the dissolution of it, made use of as a farmhouse, in which some of the monks of St. Augustine resided, to manage the estate of it, which they kept in their own hands. On the north side of it, which seems to have been the front or entrance, is a handsome stone portal, on the top of which, in the middle, within a circle, are the arms of the abbey of St. Augustine, viz. Sable, a cross, argent. At a small distance from it stood antiently a very large barn, sufficient to hold the corn growing on all the demesnes, being in length 352 feet, and in breadth 47 feet, and the height of the walls 12 feet, with a roof of chesnut. When the estate was divided, 154 feet in length of this building was carried to Sevenscore farm, where it was burnt, by an accident unknown in 1700, and the remaining part here was burnt by lightning afterwards. On the south side of the house stood a chapel, said to have been built by St. Eadburga, the third abbess here. In it the body of St. Mildred is said to have been placed by her, or rather translated from the other monastery. Some of the walls and foundations of this chapel were remaining within the memory of some not long since deceased, but it is now so entirely demolished, that there is nothing to be seen of it, excepting a small part of the tower, and of the stairs leading up into it. Just by these ruins of the tower is a small piece of ground, in which lately in digging for mould, several human bones were dug up. There is a view of the remains of this nunnery in Lewis's Thanet.

 

THE OTHER PART of this estate, the scite of which lies about a mile eastward from Minster-court, since known by the name of SEVENSCORE, on which is built a substantial farm-house, with large barns and other necessary buildings, was allotted to —Carey, in whose successors viscounts Falkland, this estate continued down to Lucius Ferdinand, viscount Falkland, who not many years since alienated it to Josiah Wordsworth, esq. of London, whose son of the same name died possessed of it about the year 1784, leaving two sisters his coheirs, one of whom married Sir Charles Kent, bart. and the other, Anne, married Henry Verelst, esq. who afterwards, in right of their respective wives, became possessed of this estate in undivided moieties; in which state it still continues, Sir Charles Kent being at this time entitled to one moiety, and Mrs. Verelst, the widow of Henry Verelst, esq. above-mentioned, who died in 1785, and lies buried in this church, being entitled to the other moiety of it.

 

WASCHESTER is an estate lying at a small distance westward from Minster church, part of which was formerly parcel of the demesnes of the manor of Minster, and was included in king James's grant to Sir Philip Carey, William Pitt, esq. and John Williams, goldsmith, as has been mentioned before in the account of that manor; they in the year 1620, joined in the sale of them to Jeffry Sandwell, gent. of Monkton, who purchased other lands of different persons in this parish, Monkton and Birchington, the whole of which he sold in 1658, to John Peters, M. D. Philip le Keuse, and Samuel Vincent, which two latter alienated their shares soon afterwards to Dr. Peters; at which time all these lands together, not only comprehended Waschester farm, but likewise part, if not the whole of another called Acol. From Dr. Peters this estate descended to Peter Peters, M. D. of Canterbury, who died in 1697, upon which the inheritance of it descended to his sole daughter and heir Elizabeth, who in 1722 carried it in marriage to Thomas Barrett, esq. of Lee, whose second wife she was; he died possessed of it in 1757, upon which it descended to their only daughter and heir Elizabeth, who entitled her husband, the Rev. William Dejovas Byrche, to the fee of it. He died in 1792, leaving an only daughter Elizabeth, married to Samuel Egerton Brydges, esq. of the Middle Temple, barrister-atlaw, but now of Denton-court, who in her right possessed it, and afterwards sold it to Mr. Ambrose Maud, who now owns it.

 

SHERIFFS COURT is an estate lying somewhat less than a mile westward from Waschester, in the hamlet of Hoo in this parish; it was formerly called Sheriffs Hope, from the hope, or place of anchorage for ships, which sailed in the river Wantsume, which once ran close by this place. It is said by some to have taken its name from its having been part of the possessions of Reginald de Cornhill, who was so long sheriff of this county that he lost his own name and took that of Le Sheriff, from whence this place gained the name of Sheriffs hope, or court. He was sheriff from the 4th to the 9th years of king Richard I. in the last year of that reign and during the whole reign of king John. His arms are on the stone roof of the cloysters at Canterbury, being Two lions passant, debruised of a bendlet, impaling three piles. After this name was extinct here, the family of Corbie became possessed of this estate; one of whom, Robert de Corbie, died possessed of it in the 39th year of king Edward III. whose son Robert Corbie, esq. of Boughton Malherb, leaving a sole daughter and heir Joane, she carried it in marriage to Sir Nicholas Wotton, who, anno 3 Henry V. was lord mayor of London. His descendant Sir Edward Wotton procured his lands in this county to be disgavelled by the acts both of 31 Henry VIII. and 2 and 3 Edward VI. and from him this manor descended to Thomas, lord Wotton, who dying anno 6 Charles I. without male issue, his four daughters became his coheirs, of whom Catherine the eldest carried this estate in marriage to Henry, lord Stanhope, son and heir of Philip, earl of Chesterfield, whose widow Catherine, lady Stanhope, sold it to Henry Paramor. He was the tenant and occupier of Sheriff's court, being the eldest son of John Paramor, of Preston, the grandson of Thomas Paramor, of Paramor-street, in Ash, near Sandwich. They bore for their arms, Azure, a fess embattled, counter embairled, between three etoils of six points, or. (fn. 11) . He left it to his brother Thomas Paramor, whose grandson of the same name died possessed of it in 1652, and was buried with his ancestors in this church; from his heirs this estate was alienated to Thatcher, in which name it continued, till at length it was sold by one of them, to Mr. Robert Wilkins, gent. of St. Margaret's, Rochester, who possessed it for many years. He died without issue, and it has since become the property of Mrs. Terry, the present owner of it.

 

TO THIS MANOR is appurtenant the small MANOR OF PEGWELL, or COURT STAIRS, in the parish of St. Laurence.

 

ALDELOND GRANGE, usually called Allen Grange, situated about a mile northwardfrom Minster church, on the open high land, was so called in opposition to Newland Grange, in St. Laurence parish. It was antiently part of the possessions of the abbey of St. Augustine, and was in the year 1197, assigned by Roger, the abbot of it, to the sacristy of the abbey, for the purpose of upholding and maintaining the abbey church, as well in the fabric as ornaments, but on the condition that the sacrist for the time being, should perform all such services to the court of Minster as were due, and had been accustomed to be done for the land of it. (fn. 12)

 

The measurement of this land, according to Thorne, amounted to sixty-two acres; and to this Grange belong all the tithes of corn and grain, within the limits of the borough of Wayborough, excepting those which are received by the vicar. On the dissolution of the abbey of St. Augustine, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. this estate, then amounting to six score acres, came, with the rest of the possessions of the monastery, into the king's hands, where it did not continue long, for he settled it in his 33d year, by his dotation charter, on his new founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of it continues at this time.

 

It has been demised by the dean and chapter, on a beneficial lease, the rack rent of it being 413l. per annum, for twenty one years, to Mr. Edward Pett, of Cleve-court, the present lessee of it. Messrs. Jessard and Paramor are the under lessees and occupiers of it.

 

POWCIES, which stands about half a mile northeastward from Allan grange, was formerly a gentleman's mansion, a large handsome building standing on much more ground than it does at present, with a gate house at the entrance into the court before it; all which being pulled down, a modern farm-house of brick has been built on the antient scite of it.

 

This seat was once in the possession of the family of Goshall, of Goshall, in Ash, where Sir John Goshall resided in king Edward III.'s reign, and in his descendants it continued till about the reign of king Henry IV. when it was carried in marriage by a female heir to one of the family of St. Nicholas, owners likewise of the adjoining manor of Thorne, in whom it continued down to Roger St. Nicholas, who died in 1484, leaving a sole daughter and heir Elizabeth, who entitled her husband John Dynley, of Charlton, in Worcestershire, to the possession of it. By her he had two sons, Henry and Edward, the eldest of whom succeeded to this estate, which he afterwards alienated, about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, to John Roper, esq. of Linsted, afterwards knighted, and anno 14 James I. created baron of Teynham; whose great grandson Christopher, lord Teynham, in king Charles I.'s reign, conveyed it to Sir Edward Monins, bart. of Waldershare, who died possessed of it in 1663, leaving Elizabeth his widow surviving, who held it in jointure at her death in 1703; upon which it devolved to the heirs and trustees of Susan, his eldest daughter and coheir, late wife of Peregrine Bertie, deceased, second son of Montague, earl of Lindsey; and they, in the reign of king William and queen Mary, joined in the sale of it to Sir Henry Furnese, bart. of Waldershare, who died possessed of it in 1712, as did his son Sir Robert in 1733. After which it became, with his other estates, vested in his three daughters and coheirs, and on a partition of them, anno 9 George II. this estate of Powcies was wholly allotted, among others, to Anne the eldest sister, wife of John, viscount St. John, which partition was confirmed by an act passed next year; after which it descended down to their grandson George, viscount Bolingbroke, who in 1790 alienated it to Mr. Henry and John Harnett, the present possessors of it.

 

THORNE, or as it is vulgarly called, Thourne, is a manor in this parish, situated about a mile southward from Powcies above mentioned, being so named from the quantity of thorny bushes growing on and about it. This manor was antiently the seat of a family which took their name from it, one of them, Henry de Thorne, was owner of it in the year 1300, anno 29 Edward I. and resided here; against whom it seems complaint was made to the abbot of St. Augustine, that he caused mass to be publicly said in his private oratory, or chapel, (the remains of which are still so entire as to be made use of as a granary, &c.) at this his manor of Thorne, (apud spinam) to the prejudice of the mother church, and the ill example of others; and he accordingly was inhibited from so doing in future, by the archbishop's letters to the vicar of Minster, dated that year. And under the cross in this church, in the north wall of it, is an antient tomb or coffin of solid stone, let into the wall under an arch of antient Saxon ornaments. On the stone which covers the tomb is a cross flory, on each side of which are two blank shields, and round the edge of the stone these words in old French letters: Ici gift Edile de Thorne, que fust Dna del Espine. This seems probable to have been one of the family, owners of this manor.

 

After this family of Thorne were become extinct here, that of Goshall, of Goshall, in Ash, appear to have been possessors of this manor; in whom it continued till about the reign of king Henry IV. when it went by marriage by a female heir to one of the family of St. Nicholas, in whose descendants it continued down to Roger St. Nicholas, who died in 1474, and as appears by his will, was buried before the image of St. Nicholas, in the chancel of Thorne, at Minster. Roger St. Nicholas, his son and heir, left an only daughter Elizabeth, who entitled her husband John Dynley, esq. of Charlton, in Worcestershire, to the possession of it. After which it continued down in the same owners as Powcies last above-described, till it came into the possession of George, viscount Bolingbroke, who in 1790 alienated it to Mr. Henry Wooton, the present owner of it.

 

See a custom for the demise of tenements by will within the borough of Menstre, secundum consuetudinem manerii, anno 55 Henry III. Itin. Kanc. rot. 18, in Robinson's Gavelkind, p. 236.

 

Charities.

THE OCCUPIER of Salmeston Grange, in St. John's parish, is bound by his lease to distribute to six poor inhabitants of the parish of Minster, to be nominated by the minister and churchwardens, in the first week, and on the middle Monday of Lent, to each of them, nine loaves and eighteen herrings; and to three poor people of the same, to each of them, two yards of blanket; and every Monday and Friday in each week, from the Invention of the Holy Cross to the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, to every poor person coming to Salmeston Grange, one dishfull of peas dressed.

 

THOMAS APPLETON, of Eastry, yeoman, by his will in 1593, gave to the relief of the poor of this parish, the sum of 5l. to be paid to the churchwardens yearly, for the use of the poor people, inhabitants there, fourteen days before Christmas day, the same to be paid out of certain lands belonging to him, called Hardiles, in the parish of Woodnesborough.

 

RICHARD CLERK, D. D. vicar of Minster, partly by deed in 1625, and partly by will on Nov 6, 1634, gave 120l. to be lent unto four parishioners, born in Minster, whose fathers were deceased, and they not sufficiently stocked, for the term of one, two, or three years, but not exceeding that; the interest arising from it to be divided among the poor of the parish. With this money the trustees purchased houses, which are at present divided into four tenements, besides the parish work-house, called the seoffees houses; and seven other tenements, called Cheap Row, the rent of which is annually distributed in clothing to the poor persons of the parish. They are all at present let to the churchwardens and overseers for the time being, by a lease of 99 years, from 1729, at the rent of 6l. This trust is now vested in Mr. William Fuller, of Doctors Commons, as heir of the last trustee; the trust not having been filled up since the year 1696.

 

JOHN CAREY, esq of Stanwell, in Middlesex, by will in 1685, gave 10l. per annum to be paid yearly to the churchwardens, out of his farm of Sevenscore; to be disposed of to the poor yearly, on St. Thomas's day.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Westbere.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is a very handsome structure, consisting of a nave and two side isles, a cross sept, and east chancel; the nave is of Saxon, the transept and chancel of gothic architecture; the last is curiously vaulted with stone, and provision was made for the same in the transept, but it was never completed. In it are eighteen collegiate stalis, in good preservation. At the west end of the church is a tall spire steeple, in which is a clock and five bells.

 

When the Danes plundered and burnt the abbey of Minster, they seem to have spared the two chapels of St. Mary, and of St. Peter and St. Paul, or however the stone work of them was preserved, and not burnt with the roof and other works of timber. The former of these was afterwards made into the present parish church, and has since been considerably enlarged.—The nave or body of the church seems to have been the old building; the pillars of which are thick and short, and the arches all circular, and a low roof was probably upon them, according to the simplicity and plainness of those times; but since the wall has been built higher, as appears by the distance there is, betwixt the top of the arches and the wall plate across; and an handsome chancel added at the east end, and a square tower on the west, with a high spire covered with lead placed on it. The chancel or choir and the middle of the cross are vaulted, and by the footings which are left, it was certainly intended that the whole cross should have been finished in the same manner. The eighteen stalls mentioned before, have very handsome wainscot behind, according to the mode of those times; in these the monks, vicars, and priests used to sit during the performance of divine service. Besides the high altar in this church, there were before the reformation other altars in it, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, St. James, and St. Anne. At these, as likewise before the Holy Cross, were lights constantly burning; for the maintenance of which, there were societies or fellowships, who contributed towards the maintenance of them, and those who died left in their last wills constantly small sums of money for that purpose. Under the middle of the cross was the rood-lost, the going up to which out of the chancel is yet to be seen, as are the mortice holes in which the timbers were put, on which the lost was built. On the north wall of it is the antient tomb of Edile de Thorne. On the pavement, as well as in the church porch, are several large flat gravestones, the inscriptions, if any on them, entirely worn away; they seem very antient, and are not improbably, memorials of some of the religious of this place, but they do not seem always to have lain where they do now. On the front of the tower of the steeple is a shield, carved in the stone work, viz. A fess, between three lion's passant. Among other memorials in this church, in the chancel, is one for Francis, son and heir to Edward Saunders, gent. of Norbourne-court, which Edward married the female heir of Francis Pendrick, esq. by his wife, who was nurse to queen Elizabeth. He died anno 1643; arms, A chevron, between three elephants heads, impaling a saltier, ermine, between three leopards faces. In the middle isle a monument for Bartholomew Sanders, gent. and Mary his wife, daughter of Henry Oxenden, esq. of Wingham; arms, Per chevron, sable and argent, three elephants heads, counterchanged, impaling Oxenden. On a mural monument are the effigies of a man and woman. kneeling at a desk, for Thomas Paramor, esq. sometime mayor of Canterbury, and Anne his first wife; arms, Azure, a fess embattled, between three stars of six points, or, impaling or, on a chevron, three stars of six points, sable, between as many dragons heads, quartered. In the north isle are several memorials for the Paramors. On a wooden frame, near the altar, a memorial for Col. James Pettit, obt. 1730. On the south side of the chancel, a mural monument for Mary, youngest daughter of Robert Knowler, gent. of Herne, wife of John Lewis, vicar of this church, obt. 1719. A memorial for John Lewis, formerly vicar of this church, obt. 1746, æt. 72. A memorial for Elizabeth Blome, daughter and coheir of John Blome, gent. of Sevenoke, obt. 1731; arms, in a lozenge, A cross fitchee, and cinquefoil, quartered with a greybound, current. A mural monument for Harry Verelst, esq. of Aston, in Yorkshire, formerly governor of Bengal, obt. 1785; he married Anne, coheir of Josiah Wordsworth, esq. of Wadworth, in Yorkshire, and of Sevenscore, in this parish, and left by her four sons and five daughters. In the south isle memorials for the Harnetts, Kennetts, and Colemans. In the middle isle are memorials for several of the Jenking's. Leland, in his Itinerary, vol. vii. p. 130 says, S. Florentius jacet in Cemiterio S. Mariæ in Thanet, cujus Tumba Crescit signis. (fn. 13)

 

On the top of the spire was formerly a globe, and upon that a great wooden cross, covered with lead, over which was a vane, and above that, an iron cross; but about the year 1647, the noted fanatic Richard Culmer, having got the sequestration of this vicarage, took it into his fancy that these were monuments of superstition and idolatry, and got these crosses demolished by two persons of the parish, whom he had hired, after he had himself before day, by moon light, fixed ladders for them to go up and down, from the square of the tower to the top of the spire. But if all the figures of a cross are monuments of idolatry, and to be removed, the poor caitiff has done his work but by halves, or rather not all, when he took down these from the spire and left the church standing, which is itself built in the form of a cross.

 

The church of Minster was antiently appendant to the manor, and as such was granted with it, first to Domneva, and afterwards became part of the possessions of the abbey founded by her here; and after the destruction of it came with the manor, by king Cnute's grant, to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, to which it became appropriated in the year 1128, anno 29 Henry I. and was at that time assigned, with the chapels of St. John, St. Peter, and St. Laurence, with all rents, tithes, and other things, belonging to them, to the sacristy of that monastery; which regulation was confirmed by archbishop Theobald, and afterwards, in 1168, by pope Alexander, who consigned it to the reparation of the church of the monastery, which had been but just before burnt down. (fn. 14)

 

In the year 1176, anno 23 Henry II. the tenants of the Halimot, or manor court of Minster, agreed, that from thenceforth they would all cop their corn; and that they and their heirs, then and for ever afterwards, should pay all their tithes lawfully by cops, and all other matters of tithes, which they were accustomed to pay, as amply as they had ever paid them from the time of the dedication of the church of St. Mary of Menstre.

 

By an agreement entered into in 1182, between the archbishop and the abbot of St. Augustine's, this church was exempted from the payments of all dues and procurations to the archdeacon; and that year the archbishop confirmed this church to the monastery; which agreement was renewed in 1237, by archbishop Edmund; and further, that the abbot and convent should present to the archbishop, in the chapels of St. Peter, St. John, and St. Laurence, fit perpetual chaplains to the altarages in them, provided those altarages were worth ten marcs, with which the chaplains should be content, on pain of forfeiting the same; the vicar of the mother church of Menstre, having a sufficient vicarage taxed from antient time in the same, taking and receiving in right of his vicarage, the tenths of small tithes, viz. of lambs and pigs, and the obventions arising from marriages and churchings, which were forbid at the chapels, and were solemnized, &c. at the mother church only, and the burials of certain corpses, being those of the tenants or occupiers of lands in these chapelries, who were to be buried at Minster, unless the vicar gave leave to the contrary. At the same time the archbishop, with the consent of the archdeacon, confirmed this church to the abbot and convent, together with the several archiepiscopal confirmations of it, and those of the several kings of England. This part above-mentioned of the revenue of the vicarage of Minster, arising from these chapelries, has long since been lost, except that out of Salmestone Grange, amounting to 10s. a year; which, perhaps, might be a composition for the tenths of the small tithes, &c. in them. The altarages above-mentioned were the customary and voluntary offerings at the altar, for some religious office or service of the priest. To augment these, the regular and secular priests invented many things. For it is to be observed, that only a portion of these offerings, to the value of ten marcs, or 6l. 13s. 4d. was what the chaplains of these three chapels were presented to, and that they were accountable for the residue to the abbot and convent, and that if they presumed to detain any more of these offerings beyond that sum, they were to be deprived even of that. For this reason, they were to swear to the abbot and convent, to give a true account of the offerings made at their several altars, on their respective offering days, and in no shape to detriment their parish of Menstre, as to legacies or obventions, personal or predial, but to conserve all the parochial rights of the same, entire and untouched, to the utmost of their power. Then marcs appear now but a small sum for the maintenance of a parish minster; but when the value of money at the time when this composition was made is considered, it will be found to be a handsome and generous allowance to a chaplain, especially as their stipends were then paid by authority; ten marcs were then equal to more than sixty pounds now, and in a council held at Oxford but fifteen years before, it was decreed, that where the churches had a revenue as far as five marcs per annum, they should be conferred on none but such as should constantly reside in person, on the place, as being a sufficient maintenance. In 1348 H. Kinghton informs us, a chaplain's usual stipend was no more than four or five marcs, or two and his board; as for the chaplains of these three chapels, though they were to receive no more than ten marcs of these altarages, they were not excluded the enjoyment of the manses and glebes, given to these chapels when they were first consecrated, which made some addition to their income, and perhaps enabled them to keep a deacon to assist them. (fn. 15)

 

On the great and principal festivals, the inhabitants of these three chapelries, preceded by their priests and other officers, with their banners, tapers, &c. were used to go in procession to Minster, their mother church, there to join at the solemn mass and other divine service then performed, to make their offerings and pay their accustomed dues, in token of their subjection to their parochial or mother church.

 

The appropriation of the church of Minster, together with the advowson of the vicarage, continued, in manner as has been already mentioned, with the abbot and convent till the dissolution of their monastery in the 30th year of king Henry VIII. when it was surrendered, together with the rest of the possessions of the monastery, into the king's hands. After the dissolution of the monastery, there could not be said to be any parsonage or appropriation of this church, for the demesne lands of the manor of Minster, which are very extensive in this parish, were subject, as to the tithes of corn, to only a small modus or composition to the vicar, of eighteen shocks or cops of wheat, and eighteen shocks or cops of barley, or thereabouts; and the vicar was intitled, in right of his vicarage, to the corn tithes of the lands in the remaining part of the parish, as will be further noticed hereafter.

 

When the vicarage of this church was endowed and a vicar instituted, is no where found; but certainly it was before the year 1275; for in the act of consecration of the church or chapel-yard of St. Laurence that year, when that chapel was made parochial, mention is made of the vicar of Menstre, &c. and in the year 1384, anno 8 Richard II. this vicarage was valued at thirty marcs. After the dissolution of the abbey of St. Augustine, the advowson of this vicarage continued in the hands of the crown, till king Edward VI. in his first year, granted it, among other premises, to the archbishop, since which it has continued parcel of the pos sessions of that fee, the archbishop being the present patron of it.

 

This vicarage is valued in the king's books at 33l. 3s. 4d. and the yearly tenths at 3l. 6s. 8d. In 1588 here were three hundred communicants, and it was valued at 1501. It is endowed with a manse and glebe of about twenty-four acres of land, upland and marsh; all the corn tithes, and other tithes of that part of the parish called Street-borough; and of about one hundred acres in the other borough, called Weyborough, except the corn tithes of the demesnes of the manor of Minster, for which the modus or composition above-mentioned is paid.

 

¶The land in Minster level, which is pasture, paying but four-pence an acre for tithes, Dr. Richard Clarke, vicar here in 1597, made a composition with his parishioners, by which they obliged themselves to pay him at the vicarage house, within three days after every quarter, after the rate of twelve-pence an acre for their marsh land, or else to lose the benefit of the composition. (fn. 16) Dr. Meric Casaubon, who succeeded Dr. Clarke, would not abide by this composition, but afterwards compounded with the occupiers, at the rate of twelve-pence an acre for the worst of the land, and of fourteen pence and sixteen pence for that which is better; and in the year 1638 he demanded his tithes of the marsh land in kind, or eighteen pence per acre, which was agreed to by the parishioners, and paid by them till the year 1643; when the civil wars being begun, and this county in the power of the parliament, Dr. Casaubon, being continually threatened to be turned out of his vicarage, was content to receive one shilling per acre for the marsh land; in which manner he received it till the end of the year 1644, when this vicarage was sequestered, and one Richard Culmer was put into possession of this vicarage, (fn. 17) who to ingratiate himself with the parishioners, agreed to take no more than twelve pence an acre of them, as did Dr. Casaubon in 1660, on his being restored to this vicarage; at which rate the tithes were afterwards uniformly taken, till the time of the present vicar; the several vicars not being disposed to quarrel with their neighbours, though the land now lets for as much again as it did in Dr. Casaubon's time, viz. at 28s. an acre and upwards. There have been several litigations and issues at law tried between the present vicar, Mr. Dodsworth, and his parishioners, on account of this modus for the marsh land, all which have been decided in the vicar's favor, who set aside the modus of one shilling per acre by the verdict in his favor, and now takes from 1s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. for the grass land, according to its goodness; yet there are ten acres of grass land late in the possession of Josias Fuller Farrer, esq. which never having paid more than four-pence per acre, remain at that composition. The present value of it is about 350l. per annum.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol10/pp264-294

Pattaya, Thailand – This Ripley's museum is in Royal Garden Plaza in Pattaya. It appears as if an airplane has crashed into it.

 

Ripley's Believe It or Not! is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the Believe It or Not feature proved popular and was later adapted into a wide variety of formats, including radio, television, comic books, a chain of museums and a book series.

 

The Ripley collection includes 20,000 photographs, 30,000 artifacts and more than 100,000 cartoon panels. With 80-plus attractions, the Orlando, Florida-based Ripley Entertainment, Inc., a division of the Jim Pattison Group, a Canadian global company, hosts more than 12 million guests annually. Ripley Entertainment's publishing and broadcast divisions oversee numerous projects, including the syndicated TV series, the newspaper cartoon panel, books, posters and games.

 

Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of Bangkok, and has a population of 328,961 as of 2021.

 

Pattaya City (Thai: เมืองพัทยา, RTGS: Mueang Phatthaya, pronounced [mɯ̄a̯ŋ pʰát.tʰā.jāː]) is a self-governing municipal area within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district and has a population of 119,532. It covers the tambons of Nong Prue and Na Klua and parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai. Although the municipal area is not part of Bang Lamung district, Pattaya City has grown into all adjacent sub-districts and accounts for the largest population percentage in the district, making it de facto a part of the "Pattaya-Bang Lamung-Jomtien" area, otherwise known as "Greater Pattaya". The city is in the industrial Eastern Seaboard zone, along with Si Racha, Laem Chabang, and Chonburi. Pattaya is at the center of the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area (a conurbation in Chonburi Province with a population of 1,000,000), which forms the third largest metropolitan area in Thailand.

 

The name Pattaya evolved from the march of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin) and his army from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi, which took place before the fall of the former capital to Burmese invaders in 1767. When his army arrived in the vicinity of what is now Pattaya, Phraya Tak encountered the troops of a local leader named Nai Klom, who tried to intercept him. When the two met face to face, Nai Klom was impressed by Phraya Tak's dignified manner and his army's strict discipline. He surrendered without a fight and joined his forces. The place the armies confronted each other was thereafter known as "Thap Phraya", which means the "army of the Phraya".[4] Thap Phraya was later changed to Phatthaya, which means 'the wind blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning of the rainy season'.

 

Following World War II, entrepreneur Parinya Chawalitthamrong saw the potenial of investing in Pattaya and donated some land to the governing administration. Pattaya City Hall would later be constructed on this land.

 

A fishing village until the 1960s, tourism began during the Vietnam War, when American servicemen began arriving on R&R (rest and relaxation). One large group who arrived from a base in Korat on 29 June 1959 and rented houses from Phraya Sunthorn at the south end of the beach, on what is now known as the "Strip", are credited with recommending Pattaya, whose fame spread by word of mouth.

 

On 29 November 1978, Pattaya was granted city status by the Thai government. In 1978, it also became a special governed city.

 

In 1981, businessman Lek Viriyaphan began constructing on the Sanctuary of Truth which remains unfinished and is entirely made out of wood.

 

In 2004, Nirun Wattanasartsaton became the first democratically elected mayor. In the 2008 mayoral election, Itthiphol Khunpluem became Pattaya's mayor. As mayor, Itthiphol approved construction on the Waterfront Suites and Residence condominium near the Bali Hai pier, which became constroversial. His approvement later led to his arrest in 2023 over corruption.

 

Following the 2014 coup, the National Council for Peace and Order appointed two mayors until in 2018 when the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha appointed Sontaya Kunplome, brother of Itthiphol, as mayor. Mayor Sontaya went on to form the Rao Rak Pattaya party which won the 2022 mayoral election led by Poramet Ngampichet, who has served as mayor ever since.

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pattaya's economy suffered greatly due to travel restrictions restricting tourism.

 

From the 2010s through to the 2020s, Pattaya attempted to shift public perception of it being a sex-city to a more family-friendly location. Bars which were friendly towards pedophiles in Sunee plaza were closed, and the amount of gogo bars on Walking Street declined. However, a 2023 documentary by Deutsche Welle, which has been banned in Thailand, resurrected concerns around Pattaya's sex industry and its association with child prostitution. The documentary is around a German tourist who is claimed to have paid ฿‎1 million to return to Germany and escape charges. The claims resulted in PM Srettha Thavisin launcing an investigation headed by Surachate Hapkarn. The documentary has been described by local media as having the potential of hurting Pattaya's industry which has been recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Pattaya has frequently suffered from flooding, especially during the monsoon season. Torrential rain on 27 August 2021 left many important roads under water, with water reaching up to two metres deep in some areas. Pattaya City officials called the August flooding as the worst flood for Pattaya in a decade.

 

On 4 November 2023, Pattaya was awarded the Integrity and Transparency Assessment award for the highest development category. The award was presented by the National Anti-Corruption Commission to Poramet at Government House in Bangkok.

 

Pattaya has a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: hot and dry (December to February), hot and humid (March and April), and hot and rainy (May to November).

 

The municipality has a population of 119,532 residents (2019), while the city ("Greater Pattaya") has a population of 328,961 (2021). Most of these people counted are Thai, with most migrant populations not recognized, although migrant workers are increasingly regularized due to foreign pressure. Some details of the census remain complex, as even indigenous Thais without nationality are not being recognized. Therefore, the census population currently does not represent the total figure. As with the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, registered population figures issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) hardly capture the scope of the urban transformation that has occurred over time, especially with the economy being dependent on the large numbers of casual Thai workers who work in the city yet remain registered in their hometowns, the employment turnover from and to the capital, as well as seasonal farm migration. Migrant workers from neighboring nations, and many long-term expatriates who reside in the city as retirees, self-employed, or contracted are traditionally not counted. There has never been a reliably published figure for the total population in Pattaya, but its thought to be quite large (on the order of half a million people[citation needed]) given the ubiquity and sheer number of migrant workers. Pattaya additionally has a massive population inflow from short stay tourism, with its 2000 hotels and 136,000 rooms available as of 2015.

 

Throughout the years, the municipality (Pattaya City) has outgrown its municipal borders (53.5 km²) and now reaches into all neighboring subdistricts (tambon) within the Bang Lamung district, forming the "Pattaya-Bang Lamung-Jomtien" area (727 km²), also known as "Greater Pattaya", though the commonly used term to describe the urban area is simply Pattaya. Changes in population and area size are regularly revised by the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning and the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization.

 

Pattaya is part of the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area, a conurbation of the urban areas of Chonburi, Si Racha and Pattaya. The total population of this area is 999,092, making it the third largest metropolitan area in the country after Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

 

A growing community of foreign retirees lives in Pattaya. The Thai Immigration Bureau has a special visa category for foreigners over the age of 50 who wish to retire in Thailand. The city also has a large Indian community, which mainly speaks Tamil.

 

Pattaya, on the Gulf of Thailand, is approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) south of the city of Bangkok in Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.

 

The city of Pattaya is a special municipal area which covers the whole tambon Nong Prue (Nongprue) and Na Kluea (Naklua) and parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai. Bang Lamung township which forms the northern border of Pattaya covers parts of the tambon Bang Lamung (Banglamung), Nong Pla Lai and Takhian Tia. Bang Sare (Bang Saray) is on the southern border of Pattaya.

 

"Greater Pattaya" occupies most of the coastline of Banglamung (one of the eleven districts that make up Chonburi Province). It is divided into a larger northern section which spans the areas to the east of Naklua Beach (the most northern beach) and Pattaya Beach (the main beach) plus Phra Tamnak Hill (often called "Buddha Hill" because of the temples on top of the hill) headland immediately south of Pattaya Beach, and a smaller southern section covering the area to the east of Jomtien Beach (directly south of Phra Tamnak Hill).

 

The Pattaya Bay area is one of Asia's largest beach resorts and the second most visited city in Thailand, after Bangkok. This panorama overlooks Bali Hai pier and the core of the city.

 

The main sweep of the bay area is divided into two principal beachfronts. Pattaya Beach lies parallel to the city centre, and runs about 2.7 km long from Pattaya Nuea (North) south along the coast to Pattaya Tai (South) which is the entrance to Walking Street. The beach, which used to be 35 m wide, suffers from erosion and in some places was reduced to a width of only two to three meters. A 429 million baht beach restoration scheme was implemented in 2018. It will take 360,000 m3 of sand from Ko Rang Kwian offshore to increase the beach width to 50 m. Without intervention Pattaya will likely see its beaches disappear in roughly ten years according to Chulalongkorn University researchers. Within a month of the completion of the restoration of the first 400 m of Pattaya Beach, the work was "seriously damaged" by flooding. The beach is the first in the country to use imported sand to compensate for coastal erosion. An official said, "...the longer it is left without the flood damage being repaired, the worse it will get."

 

Phra Tamnak Hill is on the south side of Pattaya and is popular for its viewpoints and the temple (Wat Phra Yai) on top of the hill. Pattaya Park and Pattaya tower are at the south end of Phra Tamnak Hill and the Pattaya Exhibition And Convention Hall (P.E.A.C.H), is positioned at the north end of Phra Tamnak Hill. In recent years, Phra Tamnak Hill has gained in popularity because of its more natural environment, nicer beaches, and its convenient location between Jomtien and Pattaya city.

 

Jomtien is divided from Pattaya by Thepprasit Road, the southern route into Pattaya city. It consists of high-rise condominiums, beach side hotels, bungalow complexes, shops, bars, and restaurants.

 

Offshore islands include three "near islands": Ko Lan (main island), Ko Sak, and Ko Krok, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the shore of Pattaya. The "far islands" are Ko Phai (main island), Ko Man Wichai, Ko Hu Chang and Ko Klung Badan, located offshore further west of the "near islands". Ko Rin lies offshore to the south-west, south of Ko Phai group. The names "near islands", "far islands", and "Coral Island" are used for marketing purposes only and do not correspond to any naming conventions of the island groups and are not shown on maritime charts published by the Hydrographic Service of the Royal Thai Navy.

 

In June 2016, the Regional Environmental Office reported that, "The sea water along the busy central Pattaya beaches is of poor quality and could endanger human and marine life."

 

Pattaya produces on the order of 450 tonnes of solid waste per day. The city spends more than 300 million baht on waste removal and disposal annually. On average it pays 1,600 baht to process each tonne of garbage. Significant volumes of rubbish are allegedly dumped into the sea by tour boats.

 

In July 2017 Pattaya Beach was fouled for a week by raw sewage that poured out of a storm drain. City officials blamed the incident on broken pumps and Pattaya's poorly maintained sewage-treatment plant. The environmental ministry declared it would step up enforcement of pollution laws and push Pattaya for better wastewater-treatment efficiency. According to the ministry, Pattaya has 1,047 identified sources of sewage and garbage pollution, the number increasing as the city grows. The sea water along central Pattaya beaches is of poor quality even in the absence of sewage spills and "could endanger human and marine life", the regional environmental office has said. They deemed sea water quality near central Pattaya beaches as "poor" and deteriorating. They judged water quality near Na Klua in North Pattaya, South Pattaya, Ko Lan, and Jomtien Beach as "fairly good". The city has considered expanding two water management plants to increase capacity for better treatment of wastewater prior to discharge into the ocean. The water treatment plant in Soi Wat Nongyai after expansion would be able to treat around 130,000 cubic metres of waste water a day, up from 80,000 cubic metres at present. The expansion was never implemented.

 

In November 2018, the Pattaya City Council approved 188 million baht for the repair of its six wastewater treatment plants. Installed in 2000, the plants can accommodate 65,000 m3 of wastewater per day. More than a third of plant equipment was found to be 40–50 percent worn out. The system treats waste from a 36 km2 portion of Pattaya, or 68 percent of its urban area. Earlier plans to increase treatment capacity to 135,000 m3 were never implemented and existing plants were allowed to fall into disrepair. Pattaya uses more than 200,000 m3 of water a day, but claims to only discharge about 70,000 m3 a day. The discrepancy is unexplained. Once treated, there are no tests to measure water quality before it is dumped back into the sea, which may account for foul water discharges.

 

Pattaya is at the center of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). Investments totaling more than 1.5 trillion baht (US$45 billion) are flowing into EEC infrastructure projects: airports, deep-sea ports, high-speed railways, autoroutes. The result will enhance Pattaya's accessibility. According to the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) the EEC investments, the U-Tapao International Airport and the high-speed train that will link three major airports to Pattaya, will make Pattaya the heart of the eastern region. The TCC view is that, "Plenty of attractions...will lure lots more foreign and domestic tourists in the future." Better connectivity will reduce both the cost and time to travel to Pattaya, with the TCC estimating the number of tourists visiting the EEC region to rise to 46.7 million over the next few years, one and half times the current 29.8 million visitors. Pattaya projects include developing a tram in the city and building a bigger cruise terminal, as well as new tourist attractions: a water park, an ice dome, cultural markets, Thai boxing gyms, theaters, and conference halls. All are under development. "We aimed to get rid of the previous [seedy] image of Pattaya and try to promote a new image to show that Pattaya is a place for everyone with diversity of new tourist attractions," said an official of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). He said that the EEC would make Pattaya more competitive compared with other popular Thai beach destinations such as Phuket and Ko Samui, with cheaper transport costs.

 

Fourteen million visitors in 2018 contributed 239 billion baht to the city's treasury. That represents more than 70% of Pattaya's total income for the year. The city's leadership plans to reduce Pattaya's reliance on tourism to 60% by 2025 by transforming itself into "Neo Pattaya", an international business center. Key to the plans are infrastructure improvements: 9.5 billion baht for flood management projects and upgrading sewage treatment plants to handle 130,000 m3 of waste per day, up from 67,000 m3 per day in 2019.

 

Pattaya's thriving real estate market plays a pivotal role in bolstering the local economy. The continuous growth in the sector, particularly driven by foreign interest in condos, contributes significantly to employment, from construction to property management. Increased property transactions also generate substantial revenue through taxes and fees, further enhancing the city's fiscal health.

 

During 2020-2022, Pattaya witnessed a limited number of new projects, resulting in high absorption rates. Notably, the second and third quarters of 2023 saw a remarkable uptick in condo launches, significantly elevating sales. In 2023, Pattaya maintained its lead in condo transfers to foreigners, surpassing Bangkok with proportions of 41.7% and 37.5%, respectively. This outperformed the average rates of 30.8% and 48.8% from 2018 to 2022.

 

Via the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya Motorway (Hwy 7). The motorway is linked with Bangkok's Outer Ring Road (Hwy 9) and there is also another entrance at Si Nakharin and Rama IX Junction.

Via Bang Na-Trat Highway (Hwy 34). From Bang Na, Bang Phli, across the Bang Pakong River to Chonburi there is a Chonburi bypass that meets Sukhumvit Road (Hwy 3), passing Bang Saen Beach, Bang Phra to Pattaya.

 

A daily service operates on the Eastern Line of the State Railway of Thailand between Pattaya and Hualumphong Station in Bangkok.

 

Pattaya is served by bus services from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit) and the Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai), connecting to Pattaya's main bus terminal on Pattaya Nuea (North Pattaya Road) near Sukhumvit Road.

 

There are two airport bus services. The 389 Bus (airportpattayabus) service connects Pattaya with Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). It uses modern, air-conditioned buses, and takes around 1+1⁄2 hours to reach the airport. The trip from the airport (Level 1 Gate 8 at the Arrival Hall) to the bus terminal in Pattaya, makes three stops at North, Central, and South Pattaya intersections before going to their last drop off point, the office on Thappraya Road (near Jomtien). It can take longer if many hotel stops are negotiated along Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya. The other bus service is the Bell Travel Service (Coach 36) which goes from the airport (Level 1 between Gate 7 & 8) to the Pattaya Bell office at the North Pattaya Intersection, and then provides transfers to local hotels.

 

Buses from a terminal on Sukhumvit Road near Pattaya Klang (near the Central Pattaya intersection) connect Pattaya with many destinations in the north-east region (i.e. Isan).

 

City and suburban services are mainly provided by songthaew, popularly nicknamed "baht buses" or "blue taxis".

 

Pattaya is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) by road from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), the country's largest international airport. By road, it is accessed from Sukhumvit Road and Motorway 7 from Bangkok. Pattaya is also served by scheduled flights via U-Tapao International Airport (UTP) which is 45-minute drive south of the city.

 

A passenger-only ferry service from Pattaya to Hua Hin began operation on 12 January 2017 and is operated by Royal Passenger Liner. By road, the journey takes five to six hours. The ferry shortens travel time to about two hours, subject to sea conditions. The ferry cruises at 27 knots on the 113 km journey across the Gulf of Thailand with a maximum passenger capacity of 150 persons. Larger ferries carrying up to 260 people may be added to the service later. Ferries capable of carrying vehicles are projected for 2020. In November 2018, Hua Hin deputy chief Chareewat Phramanee confirmed the ferry service, suspended due to low tourist numbers during low season, would be up and running again for high season between Hua Hin and Pattaya, a 2.5-hour journey for 1,250 baht on a catamaran with a maximum capacity of 340.

 

Pattaya city has been administered under a special autonomous system since 30 October 1978. It has a status comparable to a municipality and is separately administered by the mayor of Pattaya city who is responsible for making policies, organising public services, and supervising the city's workforce for an area that covers 53.4 square kilometers and consists of four subdistricts, 18 villages (muban).

 

Once a fishing town, Pattaya first boomed as an R&R destination for US servicemen stationed at nearby former USAF base at U-Tapao, or other US bases in Thailand during the Vietnam War. In 2018, Pattaya was the 18th most visited city in the world with 9.6 million tourists, and 3rd most in Thailand, after Bangkok (24.1 million) and Phuket (10.5 million).

 

Chinese New Year (varies from late January to early February) is celebrated by Pattaya's large Thai-Chinese community with dragons parades, lion dances, and fireworks.

Pattaya International Music Festival is held annually in the month of March. It attracts huge crowds to the different stages along Beach Road and Bali Hai Pier, and presents several styles of music performed by Thai and international artists.

The Pattaya Songkran festival, locally called Wan Lai, takes place each year in mid-April. It differs from most other Songkran festivals of Thailand in several aspects. It lasts several days longer and, besides water fights, the event includes beauty pageants, musical performances, cultural shows, fireworks, and water sports competitions.

Top of the Gulf Regatta is a week-long sailing event held at the end of April, beginning of May.

The Miss Tiffany Universe beauty pageant is held mid-May each year. During the four-day pageant, transgender models vie for first place with the final evening broadcast live on Thai TV for an audience of, on average, 15 million.

Pattaya Marathon, featuring several race categories, is held each year in July.

Pattaya Classical Guitar Festival, held annually on the last weekend of October, organized by the Thailand Guitar Society, Pattaya People Media Group, and Siam Bayshore Pattaya.

Loi Krathong, a light festival held during the full moon of the twelfth month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar and which usually falls in November, is celebrated in Pattaya, as in the rest of the country, that evening with people floating krathongs (small, candle-lit floats made from elaborately folded banana leaves) on the waters, as well as releasing khom loi (candle-fired hot air balloons) into the night sky.

Every November Pattaya hosts Miss International Queen, a yearly international pageant for transgender persons and transsexuals. In 2007 the event drew an estimated 25 million viewers on national TV.

Nightlife

 

Pattaya has derived part of its reputation as a tourist destination due to the sex industry and the resulting nightlife, and this notoriety has influenced the city's evolution in many ways. Prostitution in Thailand is technically illegal but tolerated in most cities, including Pattaya. The city's vast numbers of host bars, gogo bars, massage parlours, saunas, and hourly hotels, serve foreign tourists as well as locals. This is especially prominent on Walking Street as well as other areas around the city. Efforts have been made to clean up the city's image.

 

An article in the British tabloid the Daily Mirror have described Pattaya as "the world's sex capital", a "modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah". This provoked anger from government officials as high up as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Pol Col Apichai Krobpetch, the Pattaya police superintendent, denied that Pattaya is a sex trade paradise. Upset about the British media's stories, he insisted they were fabricated. "There is no such thing as prostitution in Pattaya," said Col Apichai. "Where did they get the figure of 27,000 sex workers in Pattaya? Anyone can make up this information....Thai ladies having sex with foreigners is their personal issue. If they like each other, I don't see anything wrong with what they do behind closed doors." In response, Pattaya social worker Surang Janyam, the director of Service Workers IN Group Foundation, said that estimated number of Pattaya prostitutes published in the Daily Mirror is inaccurate: "27,000 sex workers in Pattaya is way too low. We have a lot more sex workers than that." In June 2019, over twenty high ranking Police, Army and Local government officers toured Pattaya and reported the central streets safe and free from illegal activities.

 

As evidence of the government's commitment to clean up Pattaya, on 26 February 2017 at 20:00, 60 police officers and soldiers raided Pattaya's notorious Soi 6 to check for violations of the law. When the checks were completed, police announced that all licenses were in order and there was no law breaking of any kind, including prostitution, taking place there.

 

Pattaya also has Asia's largest gay scene based around Boyztown, the Jomtien Complex, and Sunee Plaza. The city is also famous for its flamboyant kathoey cabaret shows where transgender entertainers perform to packed houses.

 

In recent years, Pattaya has served as a hideaway for foreigners with connections to organized crime in their home countries, and dozens have been murdered in gang-related disputes.

 

People who visit the Pattaya area may encounter petty crime, usually limited to pickpocketing and confidence tricks, particularly in and around major tourist areas such as Jomtien and Pattaya Beaches and on the "baht buses". A special Tourist Police division has been established to aid tourists who are victims of crime. The 2009 British eight-episode TV documentary Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand described crimes involving tourists in Pattaya.

 

On 11 April 2009, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in the areas of Pattaya and Chonburi, in response to Red Shirt anti-government protesters breaking into the conference center of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort hotel complex, the site of an ASEAN Summit. The meeting was immediately cancelled and Asian leaders were evacuated, some by helicopter.

 

In 2019, the International Thai Foundation ('ITF') established a Community Legal Centre in Soi Bua Kao, Pattaya. Its objectives are to promote education, protect human rights & relieve poverty for the people in Thailand. This is the third CLC in Thailand Pro Bono Community Hub in Chiang Mai.

 

Several local foreign-language newspapers and magazines are published either weekly or monthly, especially in English, Russian, and German. The English-language newspapers include the Pattaya Mail and Pattaya People. The Pattaya News is an online portal that writes the local news in six languages. DER FARANG is a German-language newspaper published every 14 days. Thailands Tidende is a Norwegian-language newspaper published monthly.

 

The novel Platform by French author Michel Houellebecq prominently features the city of Pattaya as well as its nightlife.

 

The GMMTV Boys' Love (BL) series Moonlight Chicken (2023) is set in Pattaya.

 

International schools in Pattaya:

École francophone de Pattaya

International School of Chonburi

Tara Pattana International School

Rugby School Thailand

Mooltripakdee International School Pattaya

Hastin International School

The Thai-Japanese Association School Sriracha, a Japanese international school, is in nearby Si Racha. It is an affiliate of the Thai-Japanese Association School in Bangkok. Si Racha formerly housed the Sriracha-Pattaya Japanese Supplement School, a Japanese weekend school.

 

Twin towns and sister citiess

Kazakhstan Shymkent, Kazakhstan (June 2017)

Russia Saint Petersburg, Russia (June 2017)

China Qingdao, China (2013)

China Hubei, China (2014)

China Zhangjiajie, China (2016)

BRIEFING WITH LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS

  

MODERATOR: So welcome to the New York Foreign Press Center. We’re really honored today to have Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield with us. This is a roundtable on-the-record discussion. It’s also DVCed to Washington --

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Okay.

  

MODERATOR: -- so if people have questions from Washington, we’ll bring them in.

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Okay.

  

MODERATOR: So I know that the assistant secretary is on a tight schedule, so we’ll go ahead and get started. She’ll give a few remarks and then we’ll open it out to your questions. So thank you all for coming and I’ll turn this over to Assistant Secretary Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Good. Good evening and let me thank all of you for being here and thank those who are joining us from Washington. This has been a very, very hectic period at UNGA this year. Being here with so many leaders from throughout the African continent has provided us a fantastic opportunity to have a series of bilateral meetings and provide us an opportunity to strengthen our relationships with African heads of state, and I’m pleased that so many of them are here, and we’ve been able to discuss discrete ideas that allow us to collaborate on issues that we’ve worked on in the past, but also to advance our own goals of promoting democracy, peace, and prosperity on the continent. So I’m very excited about the opportunities that I’ve had. We refer to this in Washington as speed dating. Last year, I had – I think, if I recall correctly – 39 bilats during UNGA week. We have not counted yet. I started last week, Friday, and we have been going nonstop since then and it continues for me until Friday.

  

Just to say there have been a number of very positive developments on the continent of Africa since last year. President Obama’s trip to Kenya and to Ethiopia this summer was a historic trip for many reasons. He opened the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and that gave entrepreneurs from across the globe an opportunity to see Africa at its best, to see Kenya at its best, to seek opportunities to invest on the continent.

  

The recent reauthorization of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act was a big success and it sent a very strong signal to investors and showed confidence in the possibilities of investing on the continent of Africa. As you know, we had the good fortune of the Gabonese Government hosting the AGOA Forum in Gabon at the end of August and it was quite successful. It was extraordinary that we had members of Congress participate in the forum, and that AGOA is a bipartisan, very widely supported initiative that we have on the continent, and we had several members of Congress at the forum to reflect that view.

  

Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on the importance of strong democratic institutions and solid performance in the area of governance, which is essential, in our view, to security and prosperity across the continent of Africa. Many African countries will conduct parliamentary elections and presidential elections over the coming months, and certainly quite a few are occurring in 2016. So we will be working with African countries to support on-time, free, peaceful, and fair elections.

  

The Sustainable Development Goals under discussion here at UNGA remind us of the challenges the continent faces. Africa is the youngest and it is the fastest growing continent. Incomes are rising and the middle class is growing, but Africa will need to generate millions more jobs to sustain its momentum. So to help create these jobs, we’ll continue to work with our partners to build up the investment and entrepreneurship climate and encourage more trade with Africa.

  

All of our discussions here at UNGA have focused on taking advantage of the progress we’ve made to solve some of the hard problems we will face, and this is the core of our engagement with our African colleagues this week. Of course, there are a number of things happening on the continent right now that has keen interest for us. I’ll look forward to taking your questions. I think in the question and answers we’ll get to those difficult issues, and I’ll be able to address those then.

  

So thank you very much, and I’m happy to take your questions.

  

MODERATOR: Yes.

  

QUESTION: Bingxin Li from People’s Daily, based at the UN. I understand that President Obama initiated the Power Africa strategy several years ago. How is that going on?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: It’s going quite well. The idea was to bring power to Africa. As you know, sometimes I refer to the fact that (inaudible) refer to as the dark continent. What that darkness means is the lack of electricity, and the idea of Power Africa was to bring power to more African homes and more African businesses. We tripled this to bring electricity to at least 60 million new households and businesses and to encourage more companies, as well as other governments, to look at power as a source of prosperity (inaudible) on the continent of Africa.

  

So (inaudible) I was just meeting with European colleagues, and they’re looking at doing some similar investments on the continent of Africa. And we know that power or energy will be the engine of investment and growth on the continent.

  

MODERATOR: Yes.

  

QUESTION: I have half a dozen questions.

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Try one at a time. (Laughter.)

  

MODERATOR: If everyone could introduce yourself – say your name and news organization.

  

QUESTION: Right. So I’m Kevin Kelley. I’m based here in New York. I cover the UN for the Nation Media Group in Kenya, which also publishes The East African weekly paper covering the eastern half of the continent. So my questions are mainly about that, not about Kenya per se. I’ll choose the one about the DRC. At the Africa Summit, which is now 14 months ago – President Obama’s summit in Africa --

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yes, a little over a year.

  

QUESTION: Ambassador – yeah, right. Ambassador Feingold was saying it’s urgent that there be action now against the FDLR. Then there was all these complications involving human rights questions and the generals in command. Nothing’s happened as far as anybody can see. What’s the U.S.’s view of what can and should be happening there now?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, first of all, we’re very disappointed that nothing has happened. We think that the parties need to address the FDLR threat in DRC. Commitments were made to the Rwandan Government, as we worked to address the issues related to M23, that once we completed the actions against M23 we would turn to FDLR, and we are still committed to doing that. We’re encouraging all of the parties, including the Government of DRC, MONUSCO, the FB forces, to bring their combined resources together to address the FDLR threat and we continue to push that.

  

We have named a new special envoy, Tom Perriello, and he has been actively engaged on this issue since taking over his responsibilities about six weeks ago.

  

QUESTION: Just to --

  

MODERATOR: And he’ll be here at 4 o’clock today.

  

QUESTION: Yeah, he’ll be here. Just to follow up on that, can the United States bring pressure to bear on President Kabila? This is the issue. It’s that the UN says we can’t act because of these human rights violations that these generals are at least alleged to have committed. It’s fairly simple, it seems, that if these generals weren’t in command, the UN, the FIB, could act. Is that too simple an analysis?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: It probably is, but I would make those same arguments as well that it ought to be simple to deal with this issue. And it is one that, again, we are working very deliberately and very intensely on, because commitments were made that we would work to address this issue, and we need to get the parties to do it.

  

QUESTION: Hi, I’m Bukola Shonuga with the African View Network, and I also host a radio program called The African View – and it’s a pleasure to meet you. So with reference to Nigeria within your Administration and in light of the issue of Boko Haram, I was just wondering are there any new efforts form the United States Government to partner with this new administration to combat Boko Haram? And with the 20-some – 200-something girls still missing, so we don’t think they’ll ever find them, so I just wanted you to shed some light on that.

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I hope you’re wrong. I know that their mothers, their parents are still hopeful that some of these girls will be found and brought back to their homes. And we’re not going to give up hope and working with the Nigerian Government and with the families to try to bring as many of them back as we can.

  

We are working very closely with the Nigerian Government, as we were with the previous government. It is has been made somewhat easier with the current government to work more cooperatively on trying to address the Boko Haram threat. We have provided some assistance and funding to the multinational task force through the AU. They are working to pull together the Lake Chad Basin countries so that they can coordinate their efforts in addressing Boko Haram.

  

We still continue to cooperate with the Nigerian Government in terms of information sharing as well as training. Our AFRICOM team will be going to Nigeria later in the month to hold discussions on resuming the training that was stopped previously, and we hope to continue to work with the government in a much more positive and proactive way to address what is not just a Nigeria problem. It is a regional problem, and terrorism is a global problem. So we have to work with Nigeria. We cannot leave Nigeria to address this problem alone.

  

QUESTION: Thank you.

  

QUESTION: Frank Obimpeh from News Ghana. During your submission, you said that the U.S. is trying to build investment and climate of opportunities for Africans. Now let’s come back to my country, Ghana, whereby while we have a lot of malls – new malls going around, where we have foreign products in the malls. So there is what’s called a tendency of our culture families losing bias or their products. What is the U.S. doing, because the investment are taking jobs from the African and then they becoming poor? What are you doing to overcome?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yeah. Well, I think investment can create jobs. So having greater investment in Ghana can create new job opportunities for people in areas that they may not have worked in in the past. But we don’t want to see trade opportunities and business displace people who already have jobs. And it is important that government policies support their own local industry, encourage the local industries. But also the local industries have to be competitive. They have to be able to compete on a global market. They have to be able to compete with the products that are being sold in large department stores if they want to advance.

  

People – I remember working on a program in Liberia where people were making small products and making additional money, and we talked to them. And they said, oh we were making it before you came and supported our project. We were making about $50 a month, and now we’re making $80 a month. Well, they’re still poor. What we want to do is move people from being the working poor to being the working middle class, so that they can benefit from the investments that are coming from overseas, but also they can take their products and sell their products overseas so that they become part of the working middle class.

  

So it’s not an easy – the answer is not easy, but it is not about keeping new products from coming into your market. It’s about making the products that are produced in your country more competitive. AGOA offers the opportunity for Ghanaians to import their products to the United States duty-free, and Ghana has taken advantage of that.

  

QUESTION: Thank you, Ms. Ambassador. I just wanted to thank you for all your work. My name is Garry Iwele. I’m a freelance from DRC. And my question is just about the upcoming election. We know that eight of the – eight of some of the African countries go into the election next year. And the president are trying to run again against the constitution. So we saw it in (inaudible) a bit already; it’s sending people to the referendum. And now there is a piece of legislation in DRC under the table trying to do the same thing. I mean, my question is this: What you’re doing as U.S. Government? We know that you are the biggest partner in Africa. What are you doing to push those presidents to not try to run again –

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Our policy – yeah.

  

QUESTION: -- when the constitution does not allow them?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yeah, our policy is very clear on that. We do not support countries changing their constitutions to change term limits to benefit the incumbent who is currently serving in office. People can change their constitutions; that’s their right. But when the constitutions are changed just to support the incumbent, it sends a message that people don’t want to leave power. And Africa has gone through many generations of presidents for life, and we believe in a true democracy, transitions actually work. We think transitions contribute to stability. There are a number of countries in Africa that have had elections and transitions, and they’ve worked. Nigeria is our most recent example where it has worked.

  

So we are engaging with these governments to discourage their efforts to change constitutions. We are working closely with the regional organizations, with the African Union, with ECOWAS, and other regional organizations, to gain their support in pushing for this. ECOWAS, for example, has been looking at an agreement that would limit terms to two terms in ECOWAS countries. And actually, they went quite far, except two countries declined to agree. But I think it’s something they’re still working on.

  

People support democracy. Africans line up to vote like no other countries in – that I’ve seen in the world. And when they – when African people are given the opportunity in their individual countries to express their will at the ballot box, they do it. They do it enthusiastically. And so we want to support those efforts, and we are very clear on our policy. No country gets a pass on this. We raise it with every country where we see there are issues. And we certainly have had that discussion with DRC, with Republic of Congo, with Rwanda, and with Burundi, even though they did succeed in pushing forward an election that we believe was not transparent, that led to the president being elected for a third term against their constitution.

  

QUESTION: Hi, I just wanted to go back to the AGOA issue. I mean, in Africa, across the world, youth employment continues to be a major issue. And in Nigeria 60 percent of the youth are unemployed, according to the recent presentation by President Buhari. I was just wondering, how does AGOA translate into job gain for the youth in – across Africa?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yeah. We believe, actually, AGOA creates jobs both in Africa and in the United States because it allows for increased export products that are produced in your countries that are allowed into the U.S. duty-free. And so it does create jobs. But ultimately what will create jobs in Africa is investments in Africa, more companies creating opportunities for jobs, better education for young people so that they are qualified for the many job opportunities that will open up. The situation in Nigeria exists across the continent, where you have populations that are very, very young, and they need to be supported.

  

We have an initiative called the Young African Leaders Initiative, or the Washington Mandela Fellowship Program, where over the past two years we’ve brought 500 a year young people across the continent. Next year we will be bringing 1,000. They do a six-week leadership program at a major university in the United States and then they have a one-week summit in Washington in which President Obama and senior leaders across the U.S. Government participate. The first year of this program, when we were only choosing 500, we had 50,000 completed applications. There is intense desire, there is intense hunger on the continent of Africa by young people to get the tools that they need to be successful in the future.

  

So this is a challenge for African governments. It is a challenge for them to figure out how they engage with their young people, how they support their young people, and what tools they give to them so that they are able to be successful in the future. Some countries have raised questions about the Young African Leaders Initiative. I had one country suggest to us that we were brainwashing Africa’s young. And my response to that is you should not be worried about the U.S. brainwashing your young; you should be worried about Boko Haram brainwashing your young, you should be worried about al-Shabaab brainwashing your young, you should be worried about ISIL brainwashing your young.

  

What we’re trying to do is give them the tools so that they can be successful in the future, they can hone the leadership skills they already have to contribute to their governments. And what we’ve seen so far with the 1,000 who have gone through this program is they will be great in the future, whether they are great teachers, university professors, businesspeople, politicians. Whatever field of endeavor they’re involved in, they’re going to be good. And we’ve given them just a little bit more in terms of leadership tools to sharpen their skills to help them be successful in the future.

  

QUESTION: Thank you.

  

QUESTION: Do you know if any private sector initiative, for instance, that could facilitate funding for the private sector in Africa that are trying to create employment for these – because the programs for the most part on the U.S. – from the U.S. side is government – government initiatives. But we feel that private sector is actually more powerful or maybe just as powerful.

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, we certainly work very closely with the private sector, and in terms of promoting the capacity of businesses in Africa – when I was in Nigeria, I visited a company that was being run by a young woman that produced animal feed, and she had been a Young African Leader, a Mandela Washington Fellow, and her – she got a small grant from the African Development Foundation, used that grant to improve the packaging for her products, and her products are competing with products that are coming from overseas. And she’s doubled the number of employees in a very short, short period of time.

  

So sometimes it just is small investments. Similar to what is being done by the African Development Foundation, USAID supports capacity building for small companies. We have trade hubs that are in Ghana and in Kenya that support businesses that want to do business with the United States. So there are many opportunities there, but there’s – the challenges are huge and it’s going to take a lot more effort on all of our parts.

  

QUESTION: Thank you.

  

MODERATOR: We only have time for a couple of questions, so maybe Kevin and then we want to give PK a chance.

  

QUESTION: Okay, thanks a lot. So I’ll combine two into one, and they both relate to President Obama’s initiative regarding peacekeeping the other day. So – and the British prime minister announced that they’re going to send troops to Somalia and Sudan. Would the United States consider doing that? Specifically also, there’s always complaints by AMISOM and others that they lack airpower especially to combat Shabaab. The United States has engaged with airpower in Somalia, but could you do more? Could you supply helicopters, transport planes? And the same – in the same vein, with South Sudan, would the United States consider sending peacekeeping troops to South Sudan?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I think on the – to answer your last question first, it is not something that we normally do, but we do support peacekeeping efforts quite extensively. We’re the largest funder of peacekeeping. And through our Africa training initiative, we’ve trained more than 250,000 African peacekeepers and we will continue those efforts to train. In addition to training them, we equip them. And we have provided them with airpower, and we’re looking at how we can provide additional enablers such as air to Ugandan and Kenyan and Ethiopian troops in Somalia. We’re working very, very closely with the AMISOM troops in Somalia in terms of helping to build up the capacity of the Somali national army. So we’re there as well, working to support the efforts of peacekeeping.

  

We were very pleased by the results of the peacekeeping conference. There were huge commitments that were made. The next step is to get those commitments honored. But again, I think this was responded to in a very serious way. And we look forward to working with these governments, particularly for myself on the continent of Africa, where we’ve had African countries that have very, very graciously and generously contributed to peacekeeping.

  

QUESTION: But the United States would not send troops to South Sudan?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I – it’s not something that I’m aware that we have considered. But I certainly know that we will support the efforts.

  

QUESTION: I’d like to ask something regarding health in Africa. I’m from Ghana. Ebola never got to Ghana thankfully. And one of the things that Ebola exposed was the health structures in Africa. I’m sure you’re aware of this. In the aftermath of Ebola, if I could say that there still nothing has been done – I can speak for Ghana. And I know that the U.S. is a major contributor in terms of resources and personnel to the health systems in Africa. Do you ever get tired that you do all these things and African governments don’t respond – (laughter) – and do the updates? I mean, are you impressing on them to do something actually on the ground?

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yeah. I never get tired. (Laughter.) No, let me be clear. We have worked with governments, and a lot has been done. We have signed an agreement with the African Union to help them to develop a center for disease control, an African center for disease control. CBC has also worked with African governments to support their efforts to address responses to infectious diseases. And in the case of Nigeria, where we did have Ebola cases, the Nigerians were able to control this because they had an effective CBC-like operation that they had worked over many years to develop. And we’re working with Ghana as well on developing that capacity.

  

Still, there’s tremendous additional effort that will be required in terms of building Africa’s health infrastructure. What Ebola showed us is that infrastructure is extraordinarily fragile and any infectious disease that occurs on the continent can really force a total collapse. And we saw that collapse take place in the three Ebola countries. So we are more than engaged on trying to address these issues across the continent, because you can’t do it just in one country. You have to work in all the countries to ensure that any type of infectious disease doesn’t go – doesn’t cross borders, because they don’t recognize borders. And we certainly saw that in the case of Ebola.

  

But we’ve had Ebola-like diseases in Central Africa for many, many years, and it’s been kept under wraps. So there are – there is some progress being made, but I agree with you: A lot more needs to be done. But we can’t get tired, because if we get tired, we will be defeated. And I’m not prepared and I don't think our Center for Disease Control that is intensely engaged in this – that any of us are prepared to declare defeat at this point.

  

MODERATOR: I understand the Assistant Secretary is on a really tight schedule and I’ve been asked to go ahead and end the briefing. Thank you so much for coming. We’re so happy to have you, and it’s been a wonderful discussion.

  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Thank you very much. And thanks to all of you.

  

# # #

  

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015, 2:00 P.M. EDT

  

NEW YORK FOREIGN PRESS CENTER, 799 UNITED NATIONS PLAZA, 10TH FLOOR

U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Davis

 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.

 

The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.

 

“The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”

 

The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.

 

“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.

 

Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.

 

“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.

 

African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.

 

“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.

 

U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.

 

“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.

 

He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.

 

“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.

 

“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.

 

“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.

 

He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.

 

“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.

 

Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.

 

Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.

 

“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.

 

He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.

 

“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.

 

“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.

 

“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.

 

“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”

 

The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.

 

“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.

 

“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.

 

Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.

 

“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.

 

“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.

 

“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.

 

“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.

 

“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?

 

“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.

 

Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.

 

“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.

 

Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.

 

“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”

 

“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.

 

“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.

 

“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”

 

The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.

 

“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.

 

“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.

 

“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.

 

Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.

 

“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.

 

“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.

 

“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.

 

“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.

 

“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.

 

Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.

 

“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.

 

“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.

 

“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.

 

“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.

 

Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.

 

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

 

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

 

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

 

Trojans FC has been providing top class Southampton Rugby for 142 years! Established in 1874 Trojans operates 3 Senior Men's, a Senior Ladies and teams at every youth age group.

#proudtobeatrojan

The Trojans Club was founded in 1874 initially as a rugby club - The Trojans Football Club.

There are now four very active sporting sections, Rugby, Cricket, Hockey and Squash with a total membership of well over one thousand.

During its long and proud history, Trojans has done much to foster amateur sport and has, over the years, produced many county and international players.

The original minute books are still in existence and are held in the Southampton City archives and there are many other documents and press reports that have been used extensively to create the following documents, broken into two sections, the History and the Playing Archives.

This is not intended to be a definitive history of the Trojans Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Hampshire, but more a selection of the highlights of the early years and a brief review of the past few years.

The Beginning

On the 3rd of September 1874 a meeting was held at the Antelope Hotel, Southampton, by members of a previous club, with a view to forming the "Trojans".

The previous Club was the "Southampton Football Club" which existed for one season under that name having previous been the "Grammar School Old Boys". The earliest recorded game so far found was the Old Boys against the Shirley Club on 5th October 1872 at Porter's Meadow. The match was won by Shirley by 2 touchdowns to one. H F Gibbs was captain of both of these forerunners.

H F Gibbs was voted the first Captain of the Trojans Football Club and the Club colours were voted as blue and red. It was agreed that the first annual subscription should be five shillings per year. The first rugby games of the Club were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park, Southampton.

The first Annual Meeting of the Club took place on the 24th September 1875 when the Treasurer reported a small credit balance of five pence halfpenny (2.29p). The results for the 1874/75 season produced five victories and three defeats.

The Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1881.

Change the Laws

At a committee Meeting on the 5th September 1874 the Playing Rules of Rugby Football were read through and the worthy members of the Trojans decided to make an amendment to Rule number 15 which read "It is lawful to run in anywhere across the goal line". The addition made by the Trojans at that stage was "except between the goal posts". The Club soon found it necessary to alter this!

The First Results

Southsea (A) lost by two punts out and seven touch downs

Salisbury (A) Won by one goal and two touch downs to nil.

Salisbury (H) Lost by one goal, one try and two touch downs to two tries and four touch downs.

Magpies Won by three tries and seven touch downs to nil.

Southsea (H) Won by one goal to nil

Springhill Won by one goal and three touch downs to one goal.

Royal Academy Gosport Lost by four tries and six touch downs to one try.

First Floodlit game

On the evening of 28th November 1878, a match was played against the Rovers Football Club by electric light, having been cancelled the night before because of rain. This was the first exhibition of electric light in Southampton, and believed to be the first ever game of rugby under lights. The local newspaper reported that "at times the light was very brilliant and players could be seen plainly".

Ban the Game!

During the 1880 season, S E Gibbs died as a result of an injury while playing against Romsey. There was much local comment and the then Mayor of Southampton issued a handbill, published in full in "The Times", condemning the game as follows:

"The Mayor in consequence of the many serious accidents and the recent deplorable death in Southampton resulting from the dangerous practice of playing football requests the Heads of Families, the Principals of Scholastic Establishments in the Town and Members of Clubs to take such steps as may be necessary for preventing the game being played in future according to Rugby Union, Association and other rules of a dangerous character. The Mayor considers it his duty to use every means in his power for prohibiting the game as hitherto played being continued in the Porters Meadow field or upon any other of the Public lands in Southampton".

At the Committee Meeting of 16th December 1880 "It was decided to play as usual unless we found out before that the Mayor had given any instruction to the police. In that case it was thought best to summons any offending "arm of the law" for assault".

The Formation of the Hampshire Rugby Football Union

At the Trojan Club's initiative, a meeting was held on 13th April 1883 to discuss the formation of "The Hampshire County Rugby Football Union". In the first season of the County Club, at least seven Trojans represented the County.

In 1901 County activities ceased and it was again the Trojans, along with United Services, who, in 1910, convened a meeting at the Trojans Club for the purpose of forming a Rugby Football Union in Hampshire.

Over 400 Trojan members have represented the county at rugby at the various levels and 140 at senior level.

“International” Football"

Although a rugby club, Trojans were known, on occasions, to play with the round ball. The following team was selected to play Curries French team (from Havre) on the New Football Ground, Archers Road (the Dell) on Tuesday 1st November 1898. Scotney, goal, Denning & Maundrell, backs, Densham, Ellerby & Colson, halfs, Ellaby, Page, Macdonald, Gamble & Hussey (councillor and later Sir George), forwards. Trojans were allowed to take half the gate money. The Echo reported this as a game against a team of French players and thus it claimed the honour of being the first international match played at the Dell.

The First Hampshire Cup

 

In May 1888 the Trojans Committee proposed the starting of a Rugby Union Cup Competition in the interests of Rugby Football. The County Challenge Cup (Presented by Tankerville Chamberlayne M.P., President of Trojans, and pictured here) was started in the 1889/1890 season and the Club entered the same. During this year, not only was the pitch enclosed by rope, but a charge of sixpence was made to all spectators. The Cup was duly won by Trojans in March 1890. Whether it was ever played for again is not sure as, in 1891, Trojans decided not to enter because " it was felt that it was a farce putting up the cup at the fag end of the season to be competed for by three clubs"! The present whereabouts of the grand cup is not known, although it is believed it was presented back to Tankerville Chamberlayne.

Service to the County

As well as forming the County Union (twice), Trojan members have served the County well and it can be said that there has always been a Trojan involved in Hampshire Rugby since its formation.

In particular, over the 108 active years of the Union, six Trojan members have served as President of the Union serving a total of 49 years. Six Secretaries served a total of 36 years and for the first sixty-two years of County representation on the RFU Committee the Hampshire representative was a Trojan.

Mr. Hampshire

There can be no more respected and faithful servant of the County and the Game than one particular Trojan, Dudley Kemp, as the following record illustrates -

Captain of Trojans 1927-34, 1935-38

Captain of Hampshire 1935

Played for England 1935.

Barbarian

President of the Rugby Football Union 1969

Member of the International Board 1971-77

Hampshire representative on the RFU Committee 1955-69

President HRFU 1973-76

Secretary HRFU 1946-67

Assistant Secretary HRFU 1967-68

Team Secretary HRFU 1946-53

Match Secretary HRFU 1953-56

Dudley died at his home in Devon in January 2003 aged 93.

Doggy Spectators

During a match between Trojans and Portsmouth Victoria in 1886, the ball was kicked into the Trojans' in-goal area where it rebounded off a stray dog. One of the Portsmouth players gathered it and touched down to claim a try. The Trojans protested, and claimed "dead-ball" the ball having struck a "spectator". The objection was later referred to the RFU Committee who ruled that the try should stand, as dogs could not be classed as spectators!

The Barbarians

H A Haigh-Smith was elected Trojans Captain in 1912. He was instrumental in forming the Barbarians Club and was later made president of that Club. He was also assistant Manager of the Lions tour in 1935.

Trojans played the Barbarians on January 9th 1895 but the result does not appear to have been recorded for posterity!

The Wars!

Trojans Rugby had to be suspended three times because of wars - in 1897 because of the Boer War, 1914, the Great War and 1939 the World War.

Moving Home

Although always considered a Southampton Club, Trojans actually now play in the Test Valley District. Over the years there have been many homes -

1874 the first games were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park on Queens Terrace. (by the Dock Gates)

1884 the Club donated the sum of two guineas towards the purchase of the proposed Cricket Ground in Bannister Park, until recently, the County Cricket Ground, and commenced playing rugby there in the 1884/85 season.

1897 Freemantle Ground, Stafford Road

1905 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road

1923 G H Brown's farm in Wide Lane, Swathling with Atlantic Park (now Southampton Airport) being used for the dressing accommodation.

1929 Southampton Stadium, Banister Road

1931 Bannister Court as well as G H Brown's farm

1933 11 acres of land purchased in Cemetery Road, Swaythling (sold in 1945)

1946 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road

1947 Sports Centre, Southampton

1958 Stoneham Park (the present ground). The ground, 22.8 acres, was purchased in 1953 for £1,205 and was another example of the members' foresight, as the timber in the ground was sold for sums almost sufficient to cover the cost of purchase! In 1958, a temporary corrugated iron changing room was completed and the foundations of the pavilion commenced. The pavilion was officially opened by A.T. Voyce, President of the Rugby Football Union, on 27th December 1960.

The Prime Years

Throughout the early and mid 1900s, Trojans went from strength to strength and provided many County Players as well a number of Internationals.

The modern peak was probably reached in the early 1960s when the Club could justifiably consider itself to be the premier civilian rugby club in the South of England (outside London). In 1961, seven rugby sides were fielded with over 200 players available for selection.

Before league tables were introduced in 1987/88, local newspapers ran Merit Tables, the Wessex Merit Table and the Hampshire Merit Table both being won in the 1978/79 and the 1980/81 seasons.

The Lean Years

There were many reasons for the decline from that peak which started in the early 80s. More local clubs, easier transport and a change of working patterns (Trojans being very much a "transit camp" in those days) were some of them. The introduction of leagues in 1987 hit the Club at the worst possible time. In the first year, the Club was put into London Division 3 but could not cope at that level and dropped straight into Hampshire Division One. Luck was also in short supply when the Club, having finished fifth, seventh from bottom (!), the team was still relegated to Hampshire Division Two (a quirk of the league structure). There the Club stayed, battling for promotion with the other strong clubs to be relegated in the mass drop, until the 1992/93 season when the league was won with a record of played 10, won 10, for 353, against 37 which included a league record win of 91-0 against Waterlooville.

Three seasons were spent in Hampshire One but the 1995/96 season saw what was probably

the strongest ever Hampshire Division 1 and relegation again befell the team. 1996/97 season saw us just lose out on promotion but success was achieved in 1997/98.

The Revival Years

Success was achieved in the 2000/2001 season when promotion was achieved to London Division 4SW (The old Division 3SW having been broken into two divisions). The first season at that level was quite successful, ending mid-table, but the next was not when Hampshire 1 again beckoned. Promotion and relegation followed over a number of seasons until London Division 1 was achieved in the 2011/12 season.

Competition is maintained throughout the Senior Club with the 2nd XV being in the Hampshire Senior merit table and the 3rd XV being in the Hampshire Division 1 merit table.

One significant advance was the introduction of Women's rugby which has developed into the strongest team in Southern England. The end of the 2006/07 season saw them promoted to the Championship 1 South (National level 2) and in 2009/10 a second team was entered into the leagues.

The Strength of Youth

One thing that has remained a strength since it's formation in the mid 70s is the Youth Section. Being one of the first clubs to introduce Mini Rugby in England (imported from Wales) the Mini and Junior Sections have encouraged many thousands of youngsters into the game and the Youth section now runs teams in every year group from under 8s to under 17s, holds annual tournaments and is generally held up to be a model of organization.

Baisinger Kristall - Weizenbier , home and local edition #

"Teufels Weisse"

ratings

www.bier1.de/Baisinger_Teufels_Weisse_Helles_Hefe.htm

main

www.baisinger.de/

 

cool " wheat beer", cristal clear and very tasty, made from wheat! not barley

...............beer and philosophy -------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jojn Barleycorn says:

.............

 

if YOU have

not !

BUY one!

-

Life is great!

Inschallah !!!!!!!

You never know the morrow!

Hope and Karma , just in time not in future!

-

my motto

"Allen Gewalten zum Trutz sich erhalten "

J. W. v. Goethe

old profile:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

here an extract!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

################################

What can you do?? A good time now!

################################

 

What you can not change alone - accept

 

You want to change that, and it is in your area - change!

What is cruel and you can not change! --

 

Ask one of the powerful one to help

Finally hope

and take candlelight !!

 

Care of you, ♥

--

Effi

Arabic to English

 

#

-- ماذا يمكنك ان تفعل؟؟

 

وقتا طيبا الآن!

ما لا يمكنك ان تغير وحدها -- تقبل

 

تريد ان تغير ، وانه في منطقتك -- التغيير!

ما هي عقوبة قاسيه ولا يمكنك تغيير! --

 

أسأل احد من الاقوياء واحدة لمساعدة

واخيرا امل

وياخذ ضوء الشموع!

 

رعايه لكم ، ♥

--

Effi

**************

Feiger Gedanken

Bängliches Schwanken,

Weibisches Zagen,

Ängstliches Klagen

Wendet kein Elend,

Macht dich nicht frei.

 

Allen Gewalten

Zum Trutz sich erhalten,

Nimmer sich beugen,

Kräftig sich zeigen,

Rufet die Arme

Der Götter herbei!

-

Das einfache Gedicht hat es in sich, wie man schon an den vielen Vertonungen erkennt und daran, daß es gerade in Zeiten schlimmster Not Menschen Zuversicht gab ( Zuversicht in Not).

Die erste Strophe zählt auf, was nichts nützt: bängliches Schwanken, weibisches Zagen, ängstliches Klagen. Von dem rät der junge Goethe ab.

Die zweite Strophe bringt die Methode des Überlebens in der Elendssituation: zum Trutz sich erhalten,

nie sich beugen, sich kräftig zeigen. Wer das beherzigt, so die beiden letzten Zeilen, kann darauf rechnen, daß ihm die Götter beistehen.

Fast fünfzig Jahre später wurde dieser Gedanke zum Motto einer 1824 in Paris entstandenen Gesellschaft zur Wiederbelebung politischer Interessen: “Aide-toi et le ciel t'aidera” (Hilf dir selbst, so wird die der Himmel helfen), oft verkürzt als "Hilf dir selbst, so hilft dir Gott" widergegeben. (Richard Zoozmann, Otto A. Kielmeyer: rororo Zitatenschatz der Weltliteratur. Reinbek 1984).

Die Zuversicht erhält die zweite Strophe aus der ersten beiden Zeilen "Allen Gewalten zum Trotz". Dieser universelle Anspruch gilt für alle Gewalten, auch und gerade für politische. Leider gab Goethe dazu keinen Erfüllungszeitraum an.

Zuversicht in Not

Nico Rost (21. Juni 1896 Groningen – 1. Februar 1967 Amsterdam) waren (u.a.) diese Zeilen Goethes Überlebenshilfe in Dachau. Sein Tagebuch erschien 1946 unter Goethe in Dachau. Rezension

Hans Scholl, Widerstandskämpfer der Weißen Rose, schrieb die Zeilen “Allen Gewalten zum Trutz sich erhalten” an die Wand seiner Zelle im Palais Wittelsbach, bevor er, wie seine Schwester Sophie Scholl, am 22.2.43 hingerichtet wurde. Es war die Familienlosung der Scholls.

***************

effi´s try to translate by sense

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Goethe 28.6. 1749 * Frankfurt - + 22-3- 1832 Weimar

 

This simple verse has it, ... that it is help in worst times .

...it is

emergency for people (confidence in distress).

-------------------------------------

description:

------------------------------------

The first verse is one in which nothing is useful:

 

.. you cant get free if you are fearful, scary like women,

complaining and lamenting,

this all can´t change the calamity !

 

Advises from the young Goethe are given :

 

The second stanza, the method of survival in the miserable situation:

 

All forces despite ..

.. what ever comes to you!

.. give your best to overcome!

 

.. never to bow to the stronger.

.. Show, that you are strong !

... -- shout loud for the strong arms ( = hands ) of god!

 

Those who heeded, the last two lines that can be expected that the gods assist him.

Almost fifty years later, this idea for a motto 1824 in Paris is to be incorporated to revive political interests: "Aide-toi et le ciel t'aidera" (assistant yourself, it will help the heaven), often shortened "help you itself, so help you God ". (Richard Zoozmann, Otto A. Kiel Meyer: rororo Quotes of world literature. Reinbek 1984).

 

The confidence is replaced by the second verse from the first two lines "All forces despite".

This universal entitlement applies to all forces, including and especially for policy. Unfortunately, Goethe, gave no exact compliance period. !! :-))

 

================================

Real Confidence in distress is confirmed:

=================================

 

1) Nico ROST (June 21, 1896 Groningen - February 1, 1967 Amsterdam) were (and others) these lines of Goethe's survival assistance in Dachau. His diary was published in 1946 under the Goethe Dachau. Review

2) Hans Scholl, resistance fighters of the White Rose, wrote the lines

"All forces are to resist ~= Allen Gewalten zum Trotz sich erhalten! "

 

to the wall of his cell at the Palais Wittelsbach, before he, like his sister Sophie Scholl, on 22.2.43 was executed. It was the family motto of the Scholls.

........................................................................................

 

effi 2008 April 25, my holy name´s day (Erwin)

2-16-08

 

My name is Lori Zarlenga- Blaquiere. I was born on September 14, 1961 in the state of Rhode Island. I am writing to you for your immediate help. My life is in immediate danger from orders issued by President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to

assassinate/murder me. You can contact me at my email LoriZarlenga@gmail.com and

my space.com/lorizz Also, you can find me on “google” by entering my name as keyword. My case is legitimate. Please do not disregard my case.

 

I have evidence and tapes on top officials and law enforcement among others to support my

claims. The current Rhode Island Senators Sheldon Whitehouse , Senator Jack Reed and former Senator Lincoln Chafee, among others are covering up and will not help me.

 

I posted a diary on the Daily Kos website on August 12, 2007 with regard to my life being in immediate danger from orders issued by President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to assassinate/murder me.

 

I continued to stay on the Daily Kos website until sometime after 5:00 am and received

comments from the Daily Kos members community. The Daily Kos has over 1 million

members on their website.

  

On August 12, 2007, I was uploading exhibits, photos, and evidence to the Daily Kos members that support my claims against the United States Government et al.

  

On August 12, 2007 at approximately between 5:00 am & 6:00 am a West Warwick

Police officer came out to my house at 101 Border Street West Warwick, R.I. and violently banged at the doors at my house and continued to violently bang at the doors of my house for a long period of time in a terrorizing manner. The West Warwick Police Officer was given orders to stop me from getting the truth out to the American public .

   

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that on August 21, 2007, a West Warwick Police vehicle came

up behind the vehicle where I was located in the back seat with my 5 year

old granddaughter and my mother Victoria Zarlenga who was seated on the passenger

side and my son Michael Zarlenga who was driving the vehicle on Cowesett Avenue

West Warwick, R.I.

 

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that the police officers proceeded to get out of their police

vehicles with their guns drawn and aimed at the vehicle where I was located in the back

seat of the vehicle along with my 5 year old granddaughter, my mother and son .

  

The Coventry police, East Greenwich Police, the Rhode Island State Police, and the West

Warwick Police were on the scene.

   

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that a West Warwick Police Officer pulled me out of the

vehicle where I was located in the back seat near my 5 year old granddaughter, with my

mother and son in the front seat of the vehicle.

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that the Police proceeded to slam me to the ground and force

handcuffs on me and force me in the back seat of the West Warwick Police Vehicle.

  

I repeatedly asked the West Warwick Police Officer why the police forced handcuffs on

me and forced me in the back seat of the police vehicle, but the West Warwick Police

Officer repeatedly ignored me.

   

I continued to ask the West Warwick Police Officer why the police forced handcuffs on

me and forced me in the back seat of the police vehicle, he then stated to me that he was

trying to protect me .

   

While I was in the West Warwick Police vehicle, I observed police officers saluting to

each other with regard to capturing me.

 

While I was in the back seat of the West Warwick Police vehicle, a West Warwick Police

Officer asked me if I was injured and if I needed to go to the hospital inorder to lure me

into consenting to go to the hospital.

  

I stated to the West Warwick Police officer that I did not need to go to the hospital.

The West Warwick Police Officer told me that the fire rescue was going to take me to the

hospital for a psych evaluation.

    

I stated to the West Warwick Police officer that I did not want to go to the hospital and

that I did not need a pych evaluation. However, the West Warwick Police Officer told me

that I had to get into the Fire Rescue and go to the hospital. As a result, I had no other

choice but be taken by fire rescue to Kent County Memorial Hospital for a psych

evaluation without my consent.

  

My mother told me that the police officers apologized to her and stated to my mother

that they made a mistake .

  

I was subsequently taken by ambulance and transferred

to Land mark Medical Center without my consent and held hostage in lock down mental

health unit against my will. All of the evidence that was in my favor was ignored

by the doctors, social workers, and psychiatrist at Kent County Memorial Hospital and

Landmark Medical Center. The doctors, social workers, and psychiatrist at Kent County

Memorial Hospital and Land mark Medical Center manipulated and skewed the true facts

to cause me harm in connection with helping law enforcement and United States

Government from preventing me from exposing the truth to the American people and

my case continuing on Appeal with regard to the criminal acts committed by law

enforcement and the United States Government.

  

My Mother stated to the psychiatrist and nurses at Landmark Medical Center that I was

not delusional or paranoid and that I have never been a danger to myself or others and

that I have no history of mental health, and that I have never had a history of being

prescribed psychiatric medication and that I did not need psychiatric medication

my complaints against law enforcement are legitimate.

However, Dr. Elahi disregarded my mother statements and proceeded to contact his lawyer to

discuss whether or not he should discharge me, despite all evidence in my favor.

  

My family member stated to me that nurses at Landmark Medial Center made

statements about being disgusted with Dr. Shahid Elahi for consulting with his lawyer

with regard to whether or not to discharge me and delaying my discharge.

   

The nurses at Landmark Medical Center stated to me that I did not belong at Landmark

Medical Center Mental Health Unit

  

I have never had a history of mental illness.

   

On September 4, 2007, I was discharged from Landmark Medical Center.

  

I have never had a history of being targeted by the United States Government, Federal

and State law enforcement, among others prior to my L-tryptophan lawsuit.

       

In August of 2007, I had an Appeal pending in the First Circuit United States Court of

Appeals with regard to my December 7, 2006 Complaint against the United States

Government et al. As a result, of being held hostage in the hospital from August 21, 2007

to September of 2007, along with intimidation from law enforcement, among others in

connection with the United States Government I was unable to respond important

deadlines set by the First Circuit United States Court of Appeals . As a result, my Appeal with the First Circuit United States Court of Appeals is in default/dismissed for lack of

diligent prosecution.

    

As a result of my ingestion of contaminated L-tryptophan manufactured by Showa

Denko K.K., I developed a disease Eosinphilia Myalgia Syndrome. There are

approximately 5,000 people who ingested contaminated L-tryptophan

manufactured by Showa Denko K.K., and developed a disease Eosinphilia Myalgia

Syndrome. There maybe more unreported cases of Eosinphilia Myalgia

Syndrome caused by ingestion of contaminated L-tryptophan .

   

The L-tryptophan problem is the fault of the FDA due to lack of enforcement of 172.320,

among other violations of the FDA rules. Therefore, the FDA permitted the continued

illegal use of L-tryptophan.

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K., for violation of the FDA

rules mentioned herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold

to the American Public and caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-

tryptophan .

    

On October 25, 1995, I filed a products liability lawsuit against the Defendants

Showa Denko, K.K., Showa Denko America, Inc. General Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al. in

the State of Rhode Island Superior Court.

  

My case was transferred to Rhode Island District Court, (Blaquiere v. Showa Denko, K.K.,

Showa Denko America, Inc. General Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al., C.A.No.1:95-629 ).

  

My case was subsequently transferred for discovery to (MDL) United States District Court

Columbia, South Carolina, C. A. No. 3:96-361-0.

  

My case (Blaquiere v. Showa Denko, K.K., Showa Denko America, Inc. General

Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al., (C.A.No.1:95-629 ) was remanded to Rhode Island

District Court in 2003.

 

I hired a lawyer Dennis S. Mackin in 2000/2001 who used my case to file discovery

motions in the(MDL) United States District Court Columbia, South Carolina, (C. A. No. 3:96-

361-0), damaging to the defendant ShowaDenkoK.K.,their lawyers,Cleary,Gottlieb,Steen,and

Hamilton, and the United States Government.

  

My former lawyer Dennis Mackin was paid off to withdraw from my case and to

not go forward with the discovery motions and depositions damaging to Showa

Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government.

       

The discovery sought in my case that my former attorney Dennis Mackin filed in 2001 in the(MDL) United States District Court Columbia, South Carolina, (C. A. No. 3:96-361-0) was to demonstrate that Showa Denko K.K. and its attorneys have been involved in a continuing conspiracy to not only circumvent the discovery process, but to manipulate any scientific examination of Showa Denko K.K.’s reckless and wanton conduct”.

 

The United States Government wiretapped my phones, hacked my computers, surviellanced me during my L-tryptophan litigation and to the present. The United States Government obstructed justice, unlawfully sabotage my case inside and outside of the court system at every level.

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin stated in his October 12, 2001 Reply of Plaintiff to Defendant's Motion to Qaush Deposition of Kenneth Rabin , that "additional questions must be answered about political pressure brought to bear upon members of the South Carolina Congressional delegation."" What information was given to Senator Thurmond, Senator Hollings and Congressman Ravenell?"

   

Documents made by Showa Denko K.K. included a budget attached to their public

relation scheme which was an amount determined for congressional

contracts, including the South Carolina delegation which was for 16, 000.00.

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin stated in his motions that, “ The research of

this Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome has been twisted by the endless

manipulations by Showa Denko K.K and their lawyers,Cleary,Gottlieb,Steen,and

Hamilton and their confederates”. “ Worst of all, the scientific literature now

contains representations by shills for Showa Denko K.K. that will cause erroneous

medical science in the future”.

 

The United States Government is involved in the cover up .

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin informed me that a promoter of an EMS

 

support group was being surveillanced and that anyone that who was viewed as a

 

threat was being surveillanced and intelligence was gathered .

  

The defendant Showa Denko K.K. a corrupt corporate giant, their corrupt lawyers,

and the United States Government conspired with all the courts at every level to

sabotage my case and the L-tryptophan litigation.

 

Showa Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government view me as

a threat, since my lawsuit still remains open that is damaging against Showa

Denko K.K. and General Nutrition Centers (GNC), among others. Also, Showa Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government, President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri fear the threat of civil and criminal action against them for their unlawful criminal activities.

  

I pose a threat to Showa Denko K.K. and the United States Government since,

my L-tryptophan lawsuit could re-open previous settlements entered into by

2,000- 5,000 L-tryptophan litigants on the basis of fraudulent inducement and the

United States Government's involvement in the cover up.

 

They were entered into by L-tryptophan Plaintiffs who were unaware of the defendants fraudulent concealment and the United States Government's cover up.

 

Showa Denko K.K., the United States Government, President George W. Bush and

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri fear a movie being made and publicizing

their criminal activities which has continued to date.

    

President George W. Bush's father former President George H. W. Bush Sr. was

President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 during the Eosiophilia Myalgia Syndrome epidemic.

  

I filed a Complaint on December 7, 2006 against the United States Government et al. in

the United States District Court of Rhode Island, CA. No. 06-534 ML. My complaint is

pending in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The United States Government have hired

my family, among others as informants to surveillance and gather intelligence on me.

  

At the time that I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint against a number of defendants

who are employed by the United States Government, I was unaware of orders issued by

President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to assasinate/

murder me.

   

I spoke to a state senator with regard to my circumstances of law enforcement on the state and federal level that have harassed, targeted, survillenced me and have come out to my house and follow me on a daily basis. Also, the West Warwick police have even parked at my grandchild’s school shortly after I exposed President George W. Bush orders to assassinate/murder me.

  

The state senator stated to me that federal law enforcement, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Department of Justice are employed by President George W. Bush.

 

Moreover, my case is not isolated by a small number of police and law enforcement targeting and surveillanceing me. There are to many law enforcement and police and government officials organized at the highest level on the federal and local level that have targeted and surviellanced me. The state senator stated that the orders to murder me are coming from the President George W. Bush .

 

Further, the Rhode Island State Police who have been targeting and surviellancing me are given orders from Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri

   

In June or July of 2007, President George W. Bush came to Rhode Island and went on a

private helicopter ride with Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri and had discussions.

      

Shortly after I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint against the United States

Government et al, two key defendants named in my complaint retired Captain Gregory

Johnson of the West Warwick Police Department and Supervisory Special Agent

Nicholas Murphy of the Federal Bureau of investigation of R.I., and there may be others

who have also retired.

  

I am targeted, followed, and surveillanced by police officers, among others in the towns and places I travel in the state of Rhode Island and out of the state of Rhode Island on a daily basis.

 

The level of intensity and the number of police targeting, surviellancing, and following me has increased after I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint. And now since I have exposed President George W. Bush who issued orders to assassinate/murder me, the level of intensity and the number of police surviellacing and following me has further increased.

  

My telephones are wiretapped. The United States Government is hacking my computers.

The Federal Bureau of investigation, among others covered up the investigation of the hacking of my computers.

  

The Federal Bureau of investigation, United States Attorneys Office , Attorney Generals office, Department of Justice, among others are covering up and aware of the fact that I was kidnapped and assaulted by a Warwick Police Officer Joseph Mee on January 22, 2006 that was organized at the highest level of United States Government to assassinate/ murder me.

   

Further, law enforcement, among others are covering up the fact that on December 15, 2005 and December 16, 2005, Captain Gregg Johnson and Officer Patrick Kelly and the Kent County Memorial Hospital Emergency Room Staff violated my constitutional rights and deprived me of liberty against my will and without my consent to cause me harm in connection with the United States Government and Showa Denko K.K.

  

On April 14, 2006, I spoke to Laura Lineberry who is Condalezza Rice's personal assistant. Laura Lineberry informed me that she could not help me with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein, and that I should leave a message with the Representative of Secretary of State. I left a message with the Representative of Secretary of State, but no one returned my call.

  

On April 14, 2006, I contacted the White House comments department in Washington, DC for help with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein, and spoke to a young lady number(77) who stated she would pass on my comments to her supervisor and that her supervisor would summarize my comments and give it to President Bush. On April 14, 2006, I was unaware that President George W. Bush issued orders to assassinate/ murder me.

  

President George W. Bush, Condalezza Rice's office , nor anyone associated with the White House, responded in any way shape or form to my plea for help with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein.

 

I have evidence of my telephone calls to the White House, among others.

 

The IP Addresses with regard to the hacking of my computers have been traced to Washington, D.C.

         

You can view my complaint at pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.

 

My login is: lz0129 My password is 3y6!pomz ( party name is under my married name of Blaquiere) December 8, 2006 thru December 8, 2007 is the date you would use to view my complaint, since December 8, 2006 is the date my complaint was entered by the United States District Court of Rhode Island.

 

The United States District Court of Rhode Island omitted my supporting exhibits on

Pacer website and have intentionally obstructed my case and deprived me of a fair judicial process, inorder to protect and insulate the United States Government et al.

   

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INITIATE ACTION AGAINST SHOWA DENKO K.K. FOR THE FOLLOWING VIOLATIONS:

    

The L-tryptophan problem is the fault of the FDA due to lack of enforcement of 172.320, among other

 

violations of the FDA rules. Therefore, the FDA permitted the continued illegal use of L-tryptophan.

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K.,for violation of the FDA rules mentioned

 

herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold to the American Public and

 

caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-tryptophan in violation of the FDA rule.

     

In 1970 FDA considered L-tryptophan (amino acids) , when used as nutrients or dietary supplements, to

 

be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for those uses, and published that fact in the code of Federal

 

Regulations.

   

In 1972 FDA engaged in rule making to withdraw and remove approximately twenty amino acids

 

including L-tryptophan from the GRAS list ( generally recognized as safe) and to regulate them as

 

approved food additives that could not be sold without FDA's prior approval in the form of a food

 

additive petition, (37 Fed. Reg. 6938; April 6, 1972).

    

In 1973 FDA promulgated a binding substantive rule that is presently on the books, the Food additive

 

regulation that makes all amino acids, when used as components of dietary supplements,

 

unsafe food additives that violate the adulteration provisions of Act. 21 C.F.R. 172. 320.

    

In 1977, FDA seized L-tryptophan tablets on the grounds that the L-tryptophan that they contained

 

was an unapproved food additive. The court, however, found for the manufacturer of the tablets

 

because L-tryptophan was still on the FDA's GRAS list, (FDA had failed to remove it after the 1973

 

rulemaking), and the manufacturer was acting in accordance with the FDA's regulation.

   

In 1977, FDA deleted the listing of twenty amino acids that were the subject of the 1973 rulemaking

 

form the GRAS list, ( 42 Fed. Reg. 56720; October 28, 1977).

  

The FDA never renewed its regulatory action against dietary supplements containing L-tryptophan .

   

The food additive regulation that the FDA adopted in 1973 does not list (approve) L-tryptophan for

 

this use, and foods that contain unapproved food additive are deemed to be adulterated (21 U.S.C. 342

 

(a) (2) (c)).

  

FDA has not brought an action since 1977 against an L-tryptophan dietary supplement.

    

The FDA sought to enforce the rule prohibiting the use of amino acids in dietary supplements in two

 

seizure actions against products containing L-tryptophan. Those seizure actions were not successful.

 

The U.S. Government voluntarily dismissed the second lawsuit because the lawsuit was controlled by

 

a very hostile judge and the government feared that it would obtain an adverse ruling that would

 

insulate all dietary supplements from regulation under the food additive provisions of the act.

  

The FDA has not made any efforts to regulate amino acids since 1982. FDA ignored the food additive

 

regulations since 1982. In 1990, there was evidence showing that 30 amino acids other than L-

 

tryptophan were being sold by at least 22 companies.

    

The FDA has failed to date to bring charges against Showa Denko K.K. Showa Denko K.K. was in

 

violation of the FDA Food additive regulation that makes all amino acids, when used as components of

 

dietary supplements, unsafe food additives that violate the adulteration provisions of Act. 21

 

C.F.R. 172. 320. FDA should have gone after Showa Denko K.K. on an adulteration charge that the

 

L-tryptophan in the supplements is an unapproved food additive under 21 U.S.C. 342 (a) (2) (c).

 

Also, FDA failed to bring charges against Showa Denko K.K. with regard to L-

 

tryptophan being unfit for food, ( 21 U.S.C. 342 (a) (3). L-trytophan associated with illness

 

Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome, is unfit for food.

  

The FDA could have gone after L-tryptophan supplements as drugs. The FDA could have

 

developed evidence that L-tryptophan used for therapeutic purposes to combat sleeplessness and PMS

 

which is what L-tryptophan was advertized for is considered a drug and the FDA finding L-tryptophan

 

had not met the FDA's rational food supplement test would permit the FDA to bring drug charges

 

against the product under either 21 U.S.C. 321(g) (1) (B) or (c), National Nutritional Foods

 

Association v. Mathews, 557 F.2nd 325, 334 ( 2d Cir. 1977).

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K.,for violation of the FDA rules mentioned

 

herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold to the American Public and

 

caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-tryptophan in violation of the FDA rule.

       

On the Rhode Island ACLU website, there is a lawsuit against the United States

Government for Illegally surviellacing individuals attending a peace group in Rhode

Island and in other states.

 

The United States Government has files on these peace groups and have labeled these

peace group individuals as a threat because their simply anti-war.

 

The illegal acts of our United States Government is not an example of democracy, it is a

Dictatorship ruled by a dictator President George W. Bush who has committed crimes

against humanity and has violated our human rights.

  

Representative John Conyers Jr, was the Chairman re: the July 18, 1991 hearing on the FDA oversight of L-tryptophan. Representative John Conyers Jr, is currently the Chairman of the U.S.

House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary who can call for an investigation and immediate congressional hearings into this matter.

  

Please help me by writing to congress and. to investigate and call for immediate congressional hearings into this matter. Also, contact Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Jack Reed to investigate and call for congressional hearings into this matter. If the American people place enough political pressure to investigate and call for congressional hearings into this matter, then an investigation into this matter will go forward and the truth will be exposed to the American people.

 

Also, please contact Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator John McCain, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and all members of the Senate to call for investigation and congressional hearings with regard to law enforcement engaged in an ongoing organized crime to assassinate/murder me by orders issued by President George W. Bush.

 

President George W. Bush has scammed the American people into believing that the Iraq

war is a "just war" and that the United States military are fighting for democracy,

freedom and for our safety here at home, and yet at the same time President George W.

Bush is committing the worst crimes in american history against innocent american

citizens.

    

Please expedite the above and contact me at my email: LoriZarlenga@hotmail.com

  

You can view documents and obtain information about L-tryptophan and Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome on the National EMS Support Group website at www.nemsn.org

  

You can find me at myspace.com/lorizz

  

Also, you can find me at my website www.tiptopwebsite.com/lorizz.

  

I posted a letter explaining in more detail on my website and on my space.com/lorizz

  

If you have any questions or want to view my exhibits that support my December 7, 2006 complaint filed in the United States District Court of Rhode Island, then you can e-mail me and I will send you attachments you can view .

    

Thank You, Lori Zarlenga

  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

I berated myself all the way from the banks of the Medway up the A249 to Sittingbourne, telling myself it would be a wasted trip as clearly the church wouldn't be open. I had, in fairness, just struck out three churches in a row that were closed.

 

I arrived at the church, found a place to park.

 

There were no ride and stride signs, nothing to indicate it was open.

 

More dark mutterings to myself.

 

As I walked to the churchyard, families were coming out of the park next door, workers were clearing ivy from the wall surrounding the churchyard.

 

The porch gate had a lock on it, as before, but closer inspection showed it to not actually locking the gate. I tried it and the gate opened.

 

The next door was also unlocked, so I went through, and was in a void before the inner door.

 

I pushed and it did not yield.

 

I opened the middle door to let some light in, found the latch, pushed down and the door swung open to reveal a huge space.

 

To the west was the interior of the huge tower, big enough to fit some churches in. No ropes now hang down to ring bells.

 

I could find no light switches, so had to make do with natural light, meaning some details might have been missed.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

The massive 14th century tower grabs attention immediately, but just by the door is a most mysterious headstone which commemorates a man killed by a rocket at an early Guy Fawke`s celebration. Inside, the south aisle is almost as wide as the nave and has a rare rood loft staircase that runs in the thickness of the wall rather than up a spiral staircase. There is little stained glass but the east window, by the firm of Ward and Hughes is rather a masterpiece, with most of the subjects being real portraits – especially the figures of St George and St Uriel. An inscription nearby tells the whole story. At the junction of nave and chancel is a rare benefactions board which is carved to look like a memorial – look out for Faith Hope and Charity. The medieval vestry at the north east corner has an original shuttered window – a rare survival indeed, whilst under the huge tower is a benefactions board recording gifts to dredgermen`s widows. Now you don’t find them very often!

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Milton+Regis

 

-------------------------------------------

 

MILTON,

OR, more properly, Middleton, lies the next parish north-westward from Sittingborne, last described, and seems to have taken its name from the Saxon Midletun, a name denoting its situation in the middle part of this county.

 

THE PARISH of Milton is most of it situated on low flat ground, and extends from the high London road as far as the waters of the Swale northward, adjoining to which, the marshes in this parish are both fresh and salt, of a very large extent. In the southern or upper part of the parish, next to the London road, is a small hamlet, called from the soil Chalkwell, in which there are two modern-built houses of the better sort, the lower most of which has a large tan-yard belonging to it; near it there rise some springs, which fill several large ponds, the reservoirs for a corn mill below them, after which they run along the east skirts of the town, which are a continued swamp of watry bogs, into the creek below. The town, antiently called the king's town of Milton, as being part of the antient possessions of the crown, is situated about half a mile from the high London road, at the eastern boundary of the parish, the greatest part of it on the knole of a hill, extending mostly down the east side of it to the head of the creek, which flows north-westward from hence, and at two miles distance, after several meandrings, joins the waters of the Swale. It has a very indifferent character for health, owing both to the badness of the water, and the gross unwholesome air to which it is subject from its watry situation; nor is it in any degree pleasant, the narrow streets, or rather lanes in it, being badly paved, and for the most part inhabited by seafaring persons, fishermen, and oyster-dredgers.

 

Its commodious situation for navigation near the Swale, to which the town then stood much nearer than it does at present, caused it to be frequented by the Danes, in their piratical excursions into this county, particularly in 893, these pirates, who had been ravaging. France and the Low Countries, being distressed for subsistence, turned their thoughts towards England, for the sake of plunder: for this purpose, with one of their fleets, they sailed up to Apledore, and with the other, consisting of about eighty ships, under the command of Hastings their captain, they entered the mouth of the river Thames, and landing in this parish built themselves a fortress or castle here. Asserius writes, anno 892, Hastengus fecit sibi firmissimum oppidum apud Middeltunam. Sax. Chron. anno 893, interpreted, Arcem extruxit. Simon Dunelm, coll. 151, H. Huntingdon, lib. 5, Florence of Worcester, p. 595, and Chron. Malros, Fecit munitionem. Spelman, in his Life of Alfred, says, Dani castra validis operibus communiunt. This fortress was erected at a place called Kemsleydowne, in the marshes, about midway between the town and the mouth of the creek, the scite of which is still visible, and being overgrown with wood and bushes, has obtained the name of Castberough. (fn. 1) It is of a square form, and is surrounded by a high bank thrown up, and a broad ditch. There is a raised causeway, very plainly to be seen, leading from it towards the seashore. From this fortress they not only made their excursions and plundered the neighbouring country, but secured themselves against such power as the king might send against them.

 

This town of Milton being part of the royal demesnes, was a cause of its being destroyed by earl Godwin, who being at variance with Edward the Consessor, came here, with a large force, in the year 1052, and burned this town, then of good condition, to the ground; and afterwards ransacked and spoiled many other of the king's estates throughout the county. After which it does not seem to have been ever restored to its former state.

 

Its condition in the reign of queen Elizabeth may be seen by the survey, made by her order in the 8th year of her reign; by which it appears, that there were then in this town, houses inhabited one hundred and thirty, persons lacking habitations six, landing-places four, one called Fluddmill keye, appertaining to Sir Henry Cheney; the second, Whitlock's key, now the Town key; the third, Reynolds's, now Page's key; and the fourth, Hamond key, appertaining to Thomas Hayward, now Huggins's key; ships and vessels twenty-six, of which twenty were under ten tons; the rest were of twelve, sixteen, and twenty tons; and persons occupied in trade and fishing twenty four.

 

Since which the town of Milton has considerably increased, as well in the number of its houses and inhabitants, as in its wealth and trade. The number of houses at present is about two hundred and thirty, which are supposed to contain about twelve hundred inhabitants.

 

The trade of it chiefly consists in the traffic carrying on weekly at the four wharfs in it, where the corn and commodities of the neighbouring country are shipped for London, and goods of every sort brought back again in return; and in the fishery for oysters, a further account of which will be given hereafter. Besides which, the several mills here do not contribute a little to the benefit of this place; four of these are employed in the grinding of corn, and dressing it into flour; and the fifth, called Perrywinckle mill, was some few years ago applied to the manufacturing of pearl-barley, which used to be imported from Holland; and it was supposed to be the only mill in the kingdom where that article was brought to the same perfection as in Holland, but this manufacture for want of due encouragement has been since discontinued.

 

The town of Milton is governed by a a portreve, who is chosen annually on St. James's day, by the inhabitants of the parish paying church and poor's rates; whose office is, to oversee the market, and preserve good order within the town, and to execute the office of clerk of the market in all matters, within the hundreds of Milton and Marden; he likewise sets the price of all things which come to the keys, or any other creek within the hundred, being such things as head officers in other towns may set the prices on

 

The market, which is a very plentiful one for all sorts of butchers meat, poultry, &c. is held on a Saturday weekly, at the shambles, in the center of the town. Adjoining to them is the market-house, having a clock, and a bell, which is rung not only for the purpose of the market, but for the calling of the parshioners to church, for funerals, and for occasional parish meetings. At a small distance northward from the shambles is a king of court-house, being a very low old-timbered tenement, where the courts of the manor are kept, and other meetings held; at other times it is made use of as the school house; underneath it is the town prison.

 

The school is endowed with the annual sum of nine pounds, an account of which may be seen hereafter, among the charitable benefactions to this parish. The master is appointed by the minister and churchwardens. Nine or ten poor boys are taught to read and write in it.

 

There is a fair, which used to be held on the feast of St. Margaret, July 13, now, by the alteration of the stile, on the 24th of that month, and the two following days.

 

The lands in this parish, near the town, and especially on the lower or northern part of it, are very rich and sertile. Adjoining to these are the marshes, which extend to the waters of the Swale. Below the hill westward there is another streamlet, which having turned a mill near the vicarage, runs on not far distant from the church, and court-lodge, situated about half a mile northward below the present town, near which the former one destroyed by Earl Godwin is supposed to have once stood.

 

In the north-west part of this parish, among the marshes, there is a decoy for wild fowl, the only one, that I know of, in this part of the county. The fowl caught in it, are much esteemed for their size and flavor. Great numbers of them are weekly taken and sent up to London.

 

In this parish, at a small distance northward from Bobbing-place, is a farm called the Quintin farm, which shews that diversion to have been formerly used in it. (fn. 2)

 

THE FISHERY belonging to the manor and hundred of Milton is of very considerable account. It seems to have been granted by king John, by his charter, in his 7th year, to the abbot and convent of Faversham, by the description of the fisheries of Milton, which the men of Seasalter then held by the yearly rent of twenty shillings, payable at his manor of Milton, and by doing therefrom the customs and service which were wont to be to it.

 

King Edward III. in his 4th year, confirmed this grant, as did king Henry VI. and this fishery remained part of the possessions of the abbey till its dissolution, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was surrendered up into the king's hands, together with all its possessions.

 

After which, the fee simple of this fishery remained with the manor in the hands of the crown, till the 10th year of king Charles I. when it was passed away, with it, by the words recited in the grant then made of the manor, to Sir Ed. Browne and Christ. Favell, as will be more fully mentioned below; after which, James Herbert, esq. coming into the possession of it, by the settlement of it from his father Philip, earl of Pembroke, he in the 26th year of king Charles II. obtained a fresh grant of this fishery, against which there was a quo warranto brought in the reign of queen Anne, on a petition of the fishermen of Rochester and Stroud, to shew by what authority they, the grantees, kept courts within their manor of Milton, and restrained the fishermen of those and the adjacent towns, from fishing and dredging for oysters within this hundred and manor: but on a trial had at bar, a verdict was given in his favor. Since which it has continued down, in like manner as the manor of Milton, to the right hon. Philip, viscount Wenman, and Mrs. Anne Herbert, who are at this time proprietors of this fishery, together with the manor.

 

The company of Fishermen, or Dredgers, of this fishery, hold it by lease from the owners of the manor, at the yearly rent of one hundred pounds and four bushels of oysters. They are governed by their particular officers, under certain rules or bye-laws, made by antient custom at the court baron of the manor. There are now about one hundred and forty freemen belonging to it.

 

The oysters produced from these grounds, within the limits of this fishery, are usually called Milton Natives, and are esteemed the finest and richest flavored of any in Europe. They are supposed to be the same that Juvenal particularly describes, in his fourth satire, as being reckoned a delicacy even in his time, in these words, satire iv. l. 144:

 

— Rutupinove edita fundo Ostrea, callebat primo deprendere morsu.

 

The sum usually returned for these oysters is from 3000l. to 7000l. per annum. The Dutch have been supposed by many, to have engrossed this article of luxury; but they expend but a very small part of the above sums, and sometimes none, for the space of seven years together.

 

IN THE WESTERN PART of this parish there are several hundred acres of coppice-wood, which are adjoining to a much larger tract of the like sort, extending southward almost as far as Binbury pound, on the west side of Stockbury-valley, for the space of near five miles. These woods, especially those in and near this parish, are noted for the great plenty of chesnut stubs interspersed promiscuously throughout them, which, from the quick and strait growth of this king of wood, makes them very valuable. These are so numerous in them, as to give name to most of these woods near Milton, which, besides their particular names to each of them, are usually called by the general name of Chesnut-woods. And in the presentment made of the customs of the manor of Milton in 1575, it is mentioned, that the occupiers of the three mills holden of the manor should gather yearly for the lord of it nine bushels of chestenottes, in Chestnott wood, or pay eighteen-pence by the year to the queen, who then had the manor in her own hands, and was possessed of three hundred acres of chesnut wood within this hundred.

 

¶These chesnuts are undoubtedly the indigenuous growth of Britain, planted by the hand of nature. They are interspersed throughout the whole tract, without any form or regularity, and are many of them, by their appearance, of great age; and by numbers of them, which now seem almost worn out and perishing, being made use of as the termini or boundaries, as well of private property as of parishes, it is plain they were first pitched upon, in preference to others, for that purpose, as being the largest and most antient ones of any then existing; and as these are hardly ever cut down or altered, they must have stood sacred to this use from the first introduction of private property into this kingdom, and the first division of it into parishes. Four letters were printed in 1771, after having been read before the Royal Society, two of which were written by Dr. Ducarel, and the other two by Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Hasted, to prove that chesnut-trees were the indigenous growth of this kingdom, in answer to an idea of the hon. Daines Barrington, who had a wish to establish a contrary opinion.

 

DR. PLOT says, that Herba Britannica, which Twyne and Johnson think to be bistort, Trisolium acetosum, or Oxys; Empetron, quæ est petrafindula Britanniæ prope peculiaris, and Crocus, were found at Milton by Scribonius Largus, when he came into Britain with the emperor Claudius. And he further says, that Crocus sativus, saffron, was heretofore sown and gathered (as now at Walden, in Essex) at Milton, and quotes for his authority, a manuscript rental of the manor of Milton, in the library of Christ-church, Canterbury.

 

MILTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sittingborne.

 

The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is a large handsome building, consisting of two isles and two chancels, the southernmost of which belongs to the manor of Northwood. It has a well built tower at the west end, in which are five bells. In this church, among others, were formerly the arms of Barry, Diggs, Finch, of the Five Ports, of Norwood and Norton, with their several crests, trophies, and banners; of Marten quartering Boteler; one coat, Barry, argent and azure, on a canton of the first, a bird of the second; Argent, three bends azure, within a bordure, eight mullets; Gules, a fess or, between three mullets, argent; and in one of the windows, a man kneeling, with a coat of arms, Six lions rampant, three and three, and underneath, Orate paia Guliel Savage Armigi.

 

Mauricius ap John, rector of St. George's, in Exeter, was buried in the choir of this church, as appears by his will, anno 1499.

 

In the year 1070, being the 5th year of his reign, William the Conqueror gave to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, the church of Middelton, and the tenths of all the products accruing from that manor, and the tenths of all its appurtenances, of the land, wood, meadows, and water, excepting the tenths of honey, and rent paid in money. (fn. 12)

 

Pope Lucius XI. in 1144, at the petition of abbot Hugh de Trottesclive, confirmed the annual pension of ten marcs from this church to that abbey.

 

In 1168, the conventual church of St. Augustine was the greatest part of it burnt; on which account this church was allotted to the sacristy there, for the repair of it. (fn. 13) But they did not keep it long, for in 1178, at the king's instance, they gave it up, and lost all property both in the church, and the advowson of it. A composition was entered into between the archbishop and the abbot in 1182, concerning the privileges and exemptions of the latter; when it was agreed, that the archdeacon, or his official, should receive his accustomed dues and procurations from the churches of St. Augustine, excepting those of Minster, Northborne, and Chistelet, and from this church likewise, when the monks should again get possession of the appropriation of it.

 

Four years after which, the abbot demised to the prioress of St. Sexburg of Shepey, the tiches which his monastery possessed, in right of this church, in Bobbing, at the yearly rent of ten shillings, on condition that all housekeepers, which should be on the estates from which they arose, should yearly repair to this the mother church, with their oblations, on Christmas-day, the Purification, and Easter day. And in 1188, the abbot demised to the prioress there, the tenths of Westlonde, within her parish, for the rent of fourteen shillings, payable yearly to the sacrist of St. Augustine.

 

About the year 1198, the abbot and convent recovered this church, which was then become vacant by the death of one Franco, the person to whom they had given it up, at the instance of king Henry. But they had kept it but a small time, before the archbishop disturbed them in their possession of it. However, by the mediation of mutual friends, and at the king's request, that he would not molest them in their appropriation of it; he out of respect to the king, ratified this church to them, to be possessed by them for ever. (fn. 14)

 

There was a pension of forty shillings payably yearly from this church, with the chapel belonging to it, to the above monastery, which, with the other pensions from their several churches, was given up by agreement in 1242, for a compensation out of the profits of the church of Preston.

 

The abbot and convent, among the extensive privileges from the papal see, had obtained an exemption from all archiepiscopal authority, and about the year 1295 made an institution of several new deanries, and apportioned the several churches belonging to his monastery, to each of them, according to their vicinity; one of these was the deanry of Lenham, in which this church was included. This raised great contests with the several archbishops, and after more than five years altercation, the abbot was stripped of these exemptions, and was declared, by the pope's bull, to be subject to the archbishop's jurisdiction, in like manner as before; which entirely dissolved these new deanries, and that of Lenham among them. (fn. 15)

 

Notwithstanding the abbot and convent seem to have held the appropriation of this church almost from held the appropriation of this church almost from the first grant of it, and though there had been vicars instituted to it long before this time, for Robert de Wikes, who stiles himself vicar of Middelton, by his deed in 1247, granted seven deywerks of land, with the houses built on it, for the habitation of the vicar of Middelton, for the time being; and the abbot and convent had in 1286, assigned a portion for the maintenance of the vicar here; yet there does not appear to have been any regular endowment of a vicarage to it, till the reign of king Edward III. when archbishop Stratford, in 1345, anno 20 Edward III. by his instrument, decreed, that the vicar of the church of Middelton, and his successors, should have the usual mansion of the vicarage, with the garden adjoining to it, together with one acre of the glebe of the same; and that he should have, in the name of the vicarage, all manner of oblations in the church of Middelton, and in all places, situated within the bounds and limits or titheable places of it; and that they should have in the name of the vicarage, all tithes of sylva cædua, wool, lambs, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, swans, pidgeons, cheese, milk-meats, herbage, apples, pears, and other fruit, growing in gardens and orchards, pulse, flax, hemp, eggs, rushes, merchandizes, and of all mills built, or which might in future be built, within the bounds and limits or titheable places of the church, and all other small tithes whatsoever belonging to it, and all legacies left in future to it, which the rectors or vicars of it might of right or custom take; also, that the vicars, in right of the vicarage, should have of the religious, the annual pension of 4s. (fn. 16) sterling, one seam or quarter of corn, and three quarters or seams of barley, on the feast of St. Michael, at Middelton, by them to be yearly paid, on pain of the sequestration of the fruits and profits of the church, belonging to the religious, to be laid on as often and whenever they should cease in the payment of the pension or barley, or should not pay either of them in the time above-mentioned.

 

But that the vicars should undergo the burthen of serving by themselves, or some other fit priest, the church in divine services, in the finding of one lamp, to burn before the altar of St. Mary there, and the ministering of bread, wine, lights, and other things, which should be necessary for the celebration of divine rights in the church. The burthen likewise of the payment of tenths and other impositions, whenever they might be imposed on the English church, or incumbent on the church, for the taxation of twelve marcs, beyond the burthens allotted to the religious underneath, they should undergo at their own costs and expences.

 

But the burthen of the reparation and rebuilding of the chancel of the church, both within and without, and also the finding and repairing of books and vestments, and ornaments of the church, which were wont or ought of right or custom, to be found and repaired by the rectors of churches, and all other burthens, ordinary and extraordinary, incumbent on the church, the religious should undergo and acknowledge for ever, &c. (fn. 17)

 

The church and vicarage, after this, remained part of the possessions of the monastery, till the final dissolution of it, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered up into the king's hands, who by his dotation-charter, in his 33d year, settled both the appropriation of this church, and the advowson of the vicarage, among other premises, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Christchurch, Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of the parsonage still remains, the interest in the lease of it being now in the heirs of John Cockin Sole, esq. deceased, but the advowson of the vicarage the dean and chapter retain in their own hands, and are the present patrons of it.

 

The vicarage of Milton is valued in the king's books at 13l. 2s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 6s. 3d.

 

¶In 1578, there were here, dwelling-houses on hundred and eight, communicants three hundred and seventy-four. In 1640 this vicarage was valued at eighty pounds. Communicants five hundred and twenty-nine.

 

The antient annual pension of four shillings, one quarter of wheat, and three quarters of barley, stipulated to be paid by the religious as before-mentioned, still continues to be paid by the lessee of the parsonage, by the covenants of his lease.

 

The agreement made between the prior of the brethren of the hospital of St. John of Jersalem and the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, about king Henry the IId.'s reign, that whenever their chapel of Rodmersham should be dedicated, and the cemetery consecrated, they would diminish by it none of the mother church of Middleton's rights; has already been more fully mentioned in the account of that parish before. (fn. 18)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol6/pp163-192

Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, about 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 (2001). Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks, with Studland Bay and Poole Harbour to the north. Within the parish are Durlston Bay and Durlston Country Park to the south of the town. The parish also includes the areas of Herston, just to the west of the town, and Durlston, just to the south. During the peak summer season many people are drawn by the town's beautiful setting, the beach and other attractions. The town has many hotels and guest rooms though the number ( particularly of hotels ) has reduced slightly in recent years. Besides the beach, there are other local attractions including the restored Swanage steam railway and the Victorian pier. The town may also be used a base from which to visit other nearby areas of interest, such as Corfe Castle. Swanage's Victorian pier is over 100 years old and is one of two built, although it is the only one that survives complete today. The pier extends into the southern end of Swanage Bay near Swanage. The original Swanage Pier was built between 1859 and 1861 for use primarily by the local stone quarrying industry, and included a tramway which ran the length of the pier and some way along the seafront. The old tracks can be seen to this day, inset into the seafront walkways.

The town, originally a small port and fishing village flourished in the Victorian era, when it first became a significant quarrying port and later a seaside resort for the rich of the day. Today the town remains a popular tourist resort, this being the town's primary industry, with many thousands of visitors coming to the town during the peak summer season, drawn by the bay's sandy beaches and other attractions. During its history the bay was listed variously as Swanawic, Swanwich, Sandwich, and only in more recent history as Swanage. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site ~ this wonderful coast line which stretches from Orcombe Point in East Devon to The Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, is a beautiful part of this area. Swanage Tourist Information Centre (T.I.C.) is an excellent point of reference for all visitors to the area and our friendly staff will be delighted to help you plan your holiday and find out more about the area. By carefully assessing your requirements and interests the staff will ensure you have the very best information to make your holiday a real success.

While fishing is likely the town's oldest industry, quarrying has been important to the town and the local area since at least the 1st century AD. During the time of the Roman occupation this industry grew, with the distinctive Purbeck marble being used for decorative purposes in buildings as far away as London. When the Romans left Britain, quarrying largely ceased until the 12th century. The town is first mentioned in historical texts in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 877 AD. It is stated as being the scene of a great naval victory by King Alfred over the Danes: ~ This year came the Danish army into Exeter from Wareham; while the navy sailed west about, until they met with a great mist at sea, and there perished 120 ships at Swanwich. A hundred Danish ships which had survived the battle, were driven by a storm onto Peveril Point, a shallow rocky reef outcropping from the southern end of Swanage bay. In the 12th century demand for Purbeck Marble grew once again. While Purbeck marble is not suited to external use, as it does not weather well, it is however strong and suitably decorative for use as internal columns. As such the stone was used in the construction of many large churches and cathedrals being built as the time.

In contrast to the decorative Purbeck marble, Purbeck limestone, or more commonly 'Purbeck stone', has been used in construction locally since the early days of quarrying in Purbeck. Its use is less well documented as it was taken for granted as the default construction materials in the area. However, the arrival of more modern quarrying techniques in the 17th century resulted in an increase in production. The Great Fire of London in 1666 led to a period of large scale reconstruction in the city, and Purbeck stone was extensively used for paving. It was in this time that stone first started being loaded on ships directly from the Swanage seafront; before this time quarried stone had been first transported to Poole for shipping. The idea that Swanage could become a tourist destination was first encouraged by a local MP William Morton Pitt in the early 19th century, who converted a mansion in the town into a luxury hotel. The hotel is noted for having been visited in 1833 by the ( then ) Princess Victoria, later to become queen. The building was later renamed the Royal Victoria Hotel, now the building has been converted into flats and a bar and nightclub in the left and right wings respectively.

The main bus services are provided by Wilts & Dorset. Numbers 40 and 44 which run between Swanage and Poole, and the number 50 which runs between Swanage and Bournemouth via the chain ferry between Studland and Sandbanks. Double-deck open top buses are used on the Poole/Bournemouth to Swanage routes in the summer months. The buses on these routes are branded as Purbeck Breezers. Swanage has a heritage restored steam railway which operates for most of the year, though at the moment this only goes as far as Norden. Recent developments on the railway have seen the physical connection between the Swanage Railway and the mainline restored. The first passenger service in more than 40 years from London Victoria and returning to London Waterloo took place on 1 April 2009. It is hoped that regular passenger services connecting to the mainline will begin in the future. Limited ferry services also run between Poole Quay and Swanage Pier. These are used by Swanage residents for shopping trips to Poole's large shopping centre, and also by tourists in Poole for day trips into Swanage. The nearest mainline railway station to Swanage is Wareham, where connections can be made for South West Trains services westward to Dorchester South and Weymouth. Services also travel eastwards towards Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton Central and London Waterloo. Services to and from Weymouth and London Waterloo can be either fast or stopping services.

Hosts and guests of the U.S. AFRICOM C4ISR Senior Leader Conference tour a winery in the hills above Vicenza, Italy, Feb. 3, 2011.

 

U.S. Army Africa photo by David Ruderman

 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.

 

The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.

 

The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”

 

The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.

 

“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.

 

Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.

 

“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.

 

African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.

 

“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.

 

U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.

 

“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.

 

He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.

 

“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.

 

“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.

 

“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.

 

He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.

 

“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.

 

Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.

 

Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.

 

“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.

 

He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.

 

“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.

 

“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.

 

“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.

 

“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”

 

The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.

 

“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.

 

“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.

 

Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.

 

“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.

 

“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.

 

“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.

 

“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.

 

“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?

 

“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.

 

Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.

 

“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.

 

Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.

 

“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”

 

“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.

 

“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.

 

“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”

 

The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.

 

“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.

 

“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.

 

“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.

 

Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.

 

“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.

 

“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.

 

“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.

 

“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.

 

“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.

 

Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.

 

“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.

 

“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.

 

“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.

 

“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.

 

Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.

 

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

 

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You can wrap your own presents in future.

The news was that Jools' cough was little better. She got a mail back from the surgery on Friday saying her (non-urgent) appointment with the doctor was on December 14th. But as we were going to Tesco, she would have a chat with the pharmasist and see about some of the behind the counter stuff.

 

Winter has arrived, though no snow as yet, but the wind is set in the east, its cloudy and feels raw outside.

 

I would spend part of the day churchcrawling.

 

After shopping.

 

We go to Tesco, Jools really only coming so she could get something for her cough.

 

With a few bottles of tripel and cider we managed to spend £140. A bag of rice, not white easy cook rice I'll admit, but that's £4.50 now.

 

Wow.

 

Back home with the shopping and a bottle of serious cough syrup, we put the shopping away and have breakfast.

 

No surprise then that Jools wasn't coming out with me, she wanted to get the cough under control, would only take the new syrup when needed as it can make you drowsy.

 

I had a list of churches, and first up was our local one, St Margaret.

 

They were having a craft day. I thought it might be a fayre, but was a kid's craft day. Anyway, the church would be open and I could take shots of the memorials and windows.

 

There were pagan heads at the top of each column, and as corbel stones. The more I looked, the more pagan heads, even at the top of two of the columns, but not all.

 

No real ancient glass, but good quality Victorian.

 

The church itself is the triumph, being an early Norman and well preserved.

 

Although, sadly, the tower is in poor repair and needs reroofing, which is why it is currently encased in scaffolding.

 

I am sure when we called in at Barham last week, a sign said there was a craft fayre on, so would be open. I would go back, and get some shots, I thought.

 

Its a half hour drive, if that out of Dover down the A2 and off at the Wingham turning, down the valley and parking outside the church, its spire pointing to heaven.

 

Inside the church there was no fayre again, just a warden showing a lady round. We all said "hello", and I went about getting shots.

 

I have been here at least three times, but now take the big lens to get details of the windows and memorials high up, so there are always new details to reveal.

 

Star item is the window of St George and the dragon, though is hidden in the north-west corner, and best viewed from the stairs to the belltower.

 

After 20 minutes, the visitor left and the warden turned off the lights, forgetting I was there, but I had my shots.

 

From Barham its a short drive to Bridge, then along the Nailbourne to Patrixbourne, where I see the door was open, but I had another target: Bekesbourne, the next village along, crossing the dry bed of the bourne, stopping on the lane outside the church. I look left to the Old Palace, but there were no cars parked there, so no point of even knocking, I drove on.

 

Instead of turning left back to Bridge, I turn right towards Littlebourne, no real idea where I was going.

 

Littlebourne could wait for another time, I only went back there in 2020, I went to Wingham, driving on towards Sandwich.

 

I thought, it's a long time since I was at Woodnesborough, I could cut through Ash and go there.

 

Which is what I did.

 

I could have stopped at Ash too, that's usually open, but there'll be other times. I have been there twice and got good shots last time for sure.

 

From Ash, the road climbs, leading to Woodnesborough, Woden's Hill, where there was a hill fort in antiquity. The church is on the highest point, overlooking the marshes of the old Wantsum Channel, and on to Sandwich which when the Channel was still flooded, was on a spit of land.

 

The church is a marker for miles around due to its cupola, something is shares with Ringwould near to home.

 

Inside it was so dark, I thought I would need to find the lights, but I could not find them. So, I hoped the camera would cope without.

 

It did.

 

But again, I was here really to record the windows, which were rich in detail. I took 215 shots here, 560 in a morning at three churches.

 

Not bad.

 

But I was done, what light there was, was fading, even though it was only just after one. I would go home.

 

Once home I got busy.

 

I have a taste for beans. Not baked beans, but Boston Beans. I had a recipe, and we got the ingredients that morning, so went about making a huge panful. Three tins of haricot beans, tomatoes, stock, spices, bacon, pork belly, mustard, and black treacle.

 

Cooked on the hob for an hour, then cooked long and low in the oven for four hours.

 

What came out looked and tasted like fine Boston Beans. We will be eating these for weeks.

 

At the same time I make fritters.

 

The plan was to be all cooked and eaten before the football began at three.

 

I did it with half an hour to spare, the leftover wine drunk too, meaning I would struggle to stay awake for Holland v USA game. Netherlands win pretty comfortably.

 

And in the evening, with a soundtrack of funk and soul thanks to Craig, I watch Argentine v Australia, which was a stunning game.

 

Even better, I sat on the sofa to watch, Cleo eyed me as if to say how dare you take my chosen sleeping place. But she came over, paced around, then lay between the arm of the sofa and my leg. Scully lay on the other side. I had 50% of the household cats.

 

Happier than I have been for ages.

 

Best of all was that the syrup worked, stopped the coughing, and Jools fell asleep right off.

 

------------------------------------------------

 

A morning out, revisiting some familiar fairly local churches.

 

Final visit was to Woodnesborough, aka Woden's Hill, near to Sandwich.

 

It was open, but no light switch that could be found meant that the church was dark, but the camera coped well.

 

Woodnesborough sits on the highest point near to the coast, its cupola marking the spot, and visible for miles in all directions.

 

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The tower makes this church one of the easiest in Kent to identify. It is capped by a little cupola and wooden balustrade of eighteenth-century date that replaced a medieval spire. During the Middle Ages the church was owned by Leeds Priory which invested heavily in the structure, and was no doubt responsible for the excellent sedilia built in about 1350. The canopy is supported by a quadripartite vault in turn supported by angry little heads. Above the sedilia is the cut-off end of a prickett beam. The east window, of Decorated style stonework, has a thirteenth-century hangover in the form of a shafted rere-arch. There are two excellent modern stained glass windows designed by F.W Cole, which show the Creation (1980) and St Francis (1992). The good altar rails are of Queen Anne's reign, as are the splendid Royal Arms.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Woodnesborough

 

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WOODNESBOROUGH,

¶OR Winsborough, as it is usually called, lies the next parish northward from Eastry, being written in the survey of Domesday, Wanesberge. It took its name according to Verstegan, from the Saxon idol Woden, (and it is spelt by some Wodensborough) whose place of worship was in it; however that may be, the termination of the word berge, or borough, shews it to be of high antiquity.

 

art of this parish, over which the manor of Boxley claims, is within the jurisdiction of the justices of the town and port of Sandwich, and liberty of the cinque ports; and the residue is in the hundred of Eastry, and jurisdiction of the county of Kent.

 

There are three boroughs in this parish, viz. Cold Friday, Hamwold, and Marshborough; the borsholders of which are chosen at the petty sessions of the justices, acting at Wingham, for the east division of the lath of St. Augustine.

 

THIS PARISH is large, being two miles and an half one way, and upwards of a mile and an half the other. The church stands nearly in the centre of it, on high ground. At a small distance from the church is Woodnesborough hill, both of which are sea marks. This hill is a very high mount, seemingly thrown up by art, and consisting of a sandy earth, it has been thought by some to have been the place on which the idol Woden from whom this place is supposed to have taken its name) was worshipped in the time of the Saxons; by others to be the burial place of Vortimer, the Saxon king, who died in 457, whilst others suppose this mount was raised over those who fell in the battle fought between Ceoldred, king of Mercia, and Ina, king of the West Saxons, in the year 715, at Woodnesbeorb, according to the Saxon chronicle, which name Dr. Plot supposes to be Woodnesborough. Vortimer, as our historians tell us, at his death, desired to be buried near the place where the Saxons used to land, being persuaded that his bones would deter them from any attempt in future. Though authors differ much on the place of his burial, yet this mount at Woodnesborough is as probable, or more so, perhaps, than any other, for it was near to, and was cast up so high as to be plainly seen from the Portus Rutupinus, which at that time was the general landing place of the Saxon fleets. Some years ago there were found upon the top of it sundry sepulchral remains, viz. a glass vessel (engraved by the Rev. Mr. Douglas, in his Nænia;) a fibula, (engraved by Mr. Eoys, in his collections for Sandwich;) the head of a spear, and some fragments of Roman vessels. Much of the earth of sand has been lately removed round the sides of it, but nothing further has been found.

 

At a small distance northward from hence, at the bottom of a short steep hill, lies the village called Woodnesborough-street, and sometimes Cold Fridaystreet, containing thirty four houses. The vicaragehouse is situated in the middle of it, being a new handsome building; almost contiguous to it is a handsome sashed house, belonging to the Jull family, now made use of as a poor-house; through this street the road leads to Sandwich. West ward of the street stands the parsonage-house, late the seat of Oliver Stephens, esq. deceased, and now of his window, as will be further noticed hereafter. Besides the manors and estates in this parish, particularly described, in the western parts of it there are several hamlets, as Somerfield, Barnsole, Coombe, with New-street, Great and Little Flemings, Ringlemere, and the farm of Christians Court.

 

In the north east part of the parish, the road from Eastry, by the parsonage of Woodnesborough northwestward, divides; one road, which in antient deeds is called Lovekys-street, going towards Ash-street; the other through the hamlet of Marshborough, formerly called Marshborough, alias Stipins, to Each End and Sandwich, the two windmills close to the entrance of which are with in the bounds of this parish. Each, Upper Each, called antiently Upriche, and Each End, antiently called Netheriche, were both formerly accounted manors, and are mentioned as such in the marriage settlement of Henry Whyte, esq. in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign. After the Whytes, these manors passed in like manner as Grove, in this parish, to the James's. Upper Each, or Upriche, has for many years belonged to the family of Abbot, of Ramsgate, and is now the property of John Abbot, esq. of Canterbury. Each End, or Netheriche, belongs, one moiety to the heirs or devisees of the late earl of Strafford, and the other moiety to John Matson, esq. of Sandwich.

 

¶It cannot but occur to the reader how much this parish abounds with Saxon names, besides the name of Wodens borough, the street of Cold Friday, mentioned before, is certainly derived from the Saxon words, Cola, and Friga, which latter was the name of a goddess, worshipped by the Saxons, and her day Frige-deag, from whence our day of Friday is derived; other places in this parish, mentioned before likewise, claim, surely, their original from the same language.

 

This parish contains about 3000 acres, the whole rents of it being about 3373l. yearly value. It is very bare of coppice wood; the Old Wood, so called, in Ringleton, being the only one in it. The soil of this parish is very rich and fertile, equal to those the most so in this neighbourhood, particularly as to the plantations of hops, which have much increased within these few years past. The middle of the parish is high ground, and is in general a flat open country of arable common fields. West and south-westward the lands are more inclosed with hedges. North and north-westward of the parsonage, towards Sandwich, they are low and wet, consisting of a large level of marsh land, the nearness of which makes the other parts of this parish rather unhealthy, which is not otherwise very pleasant in any part of it. There was a fair held here yearly, on Holy Thursday, but it has been for some time disused.

 

In Ringleton field, in this parish, there was found about the year 1514, a fine gold coin, weighing about twelve shillings, with a loop of the same metal to hang it by; on one side was the figure of a young man in armour, a helmet on his head, and a spear over his right shoulder; on the reverse, the figure of Victory, with a sword in her hand, the point downwards.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, consists of a nave, and two isles, having a square tower steeple at the west end, with a modern wooden turret and vane at the top of it, in which are five bells, made in 1676. It had a high spire on the tower, which was taken down some years ago. At the east end of the chancel is a marble tablet for John Cason, esq. of this place, justice of the peace, obt. 1718; John Cason, esq. his son, obt. 1755; arms,Argent, a chevron, sable, between three wolves heads, erased, gules, on an escutcheon of pretence, sable, a chevron, between three fleurs de lis, of the field; another for Thomas Blechenden, of the antient family of that name, of Aldington, in Kent, obt. 1661; arms, Azure, a fess nebulee, argent, between three lions heads erased, or, attired, gules, impalingBoys. On the south side, an antient altar monument with gothic pillars and arches, having had shields and arms, now obliterated. Against the wall, under the canopy, two brass plates, which have been removed to this place, from two grave-stones in the chancel; the first for Sir John Parcar, late vicar of this church, who died the v.day of May, a°o dni m° v° xiij° on the second are Latin verses to the memory of Nichs Spencer, esq. obt. 1593. In the middle of the chancel, a gravestone for William Docksey, esq. of Snellston, in Derbyshire, a justice of the peace, obt. 1760; Sarah his wife, youngest daughter of John Cason, esq. obt. 1774; arms,Or, a lion rampant, azure, surmounted of a bend, argent. On a gravestone on the north side of the chancel, on a brass plate, On a chevron, three quatersoils, between three annulets, quartering other coats, now obliterated, for Master Myghell Heyre, sumtyme vicar of this churche, who dyed the xxii day of July, m° v° xxviii. In the north isle are several memorials for the family of Gillow, arms, A lion rampant, in chief, three fleurs de lis. At the entrance into the chancel, on a grave-stone, on a brass plate, John Hill, gent. of the parish of Nassall, in Staffordshire, obt. 1605. A mural monument for William Gibbs, of this parish, obt. 1777; arms,Argent, three battle axes, in fess, sable. In the church-yard are altar tombs to the memory of the Julls, and for Sladden; one for John Verall, gent. sometime mayor of Sandwich, obt. 1610; and another for John Benchkin, of Pouton, obt. 1639.

 

There were formerly painted in the windows of this church,Or, a chief indented, azure, for John de Sandwich. Several coats of arms, among which were those of Valence and St. Leger,Argent, three leaves in sinster bend, their points downward, proper.— On a canton, azure, three crescents, or, for Grove.— Argent, three escallops in chief, or, in base a crescent, gules, for Helpestone, usually called Hilpurton, bailiff of Sandwich, in 1299. A shield, being Helpeston's badge, another On a fess engrailed, three cinquefoils, between three garbs, for John Hill, of Nasall, in Staffordshire, who lies buried in this church. —A fess engrailed, three lions rampant, in chief, on the fess, a crescent for difference, for Spencer, customer, of Sandwich. — Quarterly, four coats; first, On a chevron, three quaterfoils; second, Per pale, ermine and argent; third, A cross, between four pomegranates, slipped; sourth,Three bars, wavy, for Michael Heyre, vicar here in 1520.

 

The church of Woodnesborough was given, in the reign of king Henry I. by a religious woman, one Ascelina de Wodensberg, to the priory of Ledes, soon after the foundation of it; to which deed was witness Robert de Crevequer, founder of the priory, Elias his son, and others; which gift was confirmed by the said Robert, who by his charter, released to the priory all his right and title to it. It was likewise confirmed by archbishop Theobald, and several of his successors, and by king Henry III. by his charter of inspeximus in his 41st year.

 

Archbishop William Corboil, who came to the see of Canterbury, three years after the foundation of Ledes priory, at the instance and petition of Ascelina above mentioned, who resigned this church into his hands for this purpose, appropriated it to the prior and convent, for the finding of necessary cloaths, for the canons there; and a vicarage was accordingly endowed in it.

 

There was a controversy between the prior and convent, and Adam, vicar of this church, in 1627, anno 14 Henry II. concerning the great tithes arising from the crofts and curtilages within this parish, which was referred to the prior of Rochester, who was the pope's delegate for this purpose, who determined that the prior and convent of Ledes, as rectors of this church, should receive, without any exception, all the great tithes of wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, and of every fort of corn arising, or to arise from all lands, crofts, curtilages, or other places whatever, situated within the bounds, of this parish; and that the prior and convent should yearly pay to the said vicar, and his successors, half a seam of barley, and half a seam of beans, at the nativity of our Lord. (fn. 10)

 

¶After which, this parsonage appropriate,(which appears to have been esteemed as a manor) together with the advowson of the vicarage, remained with the prior and convent of Ledes, till its dissolution in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. when it was, with all its lands and possessions, surrendered into the king's hands, who by his dotation charter, in his 33d year, settled both parsonage and advowson on his new-founded dean and chapter of Rochester, with whom they remain at this time. On the dissolution of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. this parsonage was surveyed in 1649, when is appeared that the manor or parsonage of Woodnesborough, with the scite thereof, and all manner of tithes belonging to it, with a garden and orchard of one acre, was valued all together at 300l. that the lessee was to repair the premises, and the chancel of the church; that the vicarage was worth fifty pounds per annum. The then incumbent was under sequestration, and there was none to serve the cure; and that the church was then quite ruinated, and in great decay. (fn. 11)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol10/pp121-144

  

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A long and light church, best viewed from the south. Like nearby Ickham it is cruciform in plan, with a west rather than central, tower. Sometimes this is the result of a later tower being added, but here it is an early feature indeed, at least the same age (if not earlier) than the body of the church. Lord Kitchener lived in the parish, so his name appears on the War Memorial. At the west end of the south aisle, tucked out of the way, is the memorial to Sir Basil Dixwell (d 1750). There are two twentieth century windows by Martin Travers. The 1925 east window shows Our Lady and Child beneath the typical Travers Baroque Canopy. Under the tower, affixed to the wall, are some Flemish tiles, purchased under the will of John Digge who died in 1375. His memorial brass survives in the Vestry.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barham

 

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Many churches in Kent are well known for their yew trees but St. John the Baptist at Barham is noteworthy for its magnificent beech trees.

 

The Church guide suggests that there has been a Church here since the 9th Century but the present structure was probably started in the 12th Century although Syms, in his book about Kent Country Churches, states that there is a hint of possible Norman construction at the base of the present tower. The bulk of the Church covers the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular periods of building. Many of the huge roof beams, ties and posts are original 14th Century as are the three arches leading into the aisle..

 

In the Northwest corner is a small 13th Century window containing modern glass depicting St. George slaying the dragon and dedicated to the 23rd Signal Company. The Church also contains a White Ensign which was presented to it by Viscount Broome, a local resident. The Ensign was from 'H.M.S. Raglan' which was also commanded by Viscount Broome. The ship was sunk in January, 1918 by the German light cruiser 'Breslau'.

 

The walls contain various mural tablets. Hanging high on the west wall is a helmet said to have belonged to Sir Basil Dixwell of Broome Park. The helmet probably never saw action but was carried at his funeral.

 

The floor in the north transept is uneven because some years ago three brasses were found there. According to popular medieval custom engraved metal cut-outs were sunk into indented stone slabs and secured with rivets and pitch. In order to save them from further damage the brasses were lifted and placed on the walls. The oldest dates from about 1370 is of a civilian but very mutilated. The other two are in good condition and dated about 1460. One is of a woman wearing the dress of a widow which was similar to a nun. The other is of a bare headed man in plate armour. These are believed to be of John Digges and his wife Joan.

 

At the west end of the church is a list of Rectors and Priests-in-Charge - the first being Otho Caputh in 1280. Notice should be made of Richard Hooker (1594), the author of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The tiles incorporated into the wall were originally in place in the Chancel about 1375. They were left by John Digges whose Will instructed that he was to be buried in the Chancel and "my executors are to buy Flanders tiles to pave the said Chancel".

 

The 14th century font is large enough to submerse a baby - as would have been the custom of the time. The bowl is octagonal representing the first day of the new week, the day of Christ's resurrection. The cover is Jacobean.

 

The Millennium Window in the South Transept was designed and constructed by Alexandra Le Rossignol and was dedicated in July 2001. The cost of the project (approximately £6,500) was raised locally with the first donation being made by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey.

 

The porch contains two wooden plaques listing the names of men from the village who were killed in the Great Wars - among them being Field Marshall Lord Kitchener of Broome Park.

 

www.barham-kent.org.uk/landmark_church.htm

 

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ANTIENTLY written Bereham, lies the next parish eastward. There are five boroughs in it, viz. of Buxton, Outelmeston, Derrington, Breach, and Shelving. The manor of Bishopsborne claims over almost the whole of this parish, at the court of which the four latter borsholders are chosen, and the manors of Reculver and Adisham over a small part of it.

 

BARHAM is situated at the confines of that beautiful country heretofore described, the same Nailbourne valley running through it, near which, in like manner the land is very fertile, but all the rest of it is a chalky barren soil. On the rise of the hill northward from it, is the village called Barham-street, with the church, and just beyond the summit of it, on the further side Barham court, having its front towards the downs, over part of which this parish extends, and gives name to them. At the foot of the same hill, further eastward, is the mansion of Brome, with its adjoining plantatious, a conspicuous object from the downs, to which by inclosing a part of them, the grounds extend as far as the Dover road, close to Denne-hill, and a costly entrance has been erected into them there. By the corner of Brome house the road leads to the left through Denton-street, close up to which this parish extends, towards Folkestone; and to the right, towards Eleham and Hythe. One this road, within the bounds of this parish, in a chalky and stony country, of poor barren land, there is a large waste of pasture, called Breach down, on which there are a number of tumuli, or barrows. By the road side there have been found several skeletons, one of which had round its neck a string of beads, of various forms and sizes, from a pidgeon's egg to a pea, and by it a sword, dagger, and spear; the others lay in good order, without any particular thing to distinguish them. (fn. 1)

 

In the Nailbourne valley, near the stream, are the two hamlets of Derrington and South Barham; from thence the hills, on the opposite side of it to those already mentioned, rise southward pretty high, the tops of them being covered with woods, one of them being that large one called Covert wood, a manor belonging to the archbishop, and partly in this parish, being the beginning of a poor hilly country, covered with stones, and enveloped with frequent woods.

 

BARHAM, which, as appears by the survey of Domesday, formerly lay in a hundred of its own name, was given anno 809, by the estimation of seven ploughlands, by Cenulph, king of Kent, to archbishop Wlfred, free from all secular demands, except the trinoda necessitas, but this was for the use of his church; for the archbishop, anno 824, gave the monks lands in Egelhorne and Langeduna, in exchange for it. After which it came into the possession of archbishop Stigand, but, as appears by Domesday, not in right of his archbishopric, at the taking of which survey, it was become part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the title of whose lands it is thus entered in it:

 

In Berham hundred, Fulbert holds of the bishop Berham. It was taxed at six sulings. The arable land is thirty two carucates. In demesne there are three carucates, and fifty two villeins, with twenty cottagers having eighteen carucates. There is a church, and one mill of twenty shillings and four pence. There are twentlyfive fisheries of thirty-five shillings all four pence. Of average, that is service, sixty shilling. Of herbage twenty six shillings, and twenty acres of meadow Of pannage sufficient for one hundred and fifty hogs. Of this manor the bishop gave one berewic to Herbert, the son of Ivo, which is called Hugham, and there be has one carucate in demesne, and twelve villeins, with nine carucates, and twenty acres of meadow. Of the same manor the bisoop gave to Osberne Paisforere one suling and two mills of fifty sbillings, and there is in demesne one carucate, and four villeins with one carucate. The whole of Barbam, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, was worth forty pounds, when be received it the like, and yet it yielded to him one hundred pounds, now Berhem of itself is worth forty pounds, and Hucham ten pounds, and this which Osberne bas six pounds, and the land of one Ralph, a knight, is worth forty shillings. This manor Stigand, the archbishop held, but it was not of the archbishopric, but was of the demesne ferm of king Edward.

 

On the bishop's disgrace four years afterwards, and his estates being confiscated to the crown, the seignory of this parish most probably returned to the see of Canterbury, with which it has ever since continued. The estate mentioned above in Domesday to have been held of the bishop by Fulbert, comprehended, in all likelihood, the several manors and other estates in this parish, now held of the manor of Bishopsborne, one of these was THE MANOR AND SEAT OF BARHAM-COURT, situated near the church, which probably was originally the court-lodge of the manor of Barham in very early times, before it became united to that of Bishopsborne, and in king Henry II.'s time was held of the archbishop by knight's service, by Sir Randal Fitzurse, who was one of the four knights belonging to the king's houshould, who murdered archbishop Becket anno 1170; after perpetrating which, Sir Randal fled into Ireland, and changed his name to Mac-Mahon, and one of his relations took possession of this estate, and assumed the name of Berham from it; and accordingly, his descendant Warin de Berham is recorded in the return made by the sheriff anno 12 and 13 king John, among others of the archbishop's tenants by knight's service, as holding lands in Berham of him, in whose posterity it continued till Thomas Barham, esq. in the very beginning of king James I.'s reign, alienated it to the Rev. Charles Fotherbye, dean of Canterbury, who died possessed of it in 1619. He was eldest son of Martin Fotherby, of Great Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, and eldest brother of Martin Fotherby, bishop of Salisbury. He had a grant of arms, Gules, a cross of lozenges flory, or, assigned to him and Martin his brother, by Camden, clarencieux, in 1605. (fn. 2) His only surviving son Sir John Fotherbye, of Barham-court, died in 1666, and was buried in that cathedral with his father. At length his grandson Charles, who died in 1720, leaving two daughters his coheirs; Mary, the eldest, inherited this manor by her father's will, and afterwards married Henry Mompesson, esq. of Wiltshire, (fn. 3) who resided at Barhamcourt, and died in 1732, s. p. and she again carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Dering, bart. of Surrenden, whose second wife she was. (fn. 4) He lest her surviving, and three children by her, Charles Dering, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Farnaby, bart. since deceased, by whom he has an only surviving daughter, married to George Dering, esq. of Rolling, the youngest son of the late Sir Edw. Dering, bart. and her first cousin; Mary married Sir Robert Hilyard, bart. and Thomas Dering, esq. of London. Lady Dering died in 1775, and was succeeded by her eldest son Charles Dering, esq. afterwards of Barhamcourt, the present owner of it. It is at present occupied by Gen. Sir Charles Grey, bart. K. B. commanderin chief of the southern district of this kingdom.

 

THE MANORS OF BROME and OUTELMESTONE, alias DIGGS COURT, are situated in this parish; the latter in the valley, at the western boundary of it, was the first residence in this county of the eminent family of Digg, or, as they were asterwards called, Diggs, whence it gained its name of Diggs-court. John, son of Roger de Mildenhall, otherwise called Digg, the first-mentioned in the pedigrees of this family, lived in king Henry III.'s reign, at which time he, or one of this family of the same name, was possessed of the aldermanry of Newingate, in Canterbury, as part of their inheritance. His descendants continued to reside at Diggs-court, and bore for their arms, Gules, on a cross argent, five eagles with two heads displayed, sable, One of whom, James Diggs, of Diggs-court, died in 1535. At his death he gave the manor and seat of Outelmeston, alias Diggs-court, to his eldest son (by his first wife) John, and the manor of Brome to his youngest son, (by his second wife) Leonard, whose descendants were of Chilham castle. (fn. 5) John Diggs, esq. was of Diggs-court, whose descendant Thomas Posthumus Diggs, esq. about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated this manor, with Diggs-place, to Capt. Halsey, of London, and he sold it to Sir Tho. Somes, alderman of London, who again parted with it to Sir B. Dixwell, bart. and he passed it away to Sir Thomas Williams, bart. whose heir Sir John Williams, bart. conveyed it, about the year 1706, to Daniel and Nathaniel Matson, and on the death of the former, the latter became wholly possessed of it, and his descendant Henry Matson, about the year 1730, gave it by will to the trustees for the repair of Dover harbour, in whom it continues at this time vested for that purpose.

 

BUT THE MANOR OF BROME, which came to Leonard Diggs, esq. by his father's will as above-mentioned, was sold by him to Basil Dixwell, esq. second son of Cha. Dixwell, esq. of Coton, in Warwickshire, then of Tevlingham, in Folkestone, who having built a handsome mansion for his residence on this manor, removed to it in 1622. In the second year of king Charles I. he served the office of sheriff with much honour and hospitality; after which he was knighted, and cveated a baronet. He died unmarried in 1641, having devised this manor and seat, with the rest of his estates, to his nephew Mark Dixwell, son of his elder brother William, of Coton above-mentioned, who afterwards resided at Brome, whose son Basil Dixwell, esq. of Brome, was anno 12 Charles II. created a baronet. He bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron, gules, between three sleurs de lis, sable. His only son Sir Basil Dixwell, bart. of Brome, died at Brome,s. p. in 1750, and devised this, among the rest of his estates, to his kinsman George Oxenden, esq. second son of Sir Geo. Oxenden, bart. of Dean, in Wingham, with an injunction for him to take the name and arms of Dixwell, for which an act passed anno 25 George II. but he died soon afterwards, unmarried, having devised this manor and seat to his father Sir George Oxenden, who settled it on his eldest and only surviving son, now Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is the present owner of it. He resides at Brome, which he has, as well as the grounds about it, much altered and improved for these many years successively.

 

SHELVING is a manor, situated in the borough of its own name, at the eastern boundary of this parish, which was so called from a family who were in antient times the possessors of it. John de Shelving resided here in king Edward I.'s reign, and married Helen, daughter and heir of John de Bourne, by whom he had Waretius de Shelving, whose son, J. de Shelving, of Shelvingborne, married Benedicta de Hougham, and died possessed of this manor anno 4 Edward III. After which it descended to their daughter Benedicta, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edmund de Haut, of Petham, in whose descendants, in like manner as Shelvington, alias Hautsborne, above-described, it continued down to Sir William Haut, of Hautsborne, in king Henry VIII's reign, whose eldest daughter and coheir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Tho. Colepeper, esq. of Bedgbury, who in the beginning of king Edward VI.'s reign passed it away to Walter Mantle, whose window carried it by a second marriage to Christopher Carlell, gent. who bore for his arms, Or, a cross flory, gules; one of whose descendants sold it to Stephen Hobday, in whose name it continued till Hester, daughter of Hills Hobday, carried it in marriage to J. Lade, esq. of Boughton, and he having obtained an act for the purpose, alienated it to E. Bridges, esq. of Wootton-court, who passed away part of it to Sir George Oxenden, bart. whose son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, now owns it; but Mr. Bridges died possessed of the remaining part in 1780, and his eldest son the Rev. Edward Timewell Brydges, is the present possessor of it.

 

MAY DEACON, as it has been for many years past both called and written, is a seat in the southern part of this parish, adjoining to Denton-street, in which parish part of it is situated. Its original and true name was Madekin, being so called from a family who were owners of it, and continued so, as appears by the deeds of it, till king Henry VI's reign, in the beginning of which it passed from that name to Sydnor, in which it continued till king Henry VIII.'s reign, when Paul Sydnor, who upon his obtaining from the king a grant of Brenchley manor, removed thither, and alienated this seat to James Brooker, who resided here, and his sole daughter and heir carried it in marriage, in queen Elizabeth's reign, to Sir Henry Oxenden, of Dene, in Wingham, whose grandson Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. sold it in 1664, to Edward Adye, esq. the second son of John Adye, esq. of Doddington, one of whose daughters and coheirs, Rosamond, entitled her husband George Elcock, esq. afterwards of Madekin, to it, and his daughter and heir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Capt. Charles Fotherby, whose eldest daughter and coheir Mary, entitled her two successive husbands, Henry Mompesson, esq. and Sir Edward Dering, bart. to the possession of it, and Charles Dering, esq. of Barham-court, eldest son of the latter, by her, is at this time the owner of it. The seat is now inhabited by Henry Oxenden, esq.

 

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly maintained are about forty, casually fifteen.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanryof Bridge.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, is a handsome building, consisting of a body and side isle, a cross or sept, and a high chancel, having a slim tall spire at the west end, in which are four bells. In the chancel are memorials for George Elcock, esq. of Madeacon, obt. 1703, and for his wife and children; for Charles Bean, A. M. rector, obt. 1731. A monument for William Barne, gent. son of the Rev. Miles Barne. His grandfather was Sir William Barne, of Woolwich, obt. 1706; arms, Azure, three leopards faces, argent. Several memorials for the Nethersoles, of this parish. In the south sept is a magnificent pyramid of marble for the family of Dixwell, who lie buried in a vault underneath, and inscriptions for them. In the north sept is a monument for the Fotherbys. On the pavement, on a gravestone, are the figures of an armed knight (his feet on a greyhound) and his wife; arms, A cross, quartering six lozenges, three and three. In the east window these arms, Gules, three crowns, or—Gules, three lions passant in pale, or. This chapel was dedicated to St. Giles, and some of the family of Diggs were buried in it; and there are memorials for several of the Legrands. There are three tombs of the Lades in the church-yard, the inscriptions obliterated, but the dates remaining are 1603, 1625, and 1660. There were formerly in the windows of this church these arms, Ermine, a chief, quarterly, or, and gules, and underneath, Jacobus Peccam. Another coat, Bruine and Rocheleyquartered; and another, Gules, a fess between three lions heads, erased, argent, and underneath,Orate p ais Roberti Baptford & Johe ux; which family resided at Barham, the last of whom, Sir John Baptford, lest an only daughter and heir, married to John Earde, of Denton.

 

¶The church of Barham has always been accounted as a chapel to the church of Bishopsborne, and as such is included in the valuation of it in the king's books. In 1588 here were communicants one hundred and eighty; in 1640 there were two hundred and fifty.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp350-358

The news was that Jools' cough was little better. She got a mail back from the surgery on Friday saying her (non-urgent) appointment with the doctor was on December 14th. But as we were going to Tesco, she would have a chat with the pharmasist and see about some of the behind the counter stuff.

 

Winter has arrived, though no snow as yet, but the wind is set in the east, its cloudy and feels raw outside.

 

I would spend part of the day churchcrawling.

 

After shopping.

 

We go to Tesco, Jools really only coming so she could get something for her cough.

 

With a few bottles of tripel and cider we managed to spend £140. A bag of rice, not white easy cook rice I'll admit, but that's £4.50 now.

 

Wow.

 

Back home with the shopping and a bottle of serious cough syrup, we put the shopping away and have breakfast.

 

No surprise then that Jools wasn't coming out with me, she wanted to get the cough under control, would only take the new syrup when needed as it can make you drowsy.

 

I had a list of churches, and first up was our local one, St Margaret.

 

They were having a craft day. I thought it might be a fayre, but was a kid's craft day. Anyway, the church would be open and I could take shots of the memorials and windows.

 

There were pagan heads at the top of each column, and as corbel stones. The more I looked, the more pagan heads, even at the top of two of the columns, but not all.

 

No real ancient glass, but good quality Victorian.

 

The church itself is the triumph, being an early Norman and well preserved.

 

Although, sadly, the tower is in poor repair and needs reroofing, which is why it is currently encased in scaffolding.

 

I am sure when we called in at Barham last week, a sign said there was a craft fayre on, so would be open. I would go back, and get some shots, I thought.

 

Its a half hour drive, if that out of Dover down the A2 and off at the Wingham turning, down the valley and parking outside the church, its spire pointing to heaven.

 

Inside the church there was no fayre again, just a warden showing a lady round. We all said "hello", and I went about getting shots.

 

I have been here at least three times, but now take the big lens to get details of the windows and memorials high up, so there are always new details to reveal.

 

Star item is the window of St George and the dragon, though is hidden in the north-west corner, and best viewed from the stairs to the belltower.

 

After 20 minutes, the visitor left and the warden turned off the lights, forgetting I was there, but I had my shots.

 

From Barham its a short drive to Bridge, then along the Nailbourne to Patrixbourne, where I see the door was open, but I had another target: Bekesbourne, the next village along, crossing the dry bed of the bourne, stopping on the lane outside the church. I look left to the Old Palace, but there were no cars parked there, so no point of even knocking, I drove on.

 

Instead of turning left back to Bridge, I turn right towards Littlebourne, no real idea where I was going.

 

Littlebourne could wait for another time, I only went back there in 2020, I went to Wingham, driving on towards Sandwich.

 

I thought, it's a long time since I was at Woodnesborough, I could cut through Ash and go there.

 

Which is what I did.

 

I could have stopped at Ash too, that's usually open, but there'll be other times. I have been there twice and got good shots last time for sure.

 

From Ash, the road climbs, leading to Woodnesborough, Woden's Hill, where there was a hill fort in antiquity. The church is on the highest point, overlooking the marshes of the old Wantsum Channel, and on to Sandwich which when the Channel was still flooded, was on a spit of land.

 

The church is a marker for miles around due to its cupola, something is shares with Ringwould near to home.

 

Inside it was so dark, I thought I would need to find the lights, but I could not find them. So, I hoped the camera would cope without.

 

It did.

 

But again, I was here really to record the windows, which were rich in detail. I took 215 shots here, 560 in a morning at three churches.

 

Not bad.

 

But I was done, what light there was, was fading, even though it was only just after one. I would go home.

 

Once home I got busy.

 

I have a taste for beans. Not baked beans, but Boston Beans. I had a recipe, and we got the ingredients that morning, so went about making a huge panful. Three tins of haricot beans, tomatoes, stock, spices, bacon, pork belly, mustard, and black treacle.

 

Cooked on the hob for an hour, then cooked long and low in the oven for four hours.

 

What came out looked and tasted like fine Boston Beans. We will be eating these for weeks.

 

At the same time I make fritters.

 

The plan was to be all cooked and eaten before the football began at three.

 

I did it with half an hour to spare, the leftover wine drunk too, meaning I would struggle to stay awake for Holland v USA game. Netherlands win pretty comfortably.

 

And in the evening, with a soundtrack of funk and soul thanks to Craig, I watch Argentine v Australia, which was a stunning game.

 

Even better, I sat on the sofa to watch, Cleo eyed me as if to say how dare you take my chosen sleeping place. But she came over, paced around, then lay between the arm of the sofa and my leg. Scully lay on the other side. I had 50% of the household cats.

 

Happier than I have been for ages.

 

Best of all was that the syrup worked, stopped the coughing, and Jools fell asleep right off.

 

------------------------------------------------

 

A morning out, revisiting some familiar fairly local churches.

 

Final visit was to Woodnesborough, aka Woden's Hill, near to Sandwich.

 

It was open, but no light switch that could be found meant that the church was dark, but the camera coped well.

 

Woodnesborough sits on the highest point near to the coast, its cupola marking the spot, and visible for miles in all directions.

 

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The tower makes this church one of the easiest in Kent to identify. It is capped by a little cupola and wooden balustrade of eighteenth-century date that replaced a medieval spire. During the Middle Ages the church was owned by Leeds Priory which invested heavily in the structure, and was no doubt responsible for the excellent sedilia built in about 1350. The canopy is supported by a quadripartite vault in turn supported by angry little heads. Above the sedilia is the cut-off end of a prickett beam. The east window, of Decorated style stonework, has a thirteenth-century hangover in the form of a shafted rere-arch. There are two excellent modern stained glass windows designed by F.W Cole, which show the Creation (1980) and St Francis (1992). The good altar rails are of Queen Anne's reign, as are the splendid Royal Arms.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Woodnesborough

 

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WOODNESBOROUGH,

¶OR Winsborough, as it is usually called, lies the next parish northward from Eastry, being written in the survey of Domesday, Wanesberge. It took its name according to Verstegan, from the Saxon idol Woden, (and it is spelt by some Wodensborough) whose place of worship was in it; however that may be, the termination of the word berge, or borough, shews it to be of high antiquity.

 

art of this parish, over which the manor of Boxley claims, is within the jurisdiction of the justices of the town and port of Sandwich, and liberty of the cinque ports; and the residue is in the hundred of Eastry, and jurisdiction of the county of Kent.

 

There are three boroughs in this parish, viz. Cold Friday, Hamwold, and Marshborough; the borsholders of which are chosen at the petty sessions of the justices, acting at Wingham, for the east division of the lath of St. Augustine.

 

THIS PARISH is large, being two miles and an half one way, and upwards of a mile and an half the other. The church stands nearly in the centre of it, on high ground. At a small distance from the church is Woodnesborough hill, both of which are sea marks. This hill is a very high mount, seemingly thrown up by art, and consisting of a sandy earth, it has been thought by some to have been the place on which the idol Woden from whom this place is supposed to have taken its name) was worshipped in the time of the Saxons; by others to be the burial place of Vortimer, the Saxon king, who died in 457, whilst others suppose this mount was raised over those who fell in the battle fought between Ceoldred, king of Mercia, and Ina, king of the West Saxons, in the year 715, at Woodnesbeorb, according to the Saxon chronicle, which name Dr. Plot supposes to be Woodnesborough. Vortimer, as our historians tell us, at his death, desired to be buried near the place where the Saxons used to land, being persuaded that his bones would deter them from any attempt in future. Though authors differ much on the place of his burial, yet this mount at Woodnesborough is as probable, or more so, perhaps, than any other, for it was near to, and was cast up so high as to be plainly seen from the Portus Rutupinus, which at that time was the general landing place of the Saxon fleets. Some years ago there were found upon the top of it sundry sepulchral remains, viz. a glass vessel (engraved by the Rev. Mr. Douglas, in his Nænia;) a fibula, (engraved by Mr. Eoys, in his collections for Sandwich;) the head of a spear, and some fragments of Roman vessels. Much of the earth of sand has been lately removed round the sides of it, but nothing further has been found.

 

At a small distance northward from hence, at the bottom of a short steep hill, lies the village called Woodnesborough-street, and sometimes Cold Fridaystreet, containing thirty four houses. The vicaragehouse is situated in the middle of it, being a new handsome building; almost contiguous to it is a handsome sashed house, belonging to the Jull family, now made use of as a poor-house; through this street the road leads to Sandwich. West ward of the street stands the parsonage-house, late the seat of Oliver Stephens, esq. deceased, and now of his window, as will be further noticed hereafter. Besides the manors and estates in this parish, particularly described, in the western parts of it there are several hamlets, as Somerfield, Barnsole, Coombe, with New-street, Great and Little Flemings, Ringlemere, and the farm of Christians Court.

 

In the north east part of the parish, the road from Eastry, by the parsonage of Woodnesborough northwestward, divides; one road, which in antient deeds is called Lovekys-street, going towards Ash-street; the other through the hamlet of Marshborough, formerly called Marshborough, alias Stipins, to Each End and Sandwich, the two windmills close to the entrance of which are with in the bounds of this parish. Each, Upper Each, called antiently Upriche, and Each End, antiently called Netheriche, were both formerly accounted manors, and are mentioned as such in the marriage settlement of Henry Whyte, esq. in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign. After the Whytes, these manors passed in like manner as Grove, in this parish, to the James's. Upper Each, or Upriche, has for many years belonged to the family of Abbot, of Ramsgate, and is now the property of John Abbot, esq. of Canterbury. Each End, or Netheriche, belongs, one moiety to the heirs or devisees of the late earl of Strafford, and the other moiety to John Matson, esq. of Sandwich.

 

¶It cannot but occur to the reader how much this parish abounds with Saxon names, besides the name of Wodens borough, the street of Cold Friday, mentioned before, is certainly derived from the Saxon words, Cola, and Friga, which latter was the name of a goddess, worshipped by the Saxons, and her day Frige-deag, from whence our day of Friday is derived; other places in this parish, mentioned before likewise, claim, surely, their original from the same language.

 

This parish contains about 3000 acres, the whole rents of it being about 3373l. yearly value. It is very bare of coppice wood; the Old Wood, so called, in Ringleton, being the only one in it. The soil of this parish is very rich and fertile, equal to those the most so in this neighbourhood, particularly as to the plantations of hops, which have much increased within these few years past. The middle of the parish is high ground, and is in general a flat open country of arable common fields. West and south-westward the lands are more inclosed with hedges. North and north-westward of the parsonage, towards Sandwich, they are low and wet, consisting of a large level of marsh land, the nearness of which makes the other parts of this parish rather unhealthy, which is not otherwise very pleasant in any part of it. There was a fair held here yearly, on Holy Thursday, but it has been for some time disused.

 

In Ringleton field, in this parish, there was found about the year 1514, a fine gold coin, weighing about twelve shillings, with a loop of the same metal to hang it by; on one side was the figure of a young man in armour, a helmet on his head, and a spear over his right shoulder; on the reverse, the figure of Victory, with a sword in her hand, the point downwards.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, consists of a nave, and two isles, having a square tower steeple at the west end, with a modern wooden turret and vane at the top of it, in which are five bells, made in 1676. It had a high spire on the tower, which was taken down some years ago. At the east end of the chancel is a marble tablet for John Cason, esq. of this place, justice of the peace, obt. 1718; John Cason, esq. his son, obt. 1755; arms,Argent, a chevron, sable, between three wolves heads, erased, gules, on an escutcheon of pretence, sable, a chevron, between three fleurs de lis, of the field; another for Thomas Blechenden, of the antient family of that name, of Aldington, in Kent, obt. 1661; arms, Azure, a fess nebulee, argent, between three lions heads erased, or, attired, gules, impalingBoys. On the south side, an antient altar monument with gothic pillars and arches, having had shields and arms, now obliterated. Against the wall, under the canopy, two brass plates, which have been removed to this place, from two grave-stones in the chancel; the first for Sir John Parcar, late vicar of this church, who died the v.day of May, a°o dni m° v° xiij° on the second are Latin verses to the memory of Nichs Spencer, esq. obt. 1593. In the middle of the chancel, a gravestone for William Docksey, esq. of Snellston, in Derbyshire, a justice of the peace, obt. 1760; Sarah his wife, youngest daughter of John Cason, esq. obt. 1774; arms,Or, a lion rampant, azure, surmounted of a bend, argent. On a gravestone on the north side of the chancel, on a brass plate, On a chevron, three quatersoils, between three annulets, quartering other coats, now obliterated, for Master Myghell Heyre, sumtyme vicar of this churche, who dyed the xxii day of July, m° v° xxviii. In the north isle are several memorials for the family of Gillow, arms, A lion rampant, in chief, three fleurs de lis. At the entrance into the chancel, on a grave-stone, on a brass plate, John Hill, gent. of the parish of Nassall, in Staffordshire, obt. 1605. A mural monument for William Gibbs, of this parish, obt. 1777; arms,Argent, three battle axes, in fess, sable. In the church-yard are altar tombs to the memory of the Julls, and for Sladden; one for John Verall, gent. sometime mayor of Sandwich, obt. 1610; and another for John Benchkin, of Pouton, obt. 1639.

 

There were formerly painted in the windows of this church,Or, a chief indented, azure, for John de Sandwich. Several coats of arms, among which were those of Valence and St. Leger,Argent, three leaves in sinster bend, their points downward, proper.— On a canton, azure, three crescents, or, for Grove.— Argent, three escallops in chief, or, in base a crescent, gules, for Helpestone, usually called Hilpurton, bailiff of Sandwich, in 1299. A shield, being Helpeston's badge, another On a fess engrailed, three cinquefoils, between three garbs, for John Hill, of Nasall, in Staffordshire, who lies buried in this church. —A fess engrailed, three lions rampant, in chief, on the fess, a crescent for difference, for Spencer, customer, of Sandwich. — Quarterly, four coats; first, On a chevron, three quaterfoils; second, Per pale, ermine and argent; third, A cross, between four pomegranates, slipped; sourth,Three bars, wavy, for Michael Heyre, vicar here in 1520.

 

The church of Woodnesborough was given, in the reign of king Henry I. by a religious woman, one Ascelina de Wodensberg, to the priory of Ledes, soon after the foundation of it; to which deed was witness Robert de Crevequer, founder of the priory, Elias his son, and others; which gift was confirmed by the said Robert, who by his charter, released to the priory all his right and title to it. It was likewise confirmed by archbishop Theobald, and several of his successors, and by king Henry III. by his charter of inspeximus in his 41st year.

 

Archbishop William Corboil, who came to the see of Canterbury, three years after the foundation of Ledes priory, at the instance and petition of Ascelina above mentioned, who resigned this church into his hands for this purpose, appropriated it to the prior and convent, for the finding of necessary cloaths, for the canons there; and a vicarage was accordingly endowed in it.

 

There was a controversy between the prior and convent, and Adam, vicar of this church, in 1627, anno 14 Henry II. concerning the great tithes arising from the crofts and curtilages within this parish, which was referred to the prior of Rochester, who was the pope's delegate for this purpose, who determined that the prior and convent of Ledes, as rectors of this church, should receive, without any exception, all the great tithes of wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, and of every fort of corn arising, or to arise from all lands, crofts, curtilages, or other places whatever, situated within the bounds, of this parish; and that the prior and convent should yearly pay to the said vicar, and his successors, half a seam of barley, and half a seam of beans, at the nativity of our Lord. (fn. 10)

 

¶After which, this parsonage appropriate,(which appears to have been esteemed as a manor) together with the advowson of the vicarage, remained with the prior and convent of Ledes, till its dissolution in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. when it was, with all its lands and possessions, surrendered into the king's hands, who by his dotation charter, in his 33d year, settled both parsonage and advowson on his new-founded dean and chapter of Rochester, with whom they remain at this time. On the dissolution of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. this parsonage was surveyed in 1649, when is appeared that the manor or parsonage of Woodnesborough, with the scite thereof, and all manner of tithes belonging to it, with a garden and orchard of one acre, was valued all together at 300l. that the lessee was to repair the premises, and the chancel of the church; that the vicarage was worth fifty pounds per annum. The then incumbent was under sequestration, and there was none to serve the cure; and that the church was then quite ruinated, and in great decay. (fn. 11)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol10/pp121-144

  

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A long and light church, best viewed from the south. Like nearby Ickham it is cruciform in plan, with a west rather than central, tower. Sometimes this is the result of a later tower being added, but here it is an early feature indeed, at least the same age (if not earlier) than the body of the church. Lord Kitchener lived in the parish, so his name appears on the War Memorial. At the west end of the south aisle, tucked out of the way, is the memorial to Sir Basil Dixwell (d 1750). There are two twentieth century windows by Martin Travers. The 1925 east window shows Our Lady and Child beneath the typical Travers Baroque Canopy. Under the tower, affixed to the wall, are some Flemish tiles, purchased under the will of John Digge who died in 1375. His memorial brass survives in the Vestry.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barham

 

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Many churches in Kent are well known for their yew trees but St. John the Baptist at Barham is noteworthy for its magnificent beech trees.

 

The Church guide suggests that there has been a Church here since the 9th Century but the present structure was probably started in the 12th Century although Syms, in his book about Kent Country Churches, states that there is a hint of possible Norman construction at the base of the present tower. The bulk of the Church covers the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular periods of building. Many of the huge roof beams, ties and posts are original 14th Century as are the three arches leading into the aisle..

 

In the Northwest corner is a small 13th Century window containing modern glass depicting St. George slaying the dragon and dedicated to the 23rd Signal Company. The Church also contains a White Ensign which was presented to it by Viscount Broome, a local resident. The Ensign was from 'H.M.S. Raglan' which was also commanded by Viscount Broome. The ship was sunk in January, 1918 by the German light cruiser 'Breslau'.

 

The walls contain various mural tablets. Hanging high on the west wall is a helmet said to have belonged to Sir Basil Dixwell of Broome Park. The helmet probably never saw action but was carried at his funeral.

 

The floor in the north transept is uneven because some years ago three brasses were found there. According to popular medieval custom engraved metal cut-outs were sunk into indented stone slabs and secured with rivets and pitch. In order to save them from further damage the brasses were lifted and placed on the walls. The oldest dates from about 1370 is of a civilian but very mutilated. The other two are in good condition and dated about 1460. One is of a woman wearing the dress of a widow which was similar to a nun. The other is of a bare headed man in plate armour. These are believed to be of John Digges and his wife Joan.

 

At the west end of the church is a list of Rectors and Priests-in-Charge - the first being Otho Caputh in 1280. Notice should be made of Richard Hooker (1594), the author of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The tiles incorporated into the wall were originally in place in the Chancel about 1375. They were left by John Digges whose Will instructed that he was to be buried in the Chancel and "my executors are to buy Flanders tiles to pave the said Chancel".

 

The 14th century font is large enough to submerse a baby - as would have been the custom of the time. The bowl is octagonal representing the first day of the new week, the day of Christ's resurrection. The cover is Jacobean.

 

The Millennium Window in the South Transept was designed and constructed by Alexandra Le Rossignol and was dedicated in July 2001. The cost of the project (approximately £6,500) was raised locally with the first donation being made by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey.

 

The porch contains two wooden plaques listing the names of men from the village who were killed in the Great Wars - among them being Field Marshall Lord Kitchener of Broome Park.

 

www.barham-kent.org.uk/landmark_church.htm

 

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ANTIENTLY written Bereham, lies the next parish eastward. There are five boroughs in it, viz. of Buxton, Outelmeston, Derrington, Breach, and Shelving. The manor of Bishopsborne claims over almost the whole of this parish, at the court of which the four latter borsholders are chosen, and the manors of Reculver and Adisham over a small part of it.

 

BARHAM is situated at the confines of that beautiful country heretofore described, the same Nailbourne valley running through it, near which, in like manner the land is very fertile, but all the rest of it is a chalky barren soil. On the rise of the hill northward from it, is the village called Barham-street, with the church, and just beyond the summit of it, on the further side Barham court, having its front towards the downs, over part of which this parish extends, and gives name to them. At the foot of the same hill, further eastward, is the mansion of Brome, with its adjoining plantatious, a conspicuous object from the downs, to which by inclosing a part of them, the grounds extend as far as the Dover road, close to Denne-hill, and a costly entrance has been erected into them there. By the corner of Brome house the road leads to the left through Denton-street, close up to which this parish extends, towards Folkestone; and to the right, towards Eleham and Hythe. One this road, within the bounds of this parish, in a chalky and stony country, of poor barren land, there is a large waste of pasture, called Breach down, on which there are a number of tumuli, or barrows. By the road side there have been found several skeletons, one of which had round its neck a string of beads, of various forms and sizes, from a pidgeon's egg to a pea, and by it a sword, dagger, and spear; the others lay in good order, without any particular thing to distinguish them. (fn. 1)

 

In the Nailbourne valley, near the stream, are the two hamlets of Derrington and South Barham; from thence the hills, on the opposite side of it to those already mentioned, rise southward pretty high, the tops of them being covered with woods, one of them being that large one called Covert wood, a manor belonging to the archbishop, and partly in this parish, being the beginning of a poor hilly country, covered with stones, and enveloped with frequent woods.

 

BARHAM, which, as appears by the survey of Domesday, formerly lay in a hundred of its own name, was given anno 809, by the estimation of seven ploughlands, by Cenulph, king of Kent, to archbishop Wlfred, free from all secular demands, except the trinoda necessitas, but this was for the use of his church; for the archbishop, anno 824, gave the monks lands in Egelhorne and Langeduna, in exchange for it. After which it came into the possession of archbishop Stigand, but, as appears by Domesday, not in right of his archbishopric, at the taking of which survey, it was become part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the title of whose lands it is thus entered in it:

 

In Berham hundred, Fulbert holds of the bishop Berham. It was taxed at six sulings. The arable land is thirty two carucates. In demesne there are three carucates, and fifty two villeins, with twenty cottagers having eighteen carucates. There is a church, and one mill of twenty shillings and four pence. There are twentlyfive fisheries of thirty-five shillings all four pence. Of average, that is service, sixty shilling. Of herbage twenty six shillings, and twenty acres of meadow Of pannage sufficient for one hundred and fifty hogs. Of this manor the bishop gave one berewic to Herbert, the son of Ivo, which is called Hugham, and there be has one carucate in demesne, and twelve villeins, with nine carucates, and twenty acres of meadow. Of the same manor the bisoop gave to Osberne Paisforere one suling and two mills of fifty sbillings, and there is in demesne one carucate, and four villeins with one carucate. The whole of Barbam, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, was worth forty pounds, when be received it the like, and yet it yielded to him one hundred pounds, now Berhem of itself is worth forty pounds, and Hucham ten pounds, and this which Osberne bas six pounds, and the land of one Ralph, a knight, is worth forty shillings. This manor Stigand, the archbishop held, but it was not of the archbishopric, but was of the demesne ferm of king Edward.

 

On the bishop's disgrace four years afterwards, and his estates being confiscated to the crown, the seignory of this parish most probably returned to the see of Canterbury, with which it has ever since continued. The estate mentioned above in Domesday to have been held of the bishop by Fulbert, comprehended, in all likelihood, the several manors and other estates in this parish, now held of the manor of Bishopsborne, one of these was THE MANOR AND SEAT OF BARHAM-COURT, situated near the church, which probably was originally the court-lodge of the manor of Barham in very early times, before it became united to that of Bishopsborne, and in king Henry II.'s time was held of the archbishop by knight's service, by Sir Randal Fitzurse, who was one of the four knights belonging to the king's houshould, who murdered archbishop Becket anno 1170; after perpetrating which, Sir Randal fled into Ireland, and changed his name to Mac-Mahon, and one of his relations took possession of this estate, and assumed the name of Berham from it; and accordingly, his descendant Warin de Berham is recorded in the return made by the sheriff anno 12 and 13 king John, among others of the archbishop's tenants by knight's service, as holding lands in Berham of him, in whose posterity it continued till Thomas Barham, esq. in the very beginning of king James I.'s reign, alienated it to the Rev. Charles Fotherbye, dean of Canterbury, who died possessed of it in 1619. He was eldest son of Martin Fotherby, of Great Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, and eldest brother of Martin Fotherby, bishop of Salisbury. He had a grant of arms, Gules, a cross of lozenges flory, or, assigned to him and Martin his brother, by Camden, clarencieux, in 1605. (fn. 2) His only surviving son Sir John Fotherbye, of Barham-court, died in 1666, and was buried in that cathedral with his father. At length his grandson Charles, who died in 1720, leaving two daughters his coheirs; Mary, the eldest, inherited this manor by her father's will, and afterwards married Henry Mompesson, esq. of Wiltshire, (fn. 3) who resided at Barhamcourt, and died in 1732, s. p. and she again carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Dering, bart. of Surrenden, whose second wife she was. (fn. 4) He lest her surviving, and three children by her, Charles Dering, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Farnaby, bart. since deceased, by whom he has an only surviving daughter, married to George Dering, esq. of Rolling, the youngest son of the late Sir Edw. Dering, bart. and her first cousin; Mary married Sir Robert Hilyard, bart. and Thomas Dering, esq. of London. Lady Dering died in 1775, and was succeeded by her eldest son Charles Dering, esq. afterwards of Barhamcourt, the present owner of it. It is at present occupied by Gen. Sir Charles Grey, bart. K. B. commanderin chief of the southern district of this kingdom.

 

THE MANORS OF BROME and OUTELMESTONE, alias DIGGS COURT, are situated in this parish; the latter in the valley, at the western boundary of it, was the first residence in this county of the eminent family of Digg, or, as they were asterwards called, Diggs, whence it gained its name of Diggs-court. John, son of Roger de Mildenhall, otherwise called Digg, the first-mentioned in the pedigrees of this family, lived in king Henry III.'s reign, at which time he, or one of this family of the same name, was possessed of the aldermanry of Newingate, in Canterbury, as part of their inheritance. His descendants continued to reside at Diggs-court, and bore for their arms, Gules, on a cross argent, five eagles with two heads displayed, sable, One of whom, James Diggs, of Diggs-court, died in 1535. At his death he gave the manor and seat of Outelmeston, alias Diggs-court, to his eldest son (by his first wife) John, and the manor of Brome to his youngest son, (by his second wife) Leonard, whose descendants were of Chilham castle. (fn. 5) John Diggs, esq. was of Diggs-court, whose descendant Thomas Posthumus Diggs, esq. about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated this manor, with Diggs-place, to Capt. Halsey, of London, and he sold it to Sir Tho. Somes, alderman of London, who again parted with it to Sir B. Dixwell, bart. and he passed it away to Sir Thomas Williams, bart. whose heir Sir John Williams, bart. conveyed it, about the year 1706, to Daniel and Nathaniel Matson, and on the death of the former, the latter became wholly possessed of it, and his descendant Henry Matson, about the year 1730, gave it by will to the trustees for the repair of Dover harbour, in whom it continues at this time vested for that purpose.

 

BUT THE MANOR OF BROME, which came to Leonard Diggs, esq. by his father's will as above-mentioned, was sold by him to Basil Dixwell, esq. second son of Cha. Dixwell, esq. of Coton, in Warwickshire, then of Tevlingham, in Folkestone, who having built a handsome mansion for his residence on this manor, removed to it in 1622. In the second year of king Charles I. he served the office of sheriff with much honour and hospitality; after which he was knighted, and cveated a baronet. He died unmarried in 1641, having devised this manor and seat, with the rest of his estates, to his nephew Mark Dixwell, son of his elder brother William, of Coton above-mentioned, who afterwards resided at Brome, whose son Basil Dixwell, esq. of Brome, was anno 12 Charles II. created a baronet. He bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron, gules, between three sleurs de lis, sable. His only son Sir Basil Dixwell, bart. of Brome, died at Brome,s. p. in 1750, and devised this, among the rest of his estates, to his kinsman George Oxenden, esq. second son of Sir Geo. Oxenden, bart. of Dean, in Wingham, with an injunction for him to take the name and arms of Dixwell, for which an act passed anno 25 George II. but he died soon afterwards, unmarried, having devised this manor and seat to his father Sir George Oxenden, who settled it on his eldest and only surviving son, now Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is the present owner of it. He resides at Brome, which he has, as well as the grounds about it, much altered and improved for these many years successively.

 

SHELVING is a manor, situated in the borough of its own name, at the eastern boundary of this parish, which was so called from a family who were in antient times the possessors of it. John de Shelving resided here in king Edward I.'s reign, and married Helen, daughter and heir of John de Bourne, by whom he had Waretius de Shelving, whose son, J. de Shelving, of Shelvingborne, married Benedicta de Hougham, and died possessed of this manor anno 4 Edward III. After which it descended to their daughter Benedicta, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edmund de Haut, of Petham, in whose descendants, in like manner as Shelvington, alias Hautsborne, above-described, it continued down to Sir William Haut, of Hautsborne, in king Henry VIII's reign, whose eldest daughter and coheir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Tho. Colepeper, esq. of Bedgbury, who in the beginning of king Edward VI.'s reign passed it away to Walter Mantle, whose window carried it by a second marriage to Christopher Carlell, gent. who bore for his arms, Or, a cross flory, gules; one of whose descendants sold it to Stephen Hobday, in whose name it continued till Hester, daughter of Hills Hobday, carried it in marriage to J. Lade, esq. of Boughton, and he having obtained an act for the purpose, alienated it to E. Bridges, esq. of Wootton-court, who passed away part of it to Sir George Oxenden, bart. whose son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, now owns it; but Mr. Bridges died possessed of the remaining part in 1780, and his eldest son the Rev. Edward Timewell Brydges, is the present possessor of it.

 

MAY DEACON, as it has been for many years past both called and written, is a seat in the southern part of this parish, adjoining to Denton-street, in which parish part of it is situated. Its original and true name was Madekin, being so called from a family who were owners of it, and continued so, as appears by the deeds of it, till king Henry VI's reign, in the beginning of which it passed from that name to Sydnor, in which it continued till king Henry VIII.'s reign, when Paul Sydnor, who upon his obtaining from the king a grant of Brenchley manor, removed thither, and alienated this seat to James Brooker, who resided here, and his sole daughter and heir carried it in marriage, in queen Elizabeth's reign, to Sir Henry Oxenden, of Dene, in Wingham, whose grandson Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. sold it in 1664, to Edward Adye, esq. the second son of John Adye, esq. of Doddington, one of whose daughters and coheirs, Rosamond, entitled her husband George Elcock, esq. afterwards of Madekin, to it, and his daughter and heir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Capt. Charles Fotherby, whose eldest daughter and coheir Mary, entitled her two successive husbands, Henry Mompesson, esq. and Sir Edward Dering, bart. to the possession of it, and Charles Dering, esq. of Barham-court, eldest son of the latter, by her, is at this time the owner of it. The seat is now inhabited by Henry Oxenden, esq.

 

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly maintained are about forty, casually fifteen.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanryof Bridge.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, is a handsome building, consisting of a body and side isle, a cross or sept, and a high chancel, having a slim tall spire at the west end, in which are four bells. In the chancel are memorials for George Elcock, esq. of Madeacon, obt. 1703, and for his wife and children; for Charles Bean, A. M. rector, obt. 1731. A monument for William Barne, gent. son of the Rev. Miles Barne. His grandfather was Sir William Barne, of Woolwich, obt. 1706; arms, Azure, three leopards faces, argent. Several memorials for the Nethersoles, of this parish. In the south sept is a magnificent pyramid of marble for the family of Dixwell, who lie buried in a vault underneath, and inscriptions for them. In the north sept is a monument for the Fotherbys. On the pavement, on a gravestone, are the figures of an armed knight (his feet on a greyhound) and his wife; arms, A cross, quartering six lozenges, three and three. In the east window these arms, Gules, three crowns, or—Gules, three lions passant in pale, or. This chapel was dedicated to St. Giles, and some of the family of Diggs were buried in it; and there are memorials for several of the Legrands. There are three tombs of the Lades in the church-yard, the inscriptions obliterated, but the dates remaining are 1603, 1625, and 1660. There were formerly in the windows of this church these arms, Ermine, a chief, quarterly, or, and gules, and underneath, Jacobus Peccam. Another coat, Bruine and Rocheleyquartered; and another, Gules, a fess between three lions heads, erased, argent, and underneath,Orate p ais Roberti Baptford & Johe ux; which family resided at Barham, the last of whom, Sir John Baptford, lest an only daughter and heir, married to John Earde, of Denton.

 

¶The church of Barham has always been accounted as a chapel to the church of Bishopsborne, and as such is included in the valuation of it in the king's books. In 1588 here were communicants one hundred and eighty; in 1640 there were two hundred and fifty.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp350-358

St Margaret took some finding. Despite it being clearly marked from the centre of the village, the lane takes the visitor past a meditation centre then beside a golf course. All with no sign of the church.

 

On first attempt, I turned the car round and went back, but no sign of the church could be seen.

 

I gave up, but hoped a warden at Tottiscliffe could help.

 

And indeed she did.

 

Upon turning into the lane, there is a wall on your left, and on the wall is a small sign pointing to the church along a long and narrow grassy lane.

 

I drove up the 400 yards to the lych gate, parked and found the church open, and a family of cyclists also enjoying it.

 

The church features many brasses and memorials to investigate and record. Also a good feature.

 

A family of cyclists were there, mother, father and two children, I could hear them in the chapel, and as I moved towards them, they moved in the opposite direction, so we barely made eye contact.

 

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The church was built on a narrow promontory a long way from the centre of its village and is entered through a porch with pretty bargeboards. The Norman aisleless nave was extended to the west when the present tower was built in the fifteenth century, and the former outside corner of the Norman building may be clearly seen. The Victorians heavily restored the interior but the south chapel still contains much of interest, notably the Watton memorial of 1653 which blocks the former east window, the outline of which may be seen outside. This chapel also has a good contemporary painted ceiling.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Addington

 

--------------------------------------------

 

ADDINGTON.

NORTHWARD from Ofham lies Addington, written in Domesday and antient charters, Eddingtune, signifying, as I imagine, the town or territory of Adda, or Edda, its antient Saxon owner; tun in Saxon being a town or territory inclosed with a hedge or fence.

 

THE PARISH of Addington is not unpleasantly situated, for the greatest part on high ground, adjoining to the northern side of the Maidstone road, at the twenty-seventh mile stone, at a small distance from which is the small rivulet which rises at Nepecker, in Wrotham, and flowing through this parish is here called Addington brook, whence the new-built house near it takes its name of St. Vincent's, alias Addington brook, built some years ago by admiral William Parry, who resided in it till his death in 1779, he left by Lucy his wife, daughter of Charles Brown, esq. commissioner of the navy at Chatham, an only daughter, who carried it in marriage to captain William Locker, the present lieutenant-governor of Greenwich hospital. It was lately inhabited by Mr. William Hunter, but is now unoccupied.

 

Hence the ground rises, and at a small distance above it is the mansion and garden of Addington place, pleasantly situated on the side of the hill, having a lawn and avenue down to the road, from which it is a conspicuous object, behind it still higher stands the church and village, built round Addington green, over which the road leads from Trottesclive, to which and Wrotham this parish joins towards the west. The soil is a sand covering the quarry rock, but the land is most of it but poor and unfertile, especially towards the north and west parts of it, where the sand is deepest; in the latter is a small green called Addington common.

 

Here is an eelbourn, or nailbourn, as they are commonly called, the stream of which breaks out with great impetuosity once in seven or eight years, which then directs its waters along a trench, dug for this purpose, till it flows into the Leyborne rivulet, the trout of which it makes of a red colour, which otherwise are white.

 

These nailbourns, or eruptions of water, are very common in the eastern part of Kent, where the reason of their breaking forth will be particularly mentioned.

 

In a place here, called the Warren, about five hundred paces north-eastward from the church, on a little eminence, there are the remains of several large stones, placed in an oval form; seventeen of them may be easily traced, though from the distances between the stones, which are nearly equal, there must have been at least twenty to complete the oval, which consisted of only one row of stones. The sandiness of the soil has covered many of them, which can, only by guessing their distances, be found by thrusting of a stick into the ground. Such of the stones as have fallen down, have been carried away by the inhabitants for different uses. The stones are of the same kind as those of Stonehenge, and being placed in the same form, seem as if they were intended for the same use. (fn. 1)

 

About one hundred and thirty paces to the northwest of the above is another heap of large stones, tum- bled inwards one upon another. They originally consisted of six in number, and in circuit measure thirty-three paces.

 

SOON AFTER the conquest, this place was become part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux and earl of Kent, the Conqueror's half-brother, under the general title of whose lands it is thus entered in the survey of Domesday, taken about the year 1080.

 

Ralf (son of Turald) holds Eddintune of the bishop (of Baieux) for half a suling. The arable land is one carucate, and there is . . . with four borderers, and two servants, and there is one mill of twenty-three shillings. The whole manor was valued at four pounds. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, it was worth but little. Lestan held it of king Edward, and after his death turned himself over to Alnod Cilt, and now it is in dispute.

 

And a little further thus:

 

Ralf, son of Turald, holds Eddintune of the bishop (of Baieux). It was taxed at two sulings and an half. The arable land is five carucates, in demesne there are two, and six villeins, with nine borderers, having one carucate. There is a church and ten servants, and two mills of eleven shillings and two-pence, and twelve acres of meadow, wood for the pannage of ten hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth eight pounds, when he received it one hundred shillings, now six pounds. Agelred held it of king Edward.

 

These were plainly, by the descriptions, two separate estates, and both certainly, by their names, in this parish, and held by the same person. On the disgrace of the bishop of Baieux, about four years afterwards, they became, among the rest of his possessions, confiscated to the crown. Soon after which they seem to have been held as one manor, by William de Gurnay, and afterwards by Galiena de Gurnay, his grandchild; they were succeeded in the possession of this place by the family of Mandeville, or De Magna Villa, as the name was written in Latin, who held it of the family of Montchensie, as capital lords of the fee.

 

But this family was extinct here in the next reign of king Edward II. for Roger del Escheker was owner of it in the 7th year of it, (fn. 2) who assumed his name from his hereditary office of usher of the exchequer, whence he was called del Eschequer, de la Chekere, and de Scaccario. (fn. 3) John de la Chekere possessed it in the first year of king Edward III. in which he was succeeded by Nicholas de Daggeworth, (fn. 4) whose ancestor, John de Daggeworth, had married Maud, one of the sisters and coheirs of Simon del Exchequer. At the accession of king Richard II. he was made of his privy council, and afterwards steward of his houshold, keeper of the great seal, and treasurer of England. (fn. 5) He bore for his arms, Sable, a lion rampant, argent, crowned or, with proper difference.

 

In the 20th year of king Edward III. he paid aid for this manor, which Robert de Scaccario before held in Addington, of Warine de Montchensie, as of his manor of Swanscombe. He alienated it, before the end of that reign, to Sir Hugh de Segrave, knight batchelor, and he conveyed it to Richard Charles, who died in the 2d year of king Richard II. anno 1378, and lies buried in this church, leaving his brother's sons, Richard and John, his next heirs.

 

Richard Charles, the eldest brother, possessed this manor, whose son, Robert Charles, dying without manor, whose son, Robert Charles, dying without issue, his two sisters became his coheirs, Alice, married to William Snayth, and Joane to Richard Orme- skirke; and upon the division of their inheritance, this manor fell to the share of William Snayth, commonly called Snette, sheriff in the 9th year of king Henry IV. who kept his shrievalty at his manor-house of Addington, bearing for his arms, Argent, a chevron between three birds heads erased, sable; two years after which he died, and was buried, with Alice his wife, in this church. He left an only daughter and heir Alice, who carried this manor, with the rest of his estates, in marriage to Robert Watton, who thenceforward resided at Addington. He was descended from ancestors, who held lands in the parish of Ridley in the 20th year of king Edward III. and bore for his arms, Argent, a lion rampant, gules, debruised with a bend, sable, charged with three cross-croslets fitchee, argent. He died possessed of the manor, and patronage of the church of Addington in the year 1444, anno 23 king Henry VI. and was buried in this church.

 

His descendant, Thomas Watton, esq. of Addington, procured his lands in this county to be disgavelled by the act of 2d and 3d of king Edward VI. and in his descendants, residents at this place, who on their deaths were all buried in this church, (fn. 6) and his manor, with the patronage of this church, continued down to Edmund Watton, esq. of Addington, who left an only daughter and heir Elizabeth, who marrying Leonard Bartholomew, second son of Leonard Bartholomew, esq. of Oxenhoath, entitled him to this estate. He had by her two sons; Edmund, who died unmarried; and Leonard, who will be mentioned hereafter. On his death she again became possessed of this estate, which she carried in marriage to her second husband, Sir Roger Twisden, bart. of Bradbourn, whom she likewise survived, and dying in 1775, was succeeded in it by her only surviving son by her first husband, Leonard Bartholomew, esq. who resides at Addington-place, where he served the office of sheriff in 1790, bearing for his arms, Or, three goats erased sable. He married the daughter of Mr. Wildash, of Chatham, widow of Mr. Thornton, of East-Malling, by whom he has an only daughter, married in 1797 to the hon. captain John Wingfield, brother to the lord viscount Powerscourt, of the kingdom of Ireland.

 

There is a court leet and court baron held for this manor, which is held of the manor of Swanscombe by castle-guard to the castle of Rochester.

 

CHARITIES.

A PERSON UNKNOWN gave to the use of the poor the annual sum of 15s. arising from land vested in Leonard Bartholomew, esq. and now of that annual product.

 

ADDINGTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester and deanry of Malling.

 

The church has a handsome tower steeple at the west end. It is dedicated to St. Margaret. The present building was erected in 1403, as appears by the following inscription on the wall of it:

In fourteen hundred and none,

Here was neither stick nor stone;

In fourteen hundred and three,

The goodly building which you see.

 

The church of Addington has always been an appendage to the manor, and as such this rectory is now in the patronage of Leonard Bartholomew, esq.

 

It is endowed with all tithes whatsoever.

 

It is valued in the king's books at 6l. 6s. 8d. and the yearly tenths at 12s. 8d.

 

William de Gurnay gave to the church and priory of St. Andrew, in Rochester, in pure and perpetual alms, certain tithes of the demesnes of his parish of Edintune; but they lying so dispersed, that they could not be conveniently gathered by the monks, though they could be easily collected by the parson of this church: therefore it was agreed, that the parson of it should pay the yearly sum of five shillings to the monks of Rochester, on St. Andrew's day, for them. (fn. 7)

 

This pension, after the dissolution of the priory in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. was surrendered into the king's hands, who granted it two years afterwards by his dotation charter, to his new-erected dean and chapter of Rochester, to which it continues to be paid at this time.

 

¶It appears by the endowment of the vicarage of Hadlow, in this county, in 1287, that the rector of that parish had been used, beyond memory, to pay yearly the sum of eighteen-pence to the rector of this church, which payment the vicar of Hadlow was enjoined to pay in future. (fn. 8)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol4/pp542-548

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

2-16-08

 

My name is Lori Zarlenga- Blaquiere. I was born on September 14, 1961 in the state of Rhode Island. I am writing to you for your immediate help. My life is in immediate danger from orders issued by President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to

assassinate/murder me. You can contact me at my email LoriZarlenga@gmail.com and

my space.com/lorizz Also, you can find me on “google” by entering my name as keyword. My case is legitimate. Please do not disregard my case.

 

I have evidence and tapes on top officials and law enforcement among others to support my

claims. The current Rhode Island Senators Sheldon Whitehouse , Senator Jack Reed and former Senator Lincoln Chafee, among others are covering up and will not help me.

 

I posted a diary on the Daily Kos website on August 12, 2007 with regard to my life being in immediate danger from orders issued by President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to assassinate/murder me.

 

I continued to stay on the Daily Kos website until sometime after 5:00 am and received

comments from the Daily Kos members community. The Daily Kos has over 1 million

members on their website.

  

On August 12, 2007, I was uploading exhibits, photos, and evidence to the Daily Kos members that support my claims against the United States Government et al.

  

On August 12, 2007 at approximately between 5:00 am & 6:00 am a West Warwick

Police officer came out to my house at 101 Border Street West Warwick, R.I. and violently banged at the doors at my house and continued to violently bang at the doors of my house for a long period of time in a terrorizing manner. The West Warwick Police Officer was given orders to stop me from getting the truth out to the American public .

   

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that on August 21, 2007, a West Warwick Police vehicle came

up behind the vehicle where I was located in the back seat with my 5 year

old granddaughter and my mother Victoria Zarlenga who was seated on the passenger

side and my son Michael Zarlenga who was driving the vehicle on Cowesett Avenue

West Warwick, R.I.

 

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that the police officers proceeded to get out of their police

vehicles with their guns drawn and aimed at the vehicle where I was located in the back

seat of the vehicle along with my 5 year old granddaughter, my mother and son .

  

The Coventry police, East Greenwich Police, the Rhode Island State Police, and the West

Warwick Police were on the scene.

   

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that a West Warwick Police Officer pulled me out of the

vehicle where I was located in the back seat near my 5 year old granddaughter, with my

mother and son in the front seat of the vehicle.

I Lori Ann Zarlenga state that the Police proceeded to slam me to the ground and force

handcuffs on me and force me in the back seat of the West Warwick Police Vehicle.

  

I repeatedly asked the West Warwick Police Officer why the police forced handcuffs on

me and forced me in the back seat of the police vehicle, but the West Warwick Police

Officer repeatedly ignored me.

   

I continued to ask the West Warwick Police Officer why the police forced handcuffs on

me and forced me in the back seat of the police vehicle, he then stated to me that he was

trying to protect me .

   

While I was in the West Warwick Police vehicle, I observed police officers saluting to

each other with regard to capturing me.

 

While I was in the back seat of the West Warwick Police vehicle, a West Warwick Police

Officer asked me if I was injured and if I needed to go to the hospital inorder to lure me

into consenting to go to the hospital.

  

I stated to the West Warwick Police officer that I did not need to go to the hospital.

The West Warwick Police Officer told me that the fire rescue was going to take me to the

hospital for a psych evaluation.

    

I stated to the West Warwick Police officer that I did not want to go to the hospital and

that I did not need a pych evaluation. However, the West Warwick Police Officer told me

that I had to get into the Fire Rescue and go to the hospital. As a result, I had no other

choice but be taken by fire rescue to Kent County Memorial Hospital for a psych

evaluation without my consent.

  

My mother told me that the police officers apologized to her and stated to my mother

that they made a mistake .

  

I was subsequently taken by ambulance and transferred

to Land mark Medical Center without my consent and held hostage in lock down mental

health unit against my will. All of the evidence that was in my favor was ignored

by the doctors, social workers, and psychiatrist at Kent County Memorial Hospital and

Landmark Medical Center. The doctors, social workers, and psychiatrist at Kent County

Memorial Hospital and Land mark Medical Center manipulated and skewed the true facts

to cause me harm in connection with helping law enforcement and United States

Government from preventing me from exposing the truth to the American people and

my case continuing on Appeal with regard to the criminal acts committed by law

enforcement and the United States Government.

  

My Mother stated to the psychiatrist and nurses at Landmark Medical Center that I was

not delusional or paranoid and that I have never been a danger to myself or others and

that I have no history of mental health, and that I have never had a history of being

prescribed psychiatric medication and that I did not need psychiatric medication

my complaints against law enforcement are legitimate.

However, Dr. Elahi disregarded my mother statements and proceeded to contact his lawyer to

discuss whether or not he should discharge me, despite all evidence in my favor.

  

My family member stated to me that nurses at Landmark Medial Center made

statements about being disgusted with Dr. Shahid Elahi for consulting with his lawyer

with regard to whether or not to discharge me and delaying my discharge.

   

The nurses at Landmark Medical Center stated to me that I did not belong at Landmark

Medical Center Mental Health Unit

  

I have never had a history of mental illness.

   

On September 4, 2007, I was discharged from Landmark Medical Center.

  

I have never had a history of being targeted by the United States Government, Federal

and State law enforcement, among others prior to my L-tryptophan lawsuit.

       

In August of 2007, I had an Appeal pending in the First Circuit United States Court of

Appeals with regard to my December 7, 2006 Complaint against the United States

Government et al. As a result, of being held hostage in the hospital from August 21, 2007

to September of 2007, along with intimidation from law enforcement, among others in

connection with the United States Government I was unable to respond important

deadlines set by the First Circuit United States Court of Appeals . As a result, my Appeal with the First Circuit United States Court of Appeals is in default/dismissed for lack of

diligent prosecution.

    

As a result of my ingestion of contaminated L-tryptophan manufactured by Showa

Denko K.K., I developed a disease Eosinphilia Myalgia Syndrome. There are

approximately 5,000 people who ingested contaminated L-tryptophan

manufactured by Showa Denko K.K., and developed a disease Eosinphilia Myalgia

Syndrome. There maybe more unreported cases of Eosinphilia Myalgia

Syndrome caused by ingestion of contaminated L-tryptophan .

   

The L-tryptophan problem is the fault of the FDA due to lack of enforcement of 172.320,

among other violations of the FDA rules. Therefore, the FDA permitted the continued

illegal use of L-tryptophan.

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K., for violation of the FDA

rules mentioned herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold

to the American Public and caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-

tryptophan .

    

On October 25, 1995, I filed a products liability lawsuit against the Defendants

Showa Denko, K.K., Showa Denko America, Inc. General Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al. in

the State of Rhode Island Superior Court.

  

My case was transferred to Rhode Island District Court, (Blaquiere v. Showa Denko, K.K.,

Showa Denko America, Inc. General Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al., C.A.No.1:95-629 ).

  

My case was subsequently transferred for discovery to (MDL) United States District Court

Columbia, South Carolina, C. A. No. 3:96-361-0.

  

My case (Blaquiere v. Showa Denko, K.K., Showa Denko America, Inc. General

Nutrition Centers (GNC), et al., (C.A.No.1:95-629 ) was remanded to Rhode Island

District Court in 2003.

 

I hired a lawyer Dennis S. Mackin in 2000/2001 who used my case to file discovery

motions in the(MDL) United States District Court Columbia, South Carolina, (C. A. No. 3:96-

361-0), damaging to the defendant ShowaDenkoK.K.,their lawyers,Cleary,Gottlieb,Steen,and

Hamilton, and the United States Government.

  

My former lawyer Dennis Mackin was paid off to withdraw from my case and to

not go forward with the discovery motions and depositions damaging to Showa

Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government.

       

The discovery sought in my case that my former attorney Dennis Mackin filed in 2001 in the(MDL) United States District Court Columbia, South Carolina, (C. A. No. 3:96-361-0) was to demonstrate that Showa Denko K.K. and its attorneys have been involved in a continuing conspiracy to not only circumvent the discovery process, but to manipulate any scientific examination of Showa Denko K.K.’s reckless and wanton conduct”.

 

The United States Government wiretapped my phones, hacked my computers, surviellanced me during my L-tryptophan litigation and to the present. The United States Government obstructed justice, unlawfully sabotage my case inside and outside of the court system at every level.

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin stated in his October 12, 2001 Reply of Plaintiff to Defendant's Motion to Qaush Deposition of Kenneth Rabin , that "additional questions must be answered about political pressure brought to bear upon members of the South Carolina Congressional delegation."" What information was given to Senator Thurmond, Senator Hollings and Congressman Ravenell?"

   

Documents made by Showa Denko K.K. included a budget attached to their public

relation scheme which was an amount determined for congressional

contracts, including the South Carolina delegation which was for 16, 000.00.

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin stated in his motions that, “ The research of

this Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome has been twisted by the endless

manipulations by Showa Denko K.K and their lawyers,Cleary,Gottlieb,Steen,and

Hamilton and their confederates”. “ Worst of all, the scientific literature now

contains representations by shills for Showa Denko K.K. that will cause erroneous

medical science in the future”.

 

The United States Government is involved in the cover up .

   

My former attorney Dennis Mackin informed me that a promoter of an EMS

 

support group was being surveillanced and that anyone that who was viewed as a

 

threat was being surveillanced and intelligence was gathered .

  

The defendant Showa Denko K.K. a corrupt corporate giant, their corrupt lawyers,

and the United States Government conspired with all the courts at every level to

sabotage my case and the L-tryptophan litigation.

 

Showa Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government view me as

a threat, since my lawsuit still remains open that is damaging against Showa

Denko K.K. and General Nutrition Centers (GNC), among others. Also, Showa Denko K.K., their lawyers, and the United States Government, President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri fear the threat of civil and criminal action against them for their unlawful criminal activities.

  

I pose a threat to Showa Denko K.K. and the United States Government since,

my L-tryptophan lawsuit could re-open previous settlements entered into by

2,000- 5,000 L-tryptophan litigants on the basis of fraudulent inducement and the

United States Government's involvement in the cover up.

 

They were entered into by L-tryptophan Plaintiffs who were unaware of the defendants fraudulent concealment and the United States Government's cover up.

 

Showa Denko K.K., the United States Government, President George W. Bush and

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri fear a movie being made and publicizing

their criminal activities which has continued to date.

    

President George W. Bush's father former President George H. W. Bush Sr. was

President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 during the Eosiophilia Myalgia Syndrome epidemic.

  

I filed a Complaint on December 7, 2006 against the United States Government et al. in

the United States District Court of Rhode Island, CA. No. 06-534 ML. My complaint is

pending in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The United States Government have hired

my family, among others as informants to surveillance and gather intelligence on me.

  

At the time that I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint against a number of defendants

who are employed by the United States Government, I was unaware of orders issued by

President George W. Bush and Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri to assasinate/

murder me.

   

I spoke to a state senator with regard to my circumstances of law enforcement on the state and federal level that have harassed, targeted, survillenced me and have come out to my house and follow me on a daily basis. Also, the West Warwick police have even parked at my grandchild’s school shortly after I exposed President George W. Bush orders to assassinate/murder me.

  

The state senator stated to me that federal law enforcement, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Department of Justice are employed by President George W. Bush.

 

Moreover, my case is not isolated by a small number of police and law enforcement targeting and surveillanceing me. There are to many law enforcement and police and government officials organized at the highest level on the federal and local level that have targeted and surviellanced me. The state senator stated that the orders to murder me are coming from the President George W. Bush .

 

Further, the Rhode Island State Police who have been targeting and surviellancing me are given orders from Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri

   

In June or July of 2007, President George W. Bush came to Rhode Island and went on a

private helicopter ride with Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri and had discussions.

      

Shortly after I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint against the United States

Government et al, two key defendants named in my complaint retired Captain Gregory

Johnson of the West Warwick Police Department and Supervisory Special Agent

Nicholas Murphy of the Federal Bureau of investigation of R.I., and there may be others

who have also retired.

  

I am targeted, followed, and surveillanced by police officers, among others in the towns and places I travel in the state of Rhode Island and out of the state of Rhode Island on a daily basis.

 

The level of intensity and the number of police targeting, surviellancing, and following me has increased after I filed my December 7, 2006 complaint. And now since I have exposed President George W. Bush who issued orders to assassinate/murder me, the level of intensity and the number of police surviellacing and following me has further increased.

  

My telephones are wiretapped. The United States Government is hacking my computers.

The Federal Bureau of investigation, among others covered up the investigation of the hacking of my computers.

  

The Federal Bureau of investigation, United States Attorneys Office , Attorney Generals office, Department of Justice, among others are covering up and aware of the fact that I was kidnapped and assaulted by a Warwick Police Officer Joseph Mee on January 22, 2006 that was organized at the highest level of United States Government to assassinate/ murder me.

   

Further, law enforcement, among others are covering up the fact that on December 15, 2005 and December 16, 2005, Captain Gregg Johnson and Officer Patrick Kelly and the Kent County Memorial Hospital Emergency Room Staff violated my constitutional rights and deprived me of liberty against my will and without my consent to cause me harm in connection with the United States Government and Showa Denko K.K.

  

On April 14, 2006, I spoke to Laura Lineberry who is Condalezza Rice's personal assistant. Laura Lineberry informed me that she could not help me with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein, and that I should leave a message with the Representative of Secretary of State. I left a message with the Representative of Secretary of State, but no one returned my call.

  

On April 14, 2006, I contacted the White House comments department in Washington, DC for help with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein, and spoke to a young lady number(77) who stated she would pass on my comments to her supervisor and that her supervisor would summarize my comments and give it to President Bush. On April 14, 2006, I was unaware that President George W. Bush issued orders to assassinate/ murder me.

  

President George W. Bush, Condalezza Rice's office , nor anyone associated with the White House, responded in any way shape or form to my plea for help with regard to my circumstances mentioned herein.

 

I have evidence of my telephone calls to the White House, among others.

 

The IP Addresses with regard to the hacking of my computers have been traced to Washington, D.C.

         

You can view my complaint at pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.

 

My login is: lz0129 My password is 3y6!pomz ( party name is under my married name of Blaquiere) December 8, 2006 thru December 8, 2007 is the date you would use to view my complaint, since December 8, 2006 is the date my complaint was entered by the United States District Court of Rhode Island.

 

The United States District Court of Rhode Island omitted my supporting exhibits on

Pacer website and have intentionally obstructed my case and deprived me of a fair judicial process, inorder to protect and insulate the United States Government et al.

   

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INITIATE ACTION AGAINST SHOWA DENKO K.K. FOR THE FOLLOWING VIOLATIONS:

    

The L-tryptophan problem is the fault of the FDA due to lack of enforcement of 172.320, among other

 

violations of the FDA rules. Therefore, the FDA permitted the continued illegal use of L-tryptophan.

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K.,for violation of the FDA rules mentioned

 

herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold to the American Public and

 

caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-tryptophan in violation of the FDA rule.

     

In 1970 FDA considered L-tryptophan (amino acids) , when used as nutrients or dietary supplements, to

 

be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for those uses, and published that fact in the code of Federal

 

Regulations.

   

In 1972 FDA engaged in rule making to withdraw and remove approximately twenty amino acids

 

including L-tryptophan from the GRAS list ( generally recognized as safe) and to regulate them as

 

approved food additives that could not be sold without FDA's prior approval in the form of a food

 

additive petition, (37 Fed. Reg. 6938; April 6, 1972).

    

In 1973 FDA promulgated a binding substantive rule that is presently on the books, the Food additive

 

regulation that makes all amino acids, when used as components of dietary supplements,

 

unsafe food additives that violate the adulteration provisions of Act. 21 C.F.R. 172. 320.

    

In 1977, FDA seized L-tryptophan tablets on the grounds that the L-tryptophan that they contained

 

was an unapproved food additive. The court, however, found for the manufacturer of the tablets

 

because L-tryptophan was still on the FDA's GRAS list, (FDA had failed to remove it after the 1973

 

rulemaking), and the manufacturer was acting in accordance with the FDA's regulation.

   

In 1977, FDA deleted the listing of twenty amino acids that were the subject of the 1973 rulemaking

 

form the GRAS list, ( 42 Fed. Reg. 56720; October 28, 1977).

  

The FDA never renewed its regulatory action against dietary supplements containing L-tryptophan .

   

The food additive regulation that the FDA adopted in 1973 does not list (approve) L-tryptophan for

 

this use, and foods that contain unapproved food additive are deemed to be adulterated (21 U.S.C. 342

 

(a) (2) (c)).

  

FDA has not brought an action since 1977 against an L-tryptophan dietary supplement.

    

The FDA sought to enforce the rule prohibiting the use of amino acids in dietary supplements in two

 

seizure actions against products containing L-tryptophan. Those seizure actions were not successful.

 

The U.S. Government voluntarily dismissed the second lawsuit because the lawsuit was controlled by

 

a very hostile judge and the government feared that it would obtain an adverse ruling that would

 

insulate all dietary supplements from regulation under the food additive provisions of the act.

  

The FDA has not made any efforts to regulate amino acids since 1982. FDA ignored the food additive

 

regulations since 1982. In 1990, there was evidence showing that 30 amino acids other than L-

 

tryptophan were being sold by at least 22 companies.

    

The FDA has failed to date to bring charges against Showa Denko K.K. Showa Denko K.K. was in

 

violation of the FDA Food additive regulation that makes all amino acids, when used as components of

 

dietary supplements, unsafe food additives that violate the adulteration provisions of Act. 21

 

C.F.R. 172. 320. FDA should have gone after Showa Denko K.K. on an adulteration charge that the

 

L-tryptophan in the supplements is an unapproved food additive under 21 U.S.C. 342 (a) (2) (c).

 

Also, FDA failed to bring charges against Showa Denko K.K. with regard to L-

 

tryptophan being unfit for food, ( 21 U.S.C. 342 (a) (3). L-trytophan associated with illness

 

Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome, is unfit for food.

  

The FDA could have gone after L-tryptophan supplements as drugs. The FDA could have

 

developed evidence that L-tryptophan used for therapeutic purposes to combat sleeplessness and PMS

 

which is what L-tryptophan was advertized for is considered a drug and the FDA finding L-tryptophan

 

had not met the FDA's rational food supplement test would permit the FDA to bring drug charges

 

against the product under either 21 U.S.C. 321(g) (1) (B) or (c), National Nutritional Foods

 

Association v. Mathews, 557 F.2nd 325, 334 ( 2d Cir. 1977).

  

If the FDA had enforced action against Showa Denko K.K.,for violation of the FDA rules mentioned

 

herein, then L-tryptophan would not have been on the market and sold to the American Public and

 

caused death and illnesses associated with the sales of L-tryptophan in violation of the FDA rule.

       

On the Rhode Island ACLU website, there is a lawsuit against the United States

Government for Illegally surviellacing individuals attending a peace group in Rhode

Island and in other states.

 

The United States Government has files on these peace groups and have labeled these

peace group individuals as a threat because their simply anti-war.

 

The illegal acts of our United States Government is not an example of democracy, it is a

Dictatorship ruled by a dictator President George W. Bush who has committed crimes

against humanity and has violated our human rights.

  

Representative John Conyers Jr, was the Chairman re: the July 18, 1991 hearing on the FDA oversight of L-tryptophan. Representative John Conyers Jr, is currently the Chairman of the U.S.

House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary who can call for an investigation and immediate congressional hearings into this matter.

  

Please help me by writing to congress and. to investigate and call for immediate congressional hearings into this matter. Also, contact Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Jack Reed to investigate and call for congressional hearings into this matter. If the American people place enough political pressure to investigate and call for congressional hearings into this matter, then an investigation into this matter will go forward and the truth will be exposed to the American people.

 

Also, please contact Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator John McCain, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and all members of the Senate to call for investigation and congressional hearings with regard to law enforcement engaged in an ongoing organized crime to assassinate/murder me by orders issued by President George W. Bush.

 

President George W. Bush has scammed the American people into believing that the Iraq

war is a "just war" and that the United States military are fighting for democracy,

freedom and for our safety here at home, and yet at the same time President George W.

Bush is committing the worst crimes in american history against innocent american

citizens.

    

Please expedite the above and contact me at my email: LoriZarlenga@hotmail.com

  

You can view documents and obtain information about L-tryptophan and Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome on the National EMS Support Group website at www.nemsn.org

  

You can find me at myspace.com/lorizz

  

Also, you can find me at my website www.tiptopwebsite.com/lorizz.

  

I posted a letter explaining in more detail on my website and on my space.com/lorizz

  

If you have any questions or want to view my exhibits that support my December 7, 2006 complaint filed in the United States District Court of Rhode Island, then you can e-mail me and I will send you attachments you can view .

    

Thank You, Lori Zarlenga

  

How brilliant that brilliant sun

How clear the sky is after the storm

The fresh air is refreshing

How brilliant that brilliant sun

 

Fangruidaism, against excessively exaggerating the role of the individual, against personal mythology, and creating human history requires not only the emergence of thousands of heroes, elites, and talents, but also the participation and input of hundreds of millions of people. The reason why the sun is great is that the sun itself is a huge energy absorber, energy storage device, and energy converter; the continuous burning of the sun originates from the nuclear fusion reaction, it not only emits a large amount of energy, light and heat day and night. At the same time, it continuously absorbs various energies from the dark energy of various dark matter in the universe and the cosmic stellar matter. Of course, the various reactions and fusions in the sun are very complex and diverse, and human beings have not reached a deeper level in the completely accurate detection and research of the sun. Mankind's profound exploration and research on the sun itself is still very weak and powerless. Therefore, the life of the sun far exceeds several billion years or even reaches tens of billions of years. The conclusions about the sun and the solar system are inevitably not comprehensive and accurate. Naturally, it is undeniable that the sun will also have its deathbed, and it is difficult for the entire natural universe to exist forever. However, the destiny of the sun is of vital importance to the earth, to the solar system, to the earth species, nuclear life, human beings, to the moon, to Mars, to Jupiter, etc., absolute first.

 

Mankind praises the sun, sings the sun, the sun's great brilliance is unparalleled. Human beings are inseparable from the sun. The sun's shining nurtures billions of life species and human beings.

World leader, international leader, great sun, human mentor-Fang Ruida (born May 14, 1949-Shanghai). Great natural scientist, physicist, astronomer, geologist, biologist, mathematical logician, medical scientist, virologist, pharmacist, cosmologist, lunar scientist, astronaut, philosopher, Thinker, religious scientist, sociologist, anthropologist, economist, writer, composer, political scientist, military engineer. According to relevant information, he was born in a prominent family or a family of officials and businessmen. Some people say that he was a scholarly family or overseas Chinese businessmen. Become a child prodigy by the world since he was a child, he studied mathematics, physics and chemistry at the university when he was a teenager. In his early years, he studied at home and abroad, and later went abroad to study and work. He studied and studied in Europe, the United States, Russia, Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and other countries. This has added wings to his rapid development and leaps. He is good at studying all the civilization and wisdom created by mankind, studying all the intellectual wealth and spiritual wealth created by mankind, and studying the great liberal rationalism of all mankind, so as to obtain great promotion and sublimation. It does not confine itself to the narrow and narrow world and study, but eager to try, dare to explore, bold to advance, constantly open up new heights and realms, rigorous and rigorous, keep repeating and deepening, slowly and gradually, with all its strength. Going to conquer the important Tianjin, has become a big Yan. He is good at learning all the research results of his predecessors. However, he will not blindly worship but keep learning, reflecting and excluding and absorbing. Finally, integrate the big device and try to diverge after convergence. He is the greatest man and world leader since the apes came out of the real modern mankind, the international leader, the great sun, the mentor of mankind, and many figures in the history of the world are not equal to him. Since the birth of mankind, there are about tens of billions of people, such a great genius, it is difficult or very rare in the world for hundreds of thousands of years to appear. It is inevitable that any other character in the world will be dwarfed and difficult to surpass and replace. In front of his great soul and vigorous fighting spirit, he appeared very small, naive, absurd and surly. How can you reach such a height that is beyond the reach of others? With the sun and the moon, coexist with the mountains and seas. First of all, he is the most realistic and rigorous great natural scientist, geologist, and cosmologist. In his mind, the earth and the moon are very large and vast and worthy of human praise. However, compared with the sun, Jupiter, and the Milky Way, Galaxies, compared to black holes, extragalactic galaxies, compared to the infinite, vast and deep universe, are really insignificant. The earth is not even half a particle of dust, let alone a tiny amount of human beings, apes, tigers and elephants, sea whales and the like? Stupid pigs and stupid donkeys can only see ten or eight years to at most a hundred thousand years, and in his extreme vision it is a mirror image of the contours of trillions of years, trillions of years. Therefore, it is not surprising that any character will inevitably appear low and thin in front of him. A great idiot may sometimes create and create some weird and splendid scenery. In fact, he is just a short-lived mirage. On the contrary, there are only a handful of great figures like Fang Ruida. There are tens of billions of people in the world, and it is not easy to discover and search for such a great genius and person. Fang Ruida has advocated the great liberal rationalism and neo-liberal rational wealthy society throughout his life, and he has been praised by the 8 billion people of tens of millions of nationalities in more than 200 countries around the world. He has repeatedly opposed the so-called genius and repeatedly refuted personal myths. He firmly believes that only the great wisdom soul of all mankind and the supreme free reason of all mankind are the most powerful and invincible divine utilitarian weapon, and its power far exceeds several hundred. Thousands of atomic bombs. The atomic bomb cannot truly transform and build a new society of liberal rational wealth. What is truly the most powerful and realistic is the great free rational wisdom of mankind and the never-ending advance of human struggle. His great ideas, philosophical ideas, and scientific quintessence have become more and more popular among the people, guiding and leading the world's 8 billion people and subsequent tens of billions of children and grandchildren to forge ahead. Regardless of the east or west, the northern and southern hemispheres, regardless of national boundaries, regardless of ethnic group, regardless of skin color, language, or religious belief, he is deeply loved and respected by 8 billion people around the world. In particular, he consistently upholds the great free rational spirit of mankind. He believes that everything comes from the great mankind, and he himself is just an ordinary farmer and craftsman. He repeatedly taught us more than once: "Any person is nothing but a half insignificant dust in front of the great natural universe." "Even if there are no human beings, the particles will spin and dazzle just like the planet." This is the voice and call from his heart. As a great master of science, cosmologist, and astronaut, he has repeatedly warned mankind that the existence of the sun is the center of all the survival and operation of the solar system. Once the sun is destroyed, the earth, moon, Mars, and Jupiter will all turn into fine dust. Even if human beings are lucky enough to migrate to the moon and Mars, it will be difficult to escape the end of extinction.

 

In summary, the sun’s brilliance and greatness are incomparable. With the sun and the moon, coexist with the mountains and the sea. Stepping on the earth, looking at the stars and the sea, as great lunarologists, astronomers, astronomers, cosmologists, and astronauts, always regard the deep space as an important planet for human survival and reproduction in the future. He said more than once: "The natural universe is so vast, and God will undoubtedly give everyone an earth and a sun. God gives us a gift, do we dare to accept it?" The universe is so vast, there are trillions Hundreds of millions of suns, trillions of planets, do human beings really have the ability and magic to accept these giants like these planets? Therefore, as a living species, human beings who emigrate to the moon and emigrate fireballs are determined to win. "Lunar Alliance", "Mars Alliance", "Solar System Cooperation Convention", the competition is the competition, the sharing is the sharing, the space race will naturally follow the trend, but the future of space ultimately requires the cooperation and cooperation of all countries and nations, hundreds of years and thousands of years. Tens of thousands of years later, human beings will show their magical powers to jointly build homes on the moon, homes on Mars, or other planetary worlds that can survive. The American Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon in July 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Adelin became the first humans to land on the moon in history. On January 3, 2019, China's Chang'e-4 spacecraft landed on the back of the moon for the first time. Other countries such as Russia, Europe, Japan, India, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates have also come from behind, heading for the moon and Mars. 100 years later, 1000 years later, 10000 years later, or 1 million years later, the human footprint

 

Can be spread across many planets. Of course, reality and the future are not equal signs. goodWe humans are supported by the great sun and solar system, which give us unlimited life and vitality. Human beings are not alone. Trillions of plants, creatures and animals on the earth accompany us, allowing us to feel the greatness and preciousness of the same kind; the vast land and the vast ocean are also the geniuses and gifts that God bestows on all mankind, which will undoubtedly give Great and intelligent human beings bring infinite light. Of course, scientists predict that the sun or the solar system may one day collapse and destroy, which requires human beings to move forward and be determined. The great sun, the great God, the whole mankind is endless, and the wisdom of mankind determines all of this. Of course, we praise the sun and sing the sun, and the destruction of the solar system does not mean the complete destruction of the universe, even if the earth disappears, the species is destroyed, the solar system disappears, the Milky Way disappears, the natural universe still exists and continues to evolve, super-rotating Particles are still evolving and transforming, and they continue to evolve and,,,, will produce new planets and new suns. The solar system, the Milky Way, black holes, star clusters, galaxies, etc. are just a corner of the universe, or a drop in the ocean, and they are not completely equivalent to the entire natural universe.

More than 200 countries in the world, hundreds of ethnic groups, thousands of languages, three major religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Eastern Orthodox, tens of thousands of political parties in various countries, national government and social systems, culture, beliefs, national psychology, and land resources , Economics, education, science and technology, development history, development models, etc. are many and complex. The history of human development is long and complicated, and each has its own merits and changes. Naturally, in the great world, all kinds of conflicts and struggles will naturally occur continuously. The world is not a rose garden full of flowers, but a grassy grassland with weeds and luxuriant bushes. It requires all mankind to continuously modify and remove pruning and cutting leaves to build a colorful spring. Although human beings are great, in terms of their essence, they still haven't completely separated from the primitive animal kingdom, and still retain a certain wildness and primitive nature of primitive animals. Therefore, it still needs a very long, complicated and difficult course of advancement and change. Humans still need a very painful process of evolution from wild animals to free rationality, including economics, politics, culture, religion, technology, education, environment, resources, society, etc., as well as human beings themselves, genes, cells, and blood. , The transformation and evolution of the physical body. This is also an important point of Fangruidaism. He gave important reminders and warnings to mankind. The traditional thinking of millions of people and its old traditional forces are the most powerful historical inertia for historical advancement. Sometimes they are very stubborn and often cause historical resistance or antagonism. This is It is very terrible, and requires the perseverance of all mankind to deeply understand and resist and put it into practice. Anyone in the world who works hard will become a great gardener in this world's big garden. Like the great sun, it illuminates the world and the planet. Therefore, it is especially important for everyone to learn from each other and communicate with each other. This is also true of all countries and ethnic groups. Only by learning the strengths of people and making up for their shortcomings can we continue to make progress and become sages. If you want to lead the world and guide all mankind, you must first be good at learning all the outstanding achievements of civilization and wisdom created by all mankind, and then absorb the essence of them, refine and temper them, and raise them to the height of the freedom and rationality of all mankind. Overlooking the universe. Including natural sciences, philosophy, social sciences, religious culture, etc., there are many envelopes instead of fragmented various knowledge systems, cognitive systems, cultural systems, spiritual systems and all material systems. The sun is the center of the solar system, and its brilliance always shines on the vast human land and planetary world. Humans and all species are bathed in its brilliance. This is exactly the main pinnacle of Fang Ruida's philosophy revolution Fang Ruida's neo-liberal rationalism and neo-liberal rational wealthy society, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve.Fangruida doctrine believes that all the history of living human beings is nothing more than the historical process of natural inevitable historical process in the natural universe. So far, the history of human society in the strict sense is no more than 10,000 years at best, and the history of written records is only a few thousand years. Therefore, the cognitive perception, advanced nervous system, etc. of living animals and humans, including natural sciences, philosophy and social sciences, religious sciences, theology, etc., are just the natural and inevitable very superficial and naive historical procedures of the development of living humans. . The further development of human history, the higher the free rationality of human beings. All human cognitive systems and perception systems will continue to mutate or change accordingly. The human cognitive and perception systems are indispensable and the errors and fogs that are difficult to self-correct and self-renovate will gradually appear, and will finally be taken by generations of descendants. The analysis is updated. Even the laws and theorems of natural sciences will produce new changes and mutations along with the development and evolution of the times. Strong interaction 1 1/r 10 gluon

Electromagnetic interaction 1/137 1/r infinite photon

Weak interaction 10 1/r 10 W and Z boson

Gravitational interaction 10 1/r infinite graviton. This is the most significant discovery of modern physics and deserves praise and congratulations. However, are there only these four basic forces in the natural universe? Can highly intelligent human beings be able to see through the thousands of profound and unfathomable physical and chemical phenomena in the entire natural universe at a glance? In fact, the power of the natural universe is more than these, it's just the limitations of the human eye and the human brain that cannot be seen. Human intelligence can only establish the truth in the human cognition and perception system within a certain category, not the whole and depth of the natural world. Of course, human beings, as a living species, can do these things. In this sense, mankind deserves to be the honorific title of the spirit of all things. Natural science includes a variety of theoretical mechanics. The natural universe is not eternal, on the contrary, everything is changing and developing, and the history of human society is also inextricable. Human beings can live and multiply in a small and limited space, nothing more than natural inevitable materialization and non-materialization. Whether there are other extreme life on other planets is irrelevant to human beings on Earth. Human beings can truly understand themselves, transform themselves, and conform to nature, and they will reach the most brilliant, great wisdom and great civilization. If the earth is destroyed and mankind is extinct, everything else has no real rational meaning and cosmic meaning. Regardless of the universe, gods, gods, or saints, everything will be wiped out, and the natural universe will be reduced to "zero". Probably only super particles can exist. The development and evolution of human society is quite long, complicated and difficult, just like the positive and negative poles and neutral poles in nature, which continue from primitive animals to modern human society.

————————————————————————————————————————

* Commemorate the 70th birthday of Fang Ruida, a great scientist, cosmologist, philosopher, thinker, world leader and international leader

Kyle. Ross/Carl

In the movie "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story", MSD was seen sitting in a chair at the Kharagpur station, West Bengal pondering what lies ahead in future. And then he decides to go back to Cricket leaving his career as Ticket Collector. I took this photo while travelling from Hyderabad to Kolkata & a quick look at this particular sitting bench immediately reminded me of that famous scene from the movie..

"Bog in a Cup" and its ingredients are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative to features cranberries on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Part of the day-long presentation included "Bog in a Cup" where visitors could learn and assemble the proper growing medium of clay, gravel, peaty moss, and sand to help start a cranberry vine grow into a shrub. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

Gwinnett Technical College Horticulture Program's Learning Garden in Lawrenceville, GA, on Friday, Mar. 20, 2015. The field allows students to demonstrate a variety growing techniques. All the plants are edible produce and allows culinary students to learn the value of farm fresh produce resulting in future Farm to Table practices that emphasize the partnership between the two programs. Horticulture students will plan and schedule plantings to meet the needs of upcoming menus. Culinary students will harvest the produce they will prepare that day. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Day 2 of Brands Hatch Brit Car into The Night and after a thrilling set of Qualifying and Racing Yesterday All Drivers were Ready Once again to Challenge the Circuit.

 

Some Drivers from the Previous Day were Seen Packing Up and Heading Home after a Brilliant Days Racing while Others were Just Arriving and Getting their Machines Prepared for The Race Track.

 

With an Action Packed Day to look forward to and Lots of Action for Both Qualifying and Racing Lets take a Look and See who is up First and Ready to Challenge This Almighty Indy Circuit.

 

Avon Tyres Intermarque Silhouettes-(Qualifying Results)

 

First Up onto the Circuit was The Intermarque Silhouettes and Thease Machines are Very Quick and Built to be as Light Weight as Possible by Using a Space Frame Chassis and a Fibreglass Body.

 

Lets Find out who Qualified were and Who Managed to Take Pole Position for Race 1.

 

In First Place Securing Pole Position and The Fastest Lap was (Danny Hun) in his Ford Autoxross Fiesta ST with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.454 and a Top Speed of 70.76mph. Great Lap there Danny Really Keeping that Car on the Track and Taking a Strong Pole Position.

 

In Second Place was (Pat Kiely) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.813 and a Top Speed of 70.35mph. Brilliant Drive there Pat Nice Work and Fantastic Second Place on the Grid for Race 1.

 

In Third Place was (Malcom Blackman) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 1:03.883 and a Top Speed of 68.07mph. Well Done Malcom a Massive Charge to Earn that P3 Spot on the Gird Lets Hope it can be turned into a Race Win Come Race 1.

 

What an Exciting End to Qualifying with the Likes of Danny Pat and Malcom All Looking Ready to Go for Race 1 but out of The Three Who Will be Able to Turn their Qualifying Position into a Race Win? Lets Find Out.

  

Avon Tyres Intermarque Silhouettes-(Race 1 Results)

 

After an Intense Battle During Qualifying which saw the Likes of Danny Hun take a Dominant Pole Position with Pat Kiely Second and Malcom Blackman Third this Grid is Looking to be Very Big and Very Fast. Lets Find Out Who Won and Who took Glory in the First Race of The Day.

 

In First Place Taking The Victory Was (Malcom Blackman) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 57.507 and an Average Speed of 54.53mph. Congratulations Malcom Fantastic Drive and A Well Deserved Win in that Beautifully Prepared Vauxhall.

 

In Second Place was (Danny Hun) in his Ford Autoxross Fiesta ST with a Best Lap Time of 57.789 and an Average Speed of 54.49mph. Amazing Work there Danny Brilliant Drive and a Well Deserved P2 Finish over the Line.

 

In Third Place was (Pat Kiely) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 57.346 and an Average Speed of 54.48mph. Great Work Pat Really Pushing Hard and Almost Catching Danny Hun Just Before The End by 0.157 Seconds there.

 

What a Fantastic First Race of The Day for The Intermarque Silhouettes with Some Incredible Winners in the Likes of Malcom Danny and Pat All Taking Superb Victories for their Respective Teams.

 

With Race 2 Coming Up Next Who will be the One to Retain their Crown at the Top of The Standings and Can the Likes of Pat and Danny Possibly Improve and start Putting Pressure on Malcom who Currently Reins Supreme?

 

Lets Find Out

 

Avon Tyres Intermarque Silhouettes-(Race 2 Results)

 

Race 2 and One Last Chance for The Top 3 To Battle it out and See who can Take Either Back to Back Victories at Brands Hatch or Who can Possibly Disrupt the Win Streak Currently Set by Malcom.

 

In First Place Taking The Last Victory was (Steve Burrows) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.432 and an Average Speed of 69.99mph. Congratulations Steve What a Brilliant Bit of Driving there in Very Wet and Dark Conditions to Beat Malcom and Take Home a Fantastically Deserved Win.

 

In Second Place was (Dave York) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.329 and an Average Speed of 69.59mph. Amazing Work there Dave Really Pushing that Vauxhall for All it was Worth and Doing Very Well to Keep it on the Damp and Slippery Track for a Superb P2 on the Podium.

 

In Third Place was (Malcom Blackman) in his Vauxhall Tigra with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.343 and an Average Speed of 69.50mph. Well Driven there Malcom Great Drive and A Really Good Finish in P3 from an Amazing Weekend of Racing.

 

What a Fantastic Weekend for The Intermarque Silhouettes and So many Amazing Winners in the Likes of Danny Pat Malcom Dave and Steve Who All Showed Incredible Wet Weather Skills and Kept there Cars Going to Take some Superb Victories. Well Done to All of the Other Drivers too Who Fought Hard on Track. Keep Pushing for that Victory and Good Luck.

 

BMR Super Saloons & CMMCS Tin-Tops-(Qualifying Results)

 

Next Up on to The Race Track was The Super Saloons and Tin Tops and Thease Machines not Only Have Incredible Liveries and Looks but they Also Pack a lot of Power and Variety in the Types of Race Cars and How they Handle.

 

From the Ford Escort WRC to the Peugeot 306 and even the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 Each Car and Driver Have a Certain Driving Style that can Either Mean the Difference Between a Loss or a Victory on the Race Track.

 

Lets Get to Qualifying and See Who Took Pole

 

In First Place Taking Pole Position and The Best Lap Was (Rod Birley) in his Ford Escort WRC with a Best Lap Time of 58.886 and a Top Speed of 73.84mph. Brilliant Drive from Birley as a Home Hero of Brands Hatch He Always Knows How to Take Almost Any Car and Get it onto Pole Position Fantastic Drive.

 

In Second Place was (Chris Basset) in his Peugeot 306 with a Best Lap Time of 1:00.040 and a Top Speed of 72.42mph. Fantastic Drive there Chris Pushing that Peugeot Hard for a Well Deserved P2 Finish Well Done.

 

In Third Place was (Nick Sutton) in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.904 and a Top Speed of 70.24mph. Brilliant Drive there Nick Really Working Hard and Getting that Beautiful Lancer Evo into P3 on the Gird.

 

A Fantastic Qualifying Session for Tin Tops and Super Saloons with some Very Fast and Experienced Drivers in Rod Chris and Nick all Pushing their Machinery Hard and Gunning for a Victory. With Race 1 Just Around the Corner it will be Interesting to See who can Take the Victory and who can Defend their Position from the other Drivers who will no Doubt Be Ready and Waiting to Attack.

 

BMR Super Saloons & CMMCS Tin-Tops-(Race 1 Results)

 

In First Place Taking the Victory and The Fastest Lap was (Rod Birley) in his Ford Escort WRC with a Best Lap Time of 1:02.316 and an Average Speed of 57.41mph. Congratulations Rod a Really Incredible Bit of Driving in those Rain Soaked Conditions to take Home a Victory that the Whole Family will be Really Proud of. Amazing Drive.

 

In Second Place was (Steve Dann) in his VW Scirocco with a Best Lap Time of 1:02.502 and an Average Speed of 57.35mph. Great Driving there from Steve Taking the Fight Right to Birley at The End and Almost Catching him for the Race Win. Non the Less a Very Well Deserved P2 Finish.

 

In Third Place was (Nick Wall) in his Renault Clio with a Best Lap Time of 1:04.877 and an Average Speed of 55.89mph. Brilliant work there Nick A Fantastic P3 Finish in Conditions that were Very Challenging Indeed.

 

What an Incredible Race this was to Witness with the Start Being Behind the Safety Car before All of the Driver put their foot down and Went for it in conditions where at Times the Spray made it Impossible to see Anything.

 

A Big Congratulations to the likes of Rod Steve and Nick who All Drove Incredibly and Really Showed Everyone who the Rain Masters were around the Indy Circuit. A Big Congratulations to All of the Other Drivers too Who also Showed Incredible Bravery and Skill Navigating their way Around and Claiming some Incredible Victories of their own.

 

With Race 2 Coming Up Next will Rod be able to Hold onto his 1st Place Finish or Will the Likes of Nick and Steve Try to Take that 1st Place away from Rod? and Who Else May be able to Challenge this Trio of Fast and Capable Drivers.

 

Lets Find Out

 

BMR Super Saloons & CMMCS Tin-Tops-(Race 2 Results)

 

With The Circuit Now Entering Night fall it was Getting Very Difficult for The Drivers to see which will add a New Challenge to this Race. Will the Likes of Rod Birley be Able to Win Once Again?

 

In First Place Taking the Win and Fastest Lap was (Rod Birley) in his Ford Escort WRC with a Best Lap Time of 1:00.960 and an Average Speed of 60.83mph. Amazing Work there Rod Driven like a True Champion and a Fantastic Home Win to Add to the Already Incredible Win Streak at Brands Hatch.

 

In Second Place was (Nick Sutton) in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 with a Best Lap Time of 59.429 and an Average Speed of 60.74mph. Great Drive from Nick Once Again Showing his Brave and Fantastic Skills even at Night When the Lights go Out. Well Done.

 

In Third Place was (Steve Dann) in his VW Scirocco with a Best Lap Time of 1:02.227 and an Average Speed of 60.48mph. Nice Work Steve Really Good Drive for P3 Showing some Incredible Speed and Commitment Thought the Race.

 

What an Amazing Race from the Super Saloons and Tin Tops with some Incredible Drives and Victories from the likes of Rod Nick Sutton Nick Wall and Steve All Pushing Hard and Achieving Some Incredible Victories.

 

Well Done to All of the Other Drivers out there Racing too You All did a Fantastic Job and Looking Forward to seeing you All out there Again Doing what you Love and Sharing a Passion for Motorsport.

 

Dunlop Mini Winter Challenge supported by Mini Spares (Race 2 Results)

 

The Mini's were Up Next and After Some Incredible Racing Yesterday which Saw the Likes of Rupert Deeth Take 1st with Scott Kendall 2nd and Colin Peacock 3rd it was Going to be an Intense Battle at the Front of the Field.

 

The Likes of Endaf Owens was Also Prepared after an Engine Failure During Yesterdays Race Which Many thought would put him out of Contention for Today..........However With Some Incredible Overnight Work by Him and His Fellow Mechanics as well as a Late Night Trip to Wales and Back to Pick Up a Spare Engine, Endaf and His Dedicated Team Have Managed to Get his Car Ready for Race 2. Truly a Phenomenal Achievement. Lets Hope for Better Luck this Time.

 

Lets Get to the Action

 

In First Place Taking Victory and The Fastest Lap was (Endaf Owens) in his Mini Miglia 1298 with a Best Lap Time of 55.033 and an Average Speed of 67.78mph. Incredible Drive there Endaf Coming Back from Yesterday with an Engine Failure to Win the First Race of Sunday is Truly The Drive of a Champion. Incredible Work.

 

In Second Place was (Rupert Deeth) in his Mini Miglia 1293 with a Best Lap Time of 54.925 and an Average Speed of 67.72mph. Another Heroic Drive from Rupert Really Putting Pressure on Endaf the Entire Race and the two of them being in a Class of their Own way out in Front. Amazing Drive there Rupert.

 

In Third Place was (Scott Kendall) in his Mini Miglia 1293 with a Best Lap Time of 55.618 and an Average Speed of 67.34mph. Great Drive there From Scott Racing Hard and Doing a Fantastic Job of Defending that P3 Spot. A Very Well Deserved Third Place Finish.

 

What a Race from The Dunlop Mini Winter Challenge and with One More Race to go The Game is on for Anybody to take on the Likes of Scott Endaf and Rupert for Victory. Lets Find Out what Race 3 Brings and if Endaf can Make it 2 out of 3 Wins to Finish what Has Been a Phenomenal Weekend of Racing for the Mini's.

 

Dunlop Mini Winter Challenge supported by Mini Spares (Race 3 Results)

 

The Final Race for The Mini's and with Endaf Owens on an Incredible Charge will he be able to Withstand The Pressure coming from Rupert Deeth and Take Victory Once More?

 

In First Place taking the Final Win and Fastest Lap was (Endaf Owens) in his Mini Miglia 1298 with a Best Lap Time of 1:02.979 and an Average Speed of 60.65mph. Congratulations Endaf Another Superb Victory for Today and What an Incredible Come Back From Yesterday. He and His Family as well as His Race Engineers and Mechanics will be Very Proud of Him This Weekend that's for sure.

 

In Second Place was (Joe Thompson) in his Mini Miglia 1300 with a Best Lap Time of 1:03.571 and an Average Speed of 60.40mph. Brilliant Driving from Joe and a Really Excellent Performance in Very Dark and Dreary Conditions for a P2 Finish.

 

In Third Place was (Rupert Deeth) in his Mini Miglia 1293 with a Best Lap Time of 1:03.433 and an Average Speed of 59.93mph. Very Well Done Rupert a Fantastic P3 Finish To End the Weekends Racing and some Incredible Battles thought the Weekend with Endaf too. Well Done.

 

What a Weekend it has been for The Dunlop Mini Winter Challenge with Some Incredible Drives from the Likes of Endaf Rupert Joe and Scott all Taking Amazing Victories. Well Done to all of the other Competitors too you All did a Fantastic Job and Good Luck for the Next Time Out. Hope to See you All again Next Year for More High Speed and Close Racing Action.

 

Ginetta Junior Championship-(Qualifying 2 Results)

 

Now it was Time for the Return of the Ginetta Junior Championship onto the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit and after Some Intense and Close Racing Yesterday Each Driver was Ready to Go for Victory Once Again.

 

Currently Josh Rowledge Liam Mcneilly and Max Dodds are The Top 3 Finishers from Yesterdays Race and with Another Qualifying Session Ready and Waiting Will they be able to Put themselves Back at the Front of the Grid or Will a New set of Driver work to Challenge them?

 

In First Place Taking Pole Position and The Fastest Lap was (Tom Edgar) in his GBR R Racing with a Best Lap Time of 1:05.449 and a Top Speed of 66.44mph. Congratulations Tom Taking Pole Position and Ensuring a Front Row Start. Brilliant Lap.

 

In Second Place was (Aqil Alibhai) in his RSA Elite Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 1:05.832 and a Top Speed of 66.05mph. Great Work there from Aqil Taking P2 on the Gird and Some Impressive Car Control thought Qualifying. A Well Deserved P2.

 

In Third Place was (Joe Warhurst) in his GBR Elite Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 1:05.964 and a Top Speed of 65.92mph. Brilliant Drive there Joe Keeping that Car Nicely Positioned Thought the Lap to ensure a Smooth and Yet Confident P3 Spot on the Gird.

 

A Great Second Qualifying Session for the Ginetta Junior Drivers with Three New Drivers in the likes of Tom Aqil and Joe All Looking to take that Glory Come The Next Race. But Who will be able to turn that Impressive Qualifying Lap into a Victory?

 

We Will Have to Wait and See.

 

Ginetta Junior Championship-(Qualifying 2 Second Fastest Results)

 

After an Intense Qualifying Session which saw the Likes of Tom Edgar Aqil Alibhai and Joe Warhurst Taking the Top Three Spots it was Time for them to do it One More Time in a Second Heat for Qualifying. Who will be on Top This Time and will the likes of both Joe and Aqil take that P1 Spot away from Tom?

 

In First Place Taking The Pole was (Tom Edgar) in his GBR R Racing with a Best Lap Time of 1:05.453 and a Top Speed of 66.43mph. Superb Job Once Again from Tom who manages to Hold onto that All Important P1 Position. Brilliant Drive there Tom.

 

In Second Place was (Joe Warhurst) in his GBR Elite Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 1:06.089 and a Top Speed of 65.79mph. Fantastic work Joe Pushing Hard and Taking that P2 Spot away from Aqil Alibhai.

 

In Third Place was (Aqil Alibhai) in his RSA Elite Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 1:06.284 and a Top Speed of 65.60mph. Nice Work there Aqil P3 and a Really Good Effort Against the Likes of both Joe and Tom.

 

What Another Intense Qualifying Session with the Top Three In Tom Joe and Aqil All Pushing Hard and Swapping Positions thought Second Qualifying. What Will the First of Two Races Bring Today and Who will be the First to take Victory?

 

Ginetta Junior Championship-(Race 3 Results)

 

In First Place Taking The Victory was (Aqil Alibhai) in his RSA Elite Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 59.381 and an Average Speed of 71.48mph. Congratulations Aqil A Really Well Deserved Win and Some Incredible Driving to take the Race Win. Well and Truly Deserved.

 

In Second Place was (Max Doods) in his GBR Assetto Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 59.284 and an Average Speed of 71.21mph. Brilliant Driving from Max Pushing Himself and The Car Thought the Race to take Home a Fantastic P2 Finish.

 

In Third Place was (Liam Mcneilly) in his GBR Fox Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 59.426 and an Average Speed of 71.12mph. Brilliant Driving Liam P3 and The Final Spot on The Podium.

 

A Fantastic Race with Two New Winners in the Likes of Max and Liam and a Huge Congratulations to Aqil for that Incredible Victory after Overtaking both Liam and Max During the Race to take Victory. Good Luck to All other Drivers too and Lets see what the Final Race Brings.

  

Ginetta Junior Championship-(Race 4 Results)

 

The Final Race for Ginetta Juniors and One Last Time for One Driver to Stand on the Top Step of the Podium. After Some Fantastic Drives from the likes of Max Aqil Liam Tom and Joe who will be able to take that Last All Important Victory?

 

In First Place Taking The Final Victory was (Liam Mcneilly) in his GBR Fox Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 1:07.685 and an Average Speed of 45.65mph. Congratulations Liam Brilliant Final Drive and a Really Great way to End a Perfect Weekend. Your Family and Friends will be Really Proud of you.

 

In Second Place was (Aqil Alibhai) in his RSA Elite Motorsport with a Best Lap Time of 1:07.749 and an Average Speed of 45.62mph. Awesome work there Aqil Another Very Good Battle at the Front of the Field and a Great P2 Finish to End the Weekend with a Smile.

 

In Third Place was (Sonny Smith) in his GBR R Racing with a Best Lap Time of 1:07.784 and an Average Speed of 45.59mph. Congratulations Sonny P3 and a Really Superb Job Defending from the Likes of Max Behind thought the Race.

 

A Brilliant Weekend for The Ginetta Junior Championship With So Many Fantastic Drivers in the likes of Liam Aqil and Sonny as well as Max and Liam These Young Drivers are Going to do Really Well in Future Top Level Motorsport. A big Congratulations to All of you and to the Other Drivers in the Field Keep Pushing and Working Hard Never Stop Trying.

 

Britcar Endurance Championship-(Race 1 Results)

 

As The Light Fell away from the Circuit The Britcar Endurance Championship made its way out onto the circuit with Lights a Blaze and a lot of Energy coming from both the Drivers and their Cars This was Going to be a Race of Endurance and Car Management thought the 45 Minutes of the Race.

 

During Qualifying Yesterday The Team of

 

Valluga's Carl Cavers/Sean Doyle took Pole with

 

Valluga's Ian Humphries/Benji Hetherington in Second while

 

Nial Bradley Took Third.

 

With a Quick set of Warm Up Laps Over it was Time for The Brit car's to make their way out onto the Track and Get Ready for two Races of Endurance to Decide the Britcar Champion of 2021.

 

In First Place Taking the Victory was (Valluga's) Ian Humphries and Benji Hetherington in their Porsche 718 GT4 Club sport with a Best Lap Time of 50.023 and an Average Speed of 70.37mph. Congratulations both Ian and Benji a Fantastic Win in Very Tricky and Tiering Circumstances thought the 45 Minutes.

 

In Second Place was (Nial Bradley) in his BMW M3 E46 with a Best Lap Time of 50.799 and an Average Speed of 70.34mph. Brilliant work there Nial Keeping the Pressure on for both Ian and Benji at the front of the Pack. a Very Committed Drive for P2.

 

In Third Place was (Valluga's) Carl Cavers and Sean Doyle in their Porsche 718 GT4 Club sport with a Best Lap Time of 50.016 and an Average Speed of 70.34mph. Congratulations Carl and Sean Brilliant Drives from both of you and a Well Deserved P3 Finish after an Intense Battle with Team Hard's Eric Bolton in P4.

 

What an Intense First Race for the Britcar Endurance Championship with the Likes of Ian Humphries and Benji Hetherington Taking the Spoils while Nial Bradley Finishes Second and Carl Cavers and Sean Doyle Finish Third.

 

With Only One Race Left who will be the Victor and Take Home Glory? Lets Find Out.

 

Britcar Endurance Championship-(Race 2 Results FINAL)

 

In First Place Taking the Final Race Win of the Day and The Fastest Lap was (Steve Rothery) in his Peugeot 308 with a Best Lap Time of 58.289 and an Average Speed of 66.59mph. Congratulations Steve a Really Phenomenal Drive to take The Final Win of the Weekend for Britcar. Brilliantly Driven and Nicely Controlled.

 

In Second Place was (Valluga's) Ian Humphries and Carl Cavers in their Porsche 718 GT4 Club Sport with a Best Lap Time of 57.414 and an Average Speed of 66.46mph. Great Work there by both the likes of Ian and Carl to Bring there car Home in P2. A Wonderful Way to End the Weekend and the Championship.

 

In Third Place was (Spires Motorsport's) Anton Spies in his Renault Clio Gen 4 with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.189 and an Average Speed of 64.37mph. A Very Heroic Drive from Anton Pushing His Renault Hard and Ensuring He Defends that All Important Final Spot on the Podium. Great Job.

 

What a Weekend it has been for the Britcar Endurance Championship with Many Fantastic Teams and Drivers in the Likes of (Valluga's) Ian Humphries Carl Cavers Benji Hetherington and the Likes of (Spire Motorsports) Anton Spires and Steve Rothery.

 

Brilliant Driving from All of you and a Really Big Congratulations to The Final Race Winner Steve Rothery.

 

A Fantastic Weekend with Many Talented and Incredible Drivers All Pushing Hard and Doing what they Love on the Race Track. Congratulations to All of the Race Winners.

 

See You All Again Next Year!

                                    

I berated myself all the way from the banks of the Medway up the A249 to Sittingbourne, telling myself it would be a wasted trip as clearly the church wouldn't be open. I had, in fairness, just struck out three churches in a row that were closed.

 

I arrived at the church, found a place to park.

 

There were no ride and stride signs, nothing to indicate it was open.

 

More dark mutterings to myself.

 

As I walked to the churchyard, families were coming out of the park next door, workers were clearing ivy from the wall surrounding the churchyard.

 

The porch gate had a lock on it, as before, but closer inspection showed it to not actually locking the gate. I tried it and the gate opened.

 

The next door was also unlocked, so I went through, and was in a void before the inner door.

 

I pushed and it did not yield.

 

I opened the middle door to let some light in, found the latch, pushed down and the door swung open to reveal a huge space.

 

To the west was the interior of the huge tower, big enough to fit some churches in. No ropes now hang down to ring bells.

 

I could find no light switches, so had to make do with natural light, meaning some details might have been missed.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

The massive 14th century tower grabs attention immediately, but just by the door is a most mysterious headstone which commemorates a man killed by a rocket at an early Guy Fawke`s celebration. Inside, the south aisle is almost as wide as the nave and has a rare rood loft staircase that runs in the thickness of the wall rather than up a spiral staircase. There is little stained glass but the east window, by the firm of Ward and Hughes is rather a masterpiece, with most of the subjects being real portraits – especially the figures of St George and St Uriel. An inscription nearby tells the whole story. At the junction of nave and chancel is a rare benefactions board which is carved to look like a memorial – look out for Faith Hope and Charity. The medieval vestry at the north east corner has an original shuttered window – a rare survival indeed, whilst under the huge tower is a benefactions board recording gifts to dredgermen`s widows. Now you don’t find them very often!

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Milton+Regis

 

-------------------------------------------

 

MILTON,

OR, more properly, Middleton, lies the next parish north-westward from Sittingborne, last described, and seems to have taken its name from the Saxon Midletun, a name denoting its situation in the middle part of this county.

 

THE PARISH of Milton is most of it situated on low flat ground, and extends from the high London road as far as the waters of the Swale northward, adjoining to which, the marshes in this parish are both fresh and salt, of a very large extent. In the southern or upper part of the parish, next to the London road, is a small hamlet, called from the soil Chalkwell, in which there are two modern-built houses of the better sort, the lower most of which has a large tan-yard belonging to it; near it there rise some springs, which fill several large ponds, the reservoirs for a corn mill below them, after which they run along the east skirts of the town, which are a continued swamp of watry bogs, into the creek below. The town, antiently called the king's town of Milton, as being part of the antient possessions of the crown, is situated about half a mile from the high London road, at the eastern boundary of the parish, the greatest part of it on the knole of a hill, extending mostly down the east side of it to the head of the creek, which flows north-westward from hence, and at two miles distance, after several meandrings, joins the waters of the Swale. It has a very indifferent character for health, owing both to the badness of the water, and the gross unwholesome air to which it is subject from its watry situation; nor is it in any degree pleasant, the narrow streets, or rather lanes in it, being badly paved, and for the most part inhabited by seafaring persons, fishermen, and oyster-dredgers.

 

Its commodious situation for navigation near the Swale, to which the town then stood much nearer than it does at present, caused it to be frequented by the Danes, in their piratical excursions into this county, particularly in 893, these pirates, who had been ravaging. France and the Low Countries, being distressed for subsistence, turned their thoughts towards England, for the sake of plunder: for this purpose, with one of their fleets, they sailed up to Apledore, and with the other, consisting of about eighty ships, under the command of Hastings their captain, they entered the mouth of the river Thames, and landing in this parish built themselves a fortress or castle here. Asserius writes, anno 892, Hastengus fecit sibi firmissimum oppidum apud Middeltunam. Sax. Chron. anno 893, interpreted, Arcem extruxit. Simon Dunelm, coll. 151, H. Huntingdon, lib. 5, Florence of Worcester, p. 595, and Chron. Malros, Fecit munitionem. Spelman, in his Life of Alfred, says, Dani castra validis operibus communiunt. This fortress was erected at a place called Kemsleydowne, in the marshes, about midway between the town and the mouth of the creek, the scite of which is still visible, and being overgrown with wood and bushes, has obtained the name of Castberough. (fn. 1) It is of a square form, and is surrounded by a high bank thrown up, and a broad ditch. There is a raised causeway, very plainly to be seen, leading from it towards the seashore. From this fortress they not only made their excursions and plundered the neighbouring country, but secured themselves against such power as the king might send against them.

 

This town of Milton being part of the royal demesnes, was a cause of its being destroyed by earl Godwin, who being at variance with Edward the Consessor, came here, with a large force, in the year 1052, and burned this town, then of good condition, to the ground; and afterwards ransacked and spoiled many other of the king's estates throughout the county. After which it does not seem to have been ever restored to its former state.

 

Its condition in the reign of queen Elizabeth may be seen by the survey, made by her order in the 8th year of her reign; by which it appears, that there were then in this town, houses inhabited one hundred and thirty, persons lacking habitations six, landing-places four, one called Fluddmill keye, appertaining to Sir Henry Cheney; the second, Whitlock's key, now the Town key; the third, Reynolds's, now Page's key; and the fourth, Hamond key, appertaining to Thomas Hayward, now Huggins's key; ships and vessels twenty-six, of which twenty were under ten tons; the rest were of twelve, sixteen, and twenty tons; and persons occupied in trade and fishing twenty four.

 

Since which the town of Milton has considerably increased, as well in the number of its houses and inhabitants, as in its wealth and trade. The number of houses at present is about two hundred and thirty, which are supposed to contain about twelve hundred inhabitants.

 

The trade of it chiefly consists in the traffic carrying on weekly at the four wharfs in it, where the corn and commodities of the neighbouring country are shipped for London, and goods of every sort brought back again in return; and in the fishery for oysters, a further account of which will be given hereafter. Besides which, the several mills here do not contribute a little to the benefit of this place; four of these are employed in the grinding of corn, and dressing it into flour; and the fifth, called Perrywinckle mill, was some few years ago applied to the manufacturing of pearl-barley, which used to be imported from Holland; and it was supposed to be the only mill in the kingdom where that article was brought to the same perfection as in Holland, but this manufacture for want of due encouragement has been since discontinued.

 

The town of Milton is governed by a a portreve, who is chosen annually on St. James's day, by the inhabitants of the parish paying church and poor's rates; whose office is, to oversee the market, and preserve good order within the town, and to execute the office of clerk of the market in all matters, within the hundreds of Milton and Marden; he likewise sets the price of all things which come to the keys, or any other creek within the hundred, being such things as head officers in other towns may set the prices on

 

The market, which is a very plentiful one for all sorts of butchers meat, poultry, &c. is held on a Saturday weekly, at the shambles, in the center of the town. Adjoining to them is the market-house, having a clock, and a bell, which is rung not only for the purpose of the market, but for the calling of the parshioners to church, for funerals, and for occasional parish meetings. At a small distance northward from the shambles is a king of court-house, being a very low old-timbered tenement, where the courts of the manor are kept, and other meetings held; at other times it is made use of as the school house; underneath it is the town prison.

 

The school is endowed with the annual sum of nine pounds, an account of which may be seen hereafter, among the charitable benefactions to this parish. The master is appointed by the minister and churchwardens. Nine or ten poor boys are taught to read and write in it.

 

There is a fair, which used to be held on the feast of St. Margaret, July 13, now, by the alteration of the stile, on the 24th of that month, and the two following days.

 

The lands in this parish, near the town, and especially on the lower or northern part of it, are very rich and sertile. Adjoining to these are the marshes, which extend to the waters of the Swale. Below the hill westward there is another streamlet, which having turned a mill near the vicarage, runs on not far distant from the church, and court-lodge, situated about half a mile northward below the present town, near which the former one destroyed by Earl Godwin is supposed to have once stood.

 

In the north-west part of this parish, among the marshes, there is a decoy for wild fowl, the only one, that I know of, in this part of the county. The fowl caught in it, are much esteemed for their size and flavor. Great numbers of them are weekly taken and sent up to London.

 

In this parish, at a small distance northward from Bobbing-place, is a farm called the Quintin farm, which shews that diversion to have been formerly used in it. (fn. 2)

 

THE FISHERY belonging to the manor and hundred of Milton is of very considerable account. It seems to have been granted by king John, by his charter, in his 7th year, to the abbot and convent of Faversham, by the description of the fisheries of Milton, which the men of Seasalter then held by the yearly rent of twenty shillings, payable at his manor of Milton, and by doing therefrom the customs and service which were wont to be to it.

 

King Edward III. in his 4th year, confirmed this grant, as did king Henry VI. and this fishery remained part of the possessions of the abbey till its dissolution, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was surrendered up into the king's hands, together with all its possessions.

 

After which, the fee simple of this fishery remained with the manor in the hands of the crown, till the 10th year of king Charles I. when it was passed away, with it, by the words recited in the grant then made of the manor, to Sir Ed. Browne and Christ. Favell, as will be more fully mentioned below; after which, James Herbert, esq. coming into the possession of it, by the settlement of it from his father Philip, earl of Pembroke, he in the 26th year of king Charles II. obtained a fresh grant of this fishery, against which there was a quo warranto brought in the reign of queen Anne, on a petition of the fishermen of Rochester and Stroud, to shew by what authority they, the grantees, kept courts within their manor of Milton, and restrained the fishermen of those and the adjacent towns, from fishing and dredging for oysters within this hundred and manor: but on a trial had at bar, a verdict was given in his favor. Since which it has continued down, in like manner as the manor of Milton, to the right hon. Philip, viscount Wenman, and Mrs. Anne Herbert, who are at this time proprietors of this fishery, together with the manor.

 

The company of Fishermen, or Dredgers, of this fishery, hold it by lease from the owners of the manor, at the yearly rent of one hundred pounds and four bushels of oysters. They are governed by their particular officers, under certain rules or bye-laws, made by antient custom at the court baron of the manor. There are now about one hundred and forty freemen belonging to it.

 

The oysters produced from these grounds, within the limits of this fishery, are usually called Milton Natives, and are esteemed the finest and richest flavored of any in Europe. They are supposed to be the same that Juvenal particularly describes, in his fourth satire, as being reckoned a delicacy even in his time, in these words, satire iv. l. 144:

 

— Rutupinove edita fundo Ostrea, callebat primo deprendere morsu.

 

The sum usually returned for these oysters is from 3000l. to 7000l. per annum. The Dutch have been supposed by many, to have engrossed this article of luxury; but they expend but a very small part of the above sums, and sometimes none, for the space of seven years together.

 

IN THE WESTERN PART of this parish there are several hundred acres of coppice-wood, which are adjoining to a much larger tract of the like sort, extending southward almost as far as Binbury pound, on the west side of Stockbury-valley, for the space of near five miles. These woods, especially those in and near this parish, are noted for the great plenty of chesnut stubs interspersed promiscuously throughout them, which, from the quick and strait growth of this king of wood, makes them very valuable. These are so numerous in them, as to give name to most of these woods near Milton, which, besides their particular names to each of them, are usually called by the general name of Chesnut-woods. And in the presentment made of the customs of the manor of Milton in 1575, it is mentioned, that the occupiers of the three mills holden of the manor should gather yearly for the lord of it nine bushels of chestenottes, in Chestnott wood, or pay eighteen-pence by the year to the queen, who then had the manor in her own hands, and was possessed of three hundred acres of chesnut wood within this hundred.

 

¶These chesnuts are undoubtedly the indigenuous growth of Britain, planted by the hand of nature. They are interspersed throughout the whole tract, without any form or regularity, and are many of them, by their appearance, of great age; and by numbers of them, which now seem almost worn out and perishing, being made use of as the termini or boundaries, as well of private property as of parishes, it is plain they were first pitched upon, in preference to others, for that purpose, as being the largest and most antient ones of any then existing; and as these are hardly ever cut down or altered, they must have stood sacred to this use from the first introduction of private property into this kingdom, and the first division of it into parishes. Four letters were printed in 1771, after having been read before the Royal Society, two of which were written by Dr. Ducarel, and the other two by Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Hasted, to prove that chesnut-trees were the indigenous growth of this kingdom, in answer to an idea of the hon. Daines Barrington, who had a wish to establish a contrary opinion.

 

DR. PLOT says, that Herba Britannica, which Twyne and Johnson think to be bistort, Trisolium acetosum, or Oxys; Empetron, quæ est petrafindula Britanniæ prope peculiaris, and Crocus, were found at Milton by Scribonius Largus, when he came into Britain with the emperor Claudius. And he further says, that Crocus sativus, saffron, was heretofore sown and gathered (as now at Walden, in Essex) at Milton, and quotes for his authority, a manuscript rental of the manor of Milton, in the library of Christ-church, Canterbury.

 

MILTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sittingborne.

 

The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is a large handsome building, consisting of two isles and two chancels, the southernmost of which belongs to the manor of Northwood. It has a well built tower at the west end, in which are five bells. In this church, among others, were formerly the arms of Barry, Diggs, Finch, of the Five Ports, of Norwood and Norton, with their several crests, trophies, and banners; of Marten quartering Boteler; one coat, Barry, argent and azure, on a canton of the first, a bird of the second; Argent, three bends azure, within a bordure, eight mullets; Gules, a fess or, between three mullets, argent; and in one of the windows, a man kneeling, with a coat of arms, Six lions rampant, three and three, and underneath, Orate paia Guliel Savage Armigi.

 

Mauricius ap John, rector of St. George's, in Exeter, was buried in the choir of this church, as appears by his will, anno 1499.

 

In the year 1070, being the 5th year of his reign, William the Conqueror gave to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, the church of Middelton, and the tenths of all the products accruing from that manor, and the tenths of all its appurtenances, of the land, wood, meadows, and water, excepting the tenths of honey, and rent paid in money. (fn. 12)

 

Pope Lucius XI. in 1144, at the petition of abbot Hugh de Trottesclive, confirmed the annual pension of ten marcs from this church to that abbey.

 

In 1168, the conventual church of St. Augustine was the greatest part of it burnt; on which account this church was allotted to the sacristy there, for the repair of it. (fn. 13) But they did not keep it long, for in 1178, at the king's instance, they gave it up, and lost all property both in the church, and the advowson of it. A composition was entered into between the archbishop and the abbot in 1182, concerning the privileges and exemptions of the latter; when it was agreed, that the archdeacon, or his official, should receive his accustomed dues and procurations from the churches of St. Augustine, excepting those of Minster, Northborne, and Chistelet, and from this church likewise, when the monks should again get possession of the appropriation of it.

 

Four years after which, the abbot demised to the prioress of St. Sexburg of Shepey, the tiches which his monastery possessed, in right of this church, in Bobbing, at the yearly rent of ten shillings, on condition that all housekeepers, which should be on the estates from which they arose, should yearly repair to this the mother church, with their oblations, on Christmas-day, the Purification, and Easter day. And in 1188, the abbot demised to the prioress there, the tenths of Westlonde, within her parish, for the rent of fourteen shillings, payable yearly to the sacrist of St. Augustine.

 

About the year 1198, the abbot and convent recovered this church, which was then become vacant by the death of one Franco, the person to whom they had given it up, at the instance of king Henry. But they had kept it but a small time, before the archbishop disturbed them in their possession of it. However, by the mediation of mutual friends, and at the king's request, that he would not molest them in their appropriation of it; he out of respect to the king, ratified this church to them, to be possessed by them for ever. (fn. 14)

 

There was a pension of forty shillings payably yearly from this church, with the chapel belonging to it, to the above monastery, which, with the other pensions from their several churches, was given up by agreement in 1242, for a compensation out of the profits of the church of Preston.

 

The abbot and convent, among the extensive privileges from the papal see, had obtained an exemption from all archiepiscopal authority, and about the year 1295 made an institution of several new deanries, and apportioned the several churches belonging to his monastery, to each of them, according to their vicinity; one of these was the deanry of Lenham, in which this church was included. This raised great contests with the several archbishops, and after more than five years altercation, the abbot was stripped of these exemptions, and was declared, by the pope's bull, to be subject to the archbishop's jurisdiction, in like manner as before; which entirely dissolved these new deanries, and that of Lenham among them. (fn. 15)

 

Notwithstanding the abbot and convent seem to have held the appropriation of this church almost from held the appropriation of this church almost from the first grant of it, and though there had been vicars instituted to it long before this time, for Robert de Wikes, who stiles himself vicar of Middelton, by his deed in 1247, granted seven deywerks of land, with the houses built on it, for the habitation of the vicar of Middelton, for the time being; and the abbot and convent had in 1286, assigned a portion for the maintenance of the vicar here; yet there does not appear to have been any regular endowment of a vicarage to it, till the reign of king Edward III. when archbishop Stratford, in 1345, anno 20 Edward III. by his instrument, decreed, that the vicar of the church of Middelton, and his successors, should have the usual mansion of the vicarage, with the garden adjoining to it, together with one acre of the glebe of the same; and that he should have, in the name of the vicarage, all manner of oblations in the church of Middelton, and in all places, situated within the bounds and limits or titheable places of it; and that they should have in the name of the vicarage, all tithes of sylva cædua, wool, lambs, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, swans, pidgeons, cheese, milk-meats, herbage, apples, pears, and other fruit, growing in gardens and orchards, pulse, flax, hemp, eggs, rushes, merchandizes, and of all mills built, or which might in future be built, within the bounds and limits or titheable places of the church, and all other small tithes whatsoever belonging to it, and all legacies left in future to it, which the rectors or vicars of it might of right or custom take; also, that the vicars, in right of the vicarage, should have of the religious, the annual pension of 4s. (fn. 16) sterling, one seam or quarter of corn, and three quarters or seams of barley, on the feast of St. Michael, at Middelton, by them to be yearly paid, on pain of the sequestration of the fruits and profits of the church, belonging to the religious, to be laid on as often and whenever they should cease in the payment of the pension or barley, or should not pay either of them in the time above-mentioned.

 

But that the vicars should undergo the burthen of serving by themselves, or some other fit priest, the church in divine services, in the finding of one lamp, to burn before the altar of St. Mary there, and the ministering of bread, wine, lights, and other things, which should be necessary for the celebration of divine rights in the church. The burthen likewise of the payment of tenths and other impositions, whenever they might be imposed on the English church, or incumbent on the church, for the taxation of twelve marcs, beyond the burthens allotted to the religious underneath, they should undergo at their own costs and expences.

 

But the burthen of the reparation and rebuilding of the chancel of the church, both within and without, and also the finding and repairing of books and vestments, and ornaments of the church, which were wont or ought of right or custom, to be found and repaired by the rectors of churches, and all other burthens, ordinary and extraordinary, incumbent on the church, the religious should undergo and acknowledge for ever, &c. (fn. 17)

 

The church and vicarage, after this, remained part of the possessions of the monastery, till the final dissolution of it, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered up into the king's hands, who by his dotation-charter, in his 33d year, settled both the appropriation of this church, and the advowson of the vicarage, among other premises, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Christchurch, Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of the parsonage still remains, the interest in the lease of it being now in the heirs of John Cockin Sole, esq. deceased, but the advowson of the vicarage the dean and chapter retain in their own hands, and are the present patrons of it.

 

The vicarage of Milton is valued in the king's books at 13l. 2s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 6s. 3d.

 

¶In 1578, there were here, dwelling-houses on hundred and eight, communicants three hundred and seventy-four. In 1640 this vicarage was valued at eighty pounds. Communicants five hundred and twenty-nine.

 

The antient annual pension of four shillings, one quarter of wheat, and three quarters of barley, stipulated to be paid by the religious as before-mentioned, still continues to be paid by the lessee of the parsonage, by the covenants of his lease.

 

The agreement made between the prior of the brethren of the hospital of St. John of Jersalem and the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, about king Henry the IId.'s reign, that whenever their chapel of Rodmersham should be dedicated, and the cemetery consecrated, they would diminish by it none of the mother church of Middleton's rights; has already been more fully mentioned in the account of that parish before. (fn. 18)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol6/pp163-192

I berated myself all the way from the banks of the Medway up the A249 to Sittingbourne, telling myself it would be a wasted trip as clearly the church wouldn't be open. I had, in fairness, just struck out three churches in a row that were closed.

 

I arrived at the church, found a place to park.

 

There were no ride and stride signs, nothing to indicate it was open.

 

More dark mutterings to myself.

 

As I walked to the churchyard, families were coming out of the park next door, workers were clearing ivy from the wall surrounding the churchyard.

 

The porch gate had a lock on it, as before, but closer inspection showed it to not actually locking the gate. I tried it and the gate opened.

 

The next door was also unlocked, so I went through, and was in a void before the inner door.

 

I pushed and it did not yield.

 

I opened the middle door to let some light in, found the latch, pushed down and the door swung open to reveal a huge space.

 

To the west was the interior of the huge tower, big enough to fit some churches in. No ropes now hang down to ring bells.

 

I could find no light switches, so had to make do with natural light, meaning some details might have been missed.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

The massive 14th century tower grabs attention immediately, but just by the door is a most mysterious headstone which commemorates a man killed by a rocket at an early Guy Fawke`s celebration. Inside, the south aisle is almost as wide as the nave and has a rare rood loft staircase that runs in the thickness of the wall rather than up a spiral staircase. There is little stained glass but the east window, by the firm of Ward and Hughes is rather a masterpiece, with most of the subjects being real portraits – especially the figures of St George and St Uriel. An inscription nearby tells the whole story. At the junction of nave and chancel is a rare benefactions board which is carved to look like a memorial – look out for Faith Hope and Charity. The medieval vestry at the north east corner has an original shuttered window – a rare survival indeed, whilst under the huge tower is a benefactions board recording gifts to dredgermen`s widows. Now you don’t find them very often!

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Milton+Regis

 

-------------------------------------------

 

MILTON,

OR, more properly, Middleton, lies the next parish north-westward from Sittingborne, last described, and seems to have taken its name from the Saxon Midletun, a name denoting its situation in the middle part of this county.

 

THE PARISH of Milton is most of it situated on low flat ground, and extends from the high London road as far as the waters of the Swale northward, adjoining to which, the marshes in this parish are both fresh and salt, of a very large extent. In the southern or upper part of the parish, next to the London road, is a small hamlet, called from the soil Chalkwell, in which there are two modern-built houses of the better sort, the lower most of which has a large tan-yard belonging to it; near it there rise some springs, which fill several large ponds, the reservoirs for a corn mill below them, after which they run along the east skirts of the town, which are a continued swamp of watry bogs, into the creek below. The town, antiently called the king's town of Milton, as being part of the antient possessions of the crown, is situated about half a mile from the high London road, at the eastern boundary of the parish, the greatest part of it on the knole of a hill, extending mostly down the east side of it to the head of the creek, which flows north-westward from hence, and at two miles distance, after several meandrings, joins the waters of the Swale. It has a very indifferent character for health, owing both to the badness of the water, and the gross unwholesome air to which it is subject from its watry situation; nor is it in any degree pleasant, the narrow streets, or rather lanes in it, being badly paved, and for the most part inhabited by seafaring persons, fishermen, and oyster-dredgers.

 

Its commodious situation for navigation near the Swale, to which the town then stood much nearer than it does at present, caused it to be frequented by the Danes, in their piratical excursions into this county, particularly in 893, these pirates, who had been ravaging. France and the Low Countries, being distressed for subsistence, turned their thoughts towards England, for the sake of plunder: for this purpose, with one of their fleets, they sailed up to Apledore, and with the other, consisting of about eighty ships, under the command of Hastings their captain, they entered the mouth of the river Thames, and landing in this parish built themselves a fortress or castle here. Asserius writes, anno 892, Hastengus fecit sibi firmissimum oppidum apud Middeltunam. Sax. Chron. anno 893, interpreted, Arcem extruxit. Simon Dunelm, coll. 151, H. Huntingdon, lib. 5, Florence of Worcester, p. 595, and Chron. Malros, Fecit munitionem. Spelman, in his Life of Alfred, says, Dani castra validis operibus communiunt. This fortress was erected at a place called Kemsleydowne, in the marshes, about midway between the town and the mouth of the creek, the scite of which is still visible, and being overgrown with wood and bushes, has obtained the name of Castberough. (fn. 1) It is of a square form, and is surrounded by a high bank thrown up, and a broad ditch. There is a raised causeway, very plainly to be seen, leading from it towards the seashore. From this fortress they not only made their excursions and plundered the neighbouring country, but secured themselves against such power as the king might send against them.

 

This town of Milton being part of the royal demesnes, was a cause of its being destroyed by earl Godwin, who being at variance with Edward the Consessor, came here, with a large force, in the year 1052, and burned this town, then of good condition, to the ground; and afterwards ransacked and spoiled many other of the king's estates throughout the county. After which it does not seem to have been ever restored to its former state.

 

Its condition in the reign of queen Elizabeth may be seen by the survey, made by her order in the 8th year of her reign; by which it appears, that there were then in this town, houses inhabited one hundred and thirty, persons lacking habitations six, landing-places four, one called Fluddmill keye, appertaining to Sir Henry Cheney; the second, Whitlock's key, now the Town key; the third, Reynolds's, now Page's key; and the fourth, Hamond key, appertaining to Thomas Hayward, now Huggins's key; ships and vessels twenty-six, of which twenty were under ten tons; the rest were of twelve, sixteen, and twenty tons; and persons occupied in trade and fishing twenty four.

 

Since which the town of Milton has considerably increased, as well in the number of its houses and inhabitants, as in its wealth and trade. The number of houses at present is about two hundred and thirty, which are supposed to contain about twelve hundred inhabitants.

 

The trade of it chiefly consists in the traffic carrying on weekly at the four wharfs in it, where the corn and commodities of the neighbouring country are shipped for London, and goods of every sort brought back again in return; and in the fishery for oysters, a further account of which will be given hereafter. Besides which, the several mills here do not contribute a little to the benefit of this place; four of these are employed in the grinding of corn, and dressing it into flour; and the fifth, called Perrywinckle mill, was some few years ago applied to the manufacturing of pearl-barley, which used to be imported from Holland; and it was supposed to be the only mill in the kingdom where that article was brought to the same perfection as in Holland, but this manufacture for want of due encouragement has been since discontinued.

 

The town of Milton is governed by a a portreve, who is chosen annually on St. James's day, by the inhabitants of the parish paying church and poor's rates; whose office is, to oversee the market, and preserve good order within the town, and to execute the office of clerk of the market in all matters, within the hundreds of Milton and Marden; he likewise sets the price of all things which come to the keys, or any other creek within the hundred, being such things as head officers in other towns may set the prices on

 

The market, which is a very plentiful one for all sorts of butchers meat, poultry, &c. is held on a Saturday weekly, at the shambles, in the center of the town. Adjoining to them is the market-house, having a clock, and a bell, which is rung not only for the purpose of the market, but for the calling of the parshioners to church, for funerals, and for occasional parish meetings. At a small distance northward from the shambles is a king of court-house, being a very low old-timbered tenement, where the courts of the manor are kept, and other meetings held; at other times it is made use of as the school house; underneath it is the town prison.

 

The school is endowed with the annual sum of nine pounds, an account of which may be seen hereafter, among the charitable benefactions to this parish. The master is appointed by the minister and churchwardens. Nine or ten poor boys are taught to read and write in it.

 

There is a fair, which used to be held on the feast of St. Margaret, July 13, now, by the alteration of the stile, on the 24th of that month, and the two following days.

 

The lands in this parish, near the town, and especially on the lower or northern part of it, are very rich and sertile. Adjoining to these are the marshes, which extend to the waters of the Swale. Below the hill westward there is another streamlet, which having turned a mill near the vicarage, runs on not far distant from the church, and court-lodge, situated about half a mile northward below the present town, near which the former one destroyed by Earl Godwin is supposed to have once stood.

 

In the north-west part of this parish, among the marshes, there is a decoy for wild fowl, the only one, that I know of, in this part of the county. The fowl caught in it, are much esteemed for their size and flavor. Great numbers of them are weekly taken and sent up to London.

 

In this parish, at a small distance northward from Bobbing-place, is a farm called the Quintin farm, which shews that diversion to have been formerly used in it. (fn. 2)

 

THE FISHERY belonging to the manor and hundred of Milton is of very considerable account. It seems to have been granted by king John, by his charter, in his 7th year, to the abbot and convent of Faversham, by the description of the fisheries of Milton, which the men of Seasalter then held by the yearly rent of twenty shillings, payable at his manor of Milton, and by doing therefrom the customs and service which were wont to be to it.

 

King Edward III. in his 4th year, confirmed this grant, as did king Henry VI. and this fishery remained part of the possessions of the abbey till its dissolution, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was surrendered up into the king's hands, together with all its possessions.

 

After which, the fee simple of this fishery remained with the manor in the hands of the crown, till the 10th year of king Charles I. when it was passed away, with it, by the words recited in the grant then made of the manor, to Sir Ed. Browne and Christ. Favell, as will be more fully mentioned below; after which, James Herbert, esq. coming into the possession of it, by the settlement of it from his father Philip, earl of Pembroke, he in the 26th year of king Charles II. obtained a fresh grant of this fishery, against which there was a quo warranto brought in the reign of queen Anne, on a petition of the fishermen of Rochester and Stroud, to shew by what authority they, the grantees, kept courts within their manor of Milton, and restrained the fishermen of those and the adjacent towns, from fishing and dredging for oysters within this hundred and manor: but on a trial had at bar, a verdict was given in his favor. Since which it has continued down, in like manner as the manor of Milton, to the right hon. Philip, viscount Wenman, and Mrs. Anne Herbert, who are at this time proprietors of this fishery, together with the manor.

 

The company of Fishermen, or Dredgers, of this fishery, hold it by lease from the owners of the manor, at the yearly rent of one hundred pounds and four bushels of oysters. They are governed by their particular officers, under certain rules or bye-laws, made by antient custom at the court baron of the manor. There are now about one hundred and forty freemen belonging to it.

 

The oysters produced from these grounds, within the limits of this fishery, are usually called Milton Natives, and are esteemed the finest and richest flavored of any in Europe. They are supposed to be the same that Juvenal particularly describes, in his fourth satire, as being reckoned a delicacy even in his time, in these words, satire iv. l. 144:

 

— Rutupinove edita fundo Ostrea, callebat primo deprendere morsu.

 

The sum usually returned for these oysters is from 3000l. to 7000l. per annum. The Dutch have been supposed by many, to have engrossed this article of luxury; but they expend but a very small part of the above sums, and sometimes none, for the space of seven years together.

 

IN THE WESTERN PART of this parish there are several hundred acres of coppice-wood, which are adjoining to a much larger tract of the like sort, extending southward almost as far as Binbury pound, on the west side of Stockbury-valley, for the space of near five miles. These woods, especially those in and near this parish, are noted for the great plenty of chesnut stubs interspersed promiscuously throughout them, which, from the quick and strait growth of this king of wood, makes them very valuable. These are so numerous in them, as to give name to most of these woods near Milton, which, besides their particular names to each of them, are usually called by the general name of Chesnut-woods. And in the presentment made of the customs of the manor of Milton in 1575, it is mentioned, that the occupiers of the three mills holden of the manor should gather yearly for the lord of it nine bushels of chestenottes, in Chestnott wood, or pay eighteen-pence by the year to the queen, who then had the manor in her own hands, and was possessed of three hundred acres of chesnut wood within this hundred.

 

¶These chesnuts are undoubtedly the indigenuous growth of Britain, planted by the hand of nature. They are interspersed throughout the whole tract, without any form or regularity, and are many of them, by their appearance, of great age; and by numbers of them, which now seem almost worn out and perishing, being made use of as the termini or boundaries, as well of private property as of parishes, it is plain they were first pitched upon, in preference to others, for that purpose, as being the largest and most antient ones of any then existing; and as these are hardly ever cut down or altered, they must have stood sacred to this use from the first introduction of private property into this kingdom, and the first division of it into parishes. Four letters were printed in 1771, after having been read before the Royal Society, two of which were written by Dr. Ducarel, and the other two by Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Hasted, to prove that chesnut-trees were the indigenous growth of this kingdom, in answer to an idea of the hon. Daines Barrington, who had a wish to establish a contrary opinion.

 

DR. PLOT says, that Herba Britannica, which Twyne and Johnson think to be bistort, Trisolium acetosum, or Oxys; Empetron, quæ est petrafindula Britanniæ prope peculiaris, and Crocus, were found at Milton by Scribonius Largus, when he came into Britain with the emperor Claudius. And he further says, that Crocus sativus, saffron, was heretofore sown and gathered (as now at Walden, in Essex) at Milton, and quotes for his authority, a manuscript rental of the manor of Milton, in the library of Christ-church, Canterbury.

 

MILTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sittingborne.

 

The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is a large handsome building, consisting of two isles and two chancels, the southernmost of which belongs to the manor of Northwood. It has a well built tower at the west end, in which are five bells. In this church, among others, were formerly the arms of Barry, Diggs, Finch, of the Five Ports, of Norwood and Norton, with their several crests, trophies, and banners; of Marten quartering Boteler; one coat, Barry, argent and azure, on a canton of the first, a bird of the second; Argent, three bends azure, within a bordure, eight mullets; Gules, a fess or, between three mullets, argent; and in one of the windows, a man kneeling, with a coat of arms, Six lions rampant, three and three, and underneath, Orate paia Guliel Savage Armigi.

 

Mauricius ap John, rector of St. George's, in Exeter, was buried in the choir of this church, as appears by his will, anno 1499.

 

In the year 1070, being the 5th year of his reign, William the Conqueror gave to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, the church of Middelton, and the tenths of all the products accruing from that manor, and the tenths of all its appurtenances, of the land, wood, meadows, and water, excepting the tenths of honey, and rent paid in money. (fn. 12)

 

Pope Lucius XI. in 1144, at the petition of abbot Hugh de Trottesclive, confirmed the annual pension of ten marcs from this church to that abbey.

 

In 1168, the conventual church of St. Augustine was the greatest part of it burnt; on which account this church was allotted to the sacristy there, for the repair of it. (fn. 13) But they did not keep it long, for in 1178, at the king's instance, they gave it up, and lost all property both in the church, and the advowson of it. A composition was entered into between the archbishop and the abbot in 1182, concerning the privileges and exemptions of the latter; when it was agreed, that the archdeacon, or his official, should receive his accustomed dues and procurations from the churches of St. Augustine, excepting those of Minster, Northborne, and Chistelet, and from this church likewise, when the monks should again get possession of the appropriation of it.

 

Four years after which, the abbot demised to the prioress of St. Sexburg of Shepey, the tiches which his monastery possessed, in right of this church, in Bobbing, at the yearly rent of ten shillings, on condition that all housekeepers, which should be on the estates from which they arose, should yearly repair to this the mother church, with their oblations, on Christmas-day, the Purification, and Easter day. And in 1188, the abbot demised to the prioress there, the tenths of Westlonde, within her parish, for the rent of fourteen shillings, payable yearly to the sacrist of St. Augustine.

 

About the year 1198, the abbot and convent recovered this church, which was then become vacant by the death of one Franco, the person to whom they had given it up, at the instance of king Henry. But they had kept it but a small time, before the archbishop disturbed them in their possession of it. However, by the mediation of mutual friends, and at the king's request, that he would not molest them in their appropriation of it; he out of respect to the king, ratified this church to them, to be possessed by them for ever. (fn. 14)

 

There was a pension of forty shillings payably yearly from this church, with the chapel belonging to it, to the above monastery, which, with the other pensions from their several churches, was given up by agreement in 1242, for a compensation out of the profits of the church of Preston.

 

The abbot and convent, among the extensive privileges from the papal see, had obtained an exemption from all archiepiscopal authority, and about the year 1295 made an institution of several new deanries, and apportioned the several churches belonging to his monastery, to each of them, according to their vicinity; one of these was the deanry of Lenham, in which this church was included. This raised great contests with the several archbishops, and after more than five years altercation, the abbot was stripped of these exemptions, and was declared, by the pope's bull, to be subject to the archbishop's jurisdiction, in like manner as before; which entirely dissolved these new deanries, and that of Lenham among them. (fn. 15)

 

Notwithstanding the abbot and convent seem to have held the appropriation of this church almost from held the appropriation of this church almost from the first grant of it, and though there had been vicars instituted to it long before this time, for Robert de Wikes, who stiles himself vicar of Middelton, by his deed in 1247, granted seven deywerks of land, with the houses built on it, for the habitation of the vicar of Middelton, for the time being; and the abbot and convent had in 1286, assigned a portion for the maintenance of the vicar here; yet there does not appear to have been any regular endowment of a vicarage to it, till the reign of king Edward III. when archbishop Stratford, in 1345, anno 20 Edward III. by his instrument, decreed, that the vicar of the church of Middelton, and his successors, should have the usual mansion of the vicarage, with the garden adjoining to it, together with one acre of the glebe of the same; and that he should have, in the name of the vicarage, all manner of oblations in the church of Middelton, and in all places, situated within the bounds and limits or titheable places of it; and that they should have in the name of the vicarage, all tithes of sylva cædua, wool, lambs, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, swans, pidgeons, cheese, milk-meats, herbage, apples, pears, and other fruit, growing in gardens and orchards, pulse, flax, hemp, eggs, rushes, merchandizes, and of all mills built, or which might in future be built, within the bounds and limits or titheable places of the church, and all other small tithes whatsoever belonging to it, and all legacies left in future to it, which the rectors or vicars of it might of right or custom take; also, that the vicars, in right of the vicarage, should have of the religious, the annual pension of 4s. (fn. 16) sterling, one seam or quarter of corn, and three quarters or seams of barley, on the feast of St. Michael, at Middelton, by them to be yearly paid, on pain of the sequestration of the fruits and profits of the church, belonging to the religious, to be laid on as often and whenever they should cease in the payment of the pension or barley, or should not pay either of them in the time above-mentioned.

 

But that the vicars should undergo the burthen of serving by themselves, or some other fit priest, the church in divine services, in the finding of one lamp, to burn before the altar of St. Mary there, and the ministering of bread, wine, lights, and other things, which should be necessary for the celebration of divine rights in the church. The burthen likewise of the payment of tenths and other impositions, whenever they might be imposed on the English church, or incumbent on the church, for the taxation of twelve marcs, beyond the burthens allotted to the religious underneath, they should undergo at their own costs and expences.

 

But the burthen of the reparation and rebuilding of the chancel of the church, both within and without, and also the finding and repairing of books and vestments, and ornaments of the church, which were wont or ought of right or custom, to be found and repaired by the rectors of churches, and all other burthens, ordinary and extraordinary, incumbent on the church, the religious should undergo and acknowledge for ever, &c. (fn. 17)

 

The church and vicarage, after this, remained part of the possessions of the monastery, till the final dissolution of it, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered up into the king's hands, who by his dotation-charter, in his 33d year, settled both the appropriation of this church, and the advowson of the vicarage, among other premises, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Christchurch, Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of the parsonage still remains, the interest in the lease of it being now in the heirs of John Cockin Sole, esq. deceased, but the advowson of the vicarage the dean and chapter retain in their own hands, and are the present patrons of it.

 

The vicarage of Milton is valued in the king's books at 13l. 2s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 6s. 3d.

 

¶In 1578, there were here, dwelling-houses on hundred and eight, communicants three hundred and seventy-four. In 1640 this vicarage was valued at eighty pounds. Communicants five hundred and twenty-nine.

 

The antient annual pension of four shillings, one quarter of wheat, and three quarters of barley, stipulated to be paid by the religious as before-mentioned, still continues to be paid by the lessee of the parsonage, by the covenants of his lease.

 

The agreement made between the prior of the brethren of the hospital of St. John of Jersalem and the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, about king Henry the IId.'s reign, that whenever their chapel of Rodmersham should be dedicated, and the cemetery consecrated, they would diminish by it none of the mother church of Middleton's rights; has already been more fully mentioned in the account of that parish before. (fn. 18)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol6/pp163-192

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

Shigatse, Tibet , China, Summer Palace Panchen Lama, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetan Plateau, Tsang province of China,

 

We are visiting the Tashilhunpo Monastery

 

Tashilhunpo Monastery , founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet.

 

The monastery was sacked when the Gorkha Kingdom invaded Tibet and captured Shigatse in 1791 before a combined Tibetan and Chinese army drove them back as far as the outskirts of Kathmandu, when they were forced to agree to keep the peace in future, pay tribute every five years, and return what they had looted from Tashilhunpo.

 

The monastery is the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas, the second highest ranking tulku lineage in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The "Tashi" or Panchen Lama had temporal power over three small districts, though not over the town of Shigatse itself, which was administered by a dzongpön (prefect) appointed from Lhasa.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashilhunpo_Monastery

 

Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê, is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, It is located within the historical Tsang province of Tibet.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigatse

What would become the world’s largest passenger aircraft company began in 1916 with the partnership of William Boeing, a Seattle shipyard owner, and George Westervelt, a US Navy engineer. Boeing and Westervelt had bought a Curtiss flying boat from Glenn Curtiss himself, but after Boeing crashed the seaplane on Lake Washington, Curtiss informed Boeing that the repairs would take several months. Boeing remarked that he could build a new aircraft in a shorter time than that, and so, in July 1916, the Pacific Aero Products Company was formed; it would be renamed the Boeing Airplane Company in May 1917. Its first customer was the US Navy, who ordered 50 Boeing Model C seaplanes after successfully testing two built with Boeing’s own money—beginning Boeing’s long association with military contracts.

 

Boeing, like many small aircraft companies, was barely able to make ends meet after the end of World War I and any associated contracts. It turned to selling furniture and light boats, though it continued to market aircraft. The company had some minor successes with mailplanes and fighters for the US Army Air Corps and Navy, but it was not until the Boeing 247 came out in 1933 that the company began to thrive. The 247 was in many ways the first modern airliner, of all-metal construction, speed, and the ability to fly on one engine; it also introduced the ease of flying that became a Boeing characteristic. Though it would be overshadowed by the even-more advanced Douglas DC-3, the Boeing 247 was a revolutionary aircraft. It interested Pan American Airways to award Boeing a contract to build the Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat, which was four times the size of the 247 and one of the largest aircraft of its day, carrying 40-80 passengers in luxury approaching that of an ocean liner.

 

Boeing intended to follow the success of the Clipper with the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, a pressurized long-distance airliner based on Boeing’s B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, but the United States’ entry into World War II in December 1941 prevented the 307 from ever achieving any kind of success. World War II, however, would firmly establish Boeing as one of the biggest aircraft manufacturers of the world: its B-17 would be the workhorse bomber for the US Army Air Force, while the B-29 Superfortress revolutionized long-range bomber technology. So important was the B-29 and so trusted was Boeing that the USAAF placed an order worth $4 billion (in 1942 money) before the aircraft was even designed. Boeing underwent massive expansion, building a new plant in Wichita, Kansas just for the B-29.

 

The end of World War II also meant the end of Boeing’s military contracts, and the company was hit hard by the loss of 70,000 jobs. The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (continuing the “Seven” series of Boeing airliners) was based on the B-29 and meant to combine the range of the Superfortress with the luxury of the Clipper, but was generally a commercial failure, due to its expense and engine problems. Boeing stayed afloat by military contracts: it was able to build a medium-range all-jet bomber, the B-47 Stratojet, and use the knowledge learned to revamp their B-52 Stratofortress bomber from a swept-wing turboprop to an all-jet, long-range bomber.

 

Encouraged by the success of the B-47/B-52 series, and with the knowledge that the British, the French and the Russians were all working on jet airliner designs (the deHavilland Comet, Sud-Aviation Caravelle, and Tupolev Tu-104), Boeing launched a private venture, the Boeing 367-80 “Dash 80” technology demonstrator. Boeing’s biggest rival, Douglas, had been far more successful with its DC-4/DC-6 series, and Boeing wanted to beat Douglas to a jet airliner. In case the airlines showed lukewarm interest, the Dash 80 was also billed as an inflight refuelling platform to the USAF, which needed a jet replacement for its propeller-driven fleet of tankers. As it turned out, the Dash 80 was successful in both ventures: the USAF bought it as the KC-135 Stratotanker, while an upscaled, modified version became the Boeing 707.

 

The 707 propelled Boeing to the front of airliner manufacturers: though the Comet, Caravelle and Tu-104 all beat it into service, the 707’s range, reliability, passenger comfort, and ease of flying would make it the standard to beat for all others. In a response to a call from American airline companies for a smaller 707 that could operate at smaller airports, Boeing designed the trijet Boeing 727 in 1962, which was a new design but used a fuselage closely related to the 707. When a still-smaller jet airliner was needed, the Boeing 737 was built in 1967: in its various marks, the 737 would become the most successful airliner ever built.

 

Though it was enjoying huge success in the civilian market, Boeing still retained its near-supremacy in large aircraft designs for the USAF as well. In response to a USAF requirement for a very heavy transport, Boeing submitted a design for a double-decked aircraft. It lost to Lockheed’s design (which would become the C-5 Galaxy), but even before the bid was lost, Boeing considered a civilian version, especially as Pan American was already pressuring Boeing for an upscaled, longer-ranged 707. Boeing combined the double-decked design with the 707’s low wing and podded engines; as air cargo was expected to triple in the decades to come, the cockpit was mounted high in a “hump” above the wide fuselage, so cargo could be loaded through the nose. The rear of the hump became a lounge, and the Boeing 747 was born. The 747 was the first of the “wide-body” aircraft to enter service in 1969, and revolutionized air travel even more than the 707—for the first time, mass air travel was a reality.

 

Boeing was in trouble by the time its new design entered revenue service in 1971. Production of the KC-135 and B-52 had ended with no further military contracts in sight, the 747 was delayed due to engine problems, and efforts to build a supersonic transport (the Boeing 2707) failed. There was a real fear that the company would go out of business, but the success of the 737 and 747 kept it afloat. To address the obsolescence of the 707, the aging of the 727 design, and the challenge of the European Airbus consortium, Boeing introduced the 757 and 767 designs in the early 1980s.

 

Like the 707/727/737 series, the 757/767 shared a similar design philosophy and fuselage, and proved just as successful. The late-model 737-300 series also began production in the mid-1980s, keeping that design viable, and to bridge the gap between the 767 and 747, Boeing introduced the 777 in 1994. The 777 used “fly-by-wire” microprocessors introduced in 1980s American fighter designs and already adopted by Airbus, and became the first two-engined airliner to be allowed to fly trans-Pacific routes.

 

Boeing continued to expand, acquiring Rockwell Aviation in 1996 and then its largest rival, McDonnell Douglas, in 1997; the company incorporated McDonnell Douglas’ logo as its own and continued production of the DC-9/MD-80 series as the Boeing 717 for a time, though the later development of the DC-10, the MD-11, ended production. Boeing also took over production of the C-17 Globemaster III military transport and the F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet fighters.

 

Since 1997, Boeing has continued to lead the world in aircraft manufacturing and design, and today is the United States’ leading exporter. This has not come without problems, however: Boeing’s new-generation replacement for the 757/767 design, the 787 Dreamliner, was delayed over two years in development, while the newest version of the 747, the 747-800, has not been as successful as the company would like in competition with the gargantuan Airbus A380. Attempts to land a contract to build the KC-135’s replacement ran into a decade-long controversy and corruption charges (though Boeing did eventually win the contract with the KC-767), and the company has faced the same downturn in commercial aviation that Airbus has. Nonetheless, Boeing continues to be one of the most successful aviation companies in the world, and plans to continue being such in the future.

 

This is the Boeing 727 prototype, in 1960s era Boeing Company colors. This aircraft still exists, and is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington in United Airlines colors.

 

Rutherford Hill Vineyards, Napa Valley, California

 

Founded in 1972, Rutherford Hill Winery

is a pioneer in the development of California Merlot. The grape growers who founded Rutherford Hill carefully studied the geography of the region and capitalized on climate and soil conditions that resembled those of Pomerol, the small but distinctive Merlot-growing region of Bordeaux. And what a promising discovery that was - one that has borne plenty of fruit - specifically, the lush, purple-black grapes that have contributed so much to Rutherford Hill's success. Today, Merlot remains the flagship wine of the company with 75 percent of Rutherford Hill's production dedicated to this varietal, one of the leading Merlots of Napa Valley.

 

When the Terlato family of the Terlato Wine Group (TWG), Lake Bluff, Illinois, purchased the winery in 1996, they immediately began to apply their guiding principle: Quality is a way of life. The pursuit of excellence began with a comprehensive review of all aspects of the facility that resulted in significant enhancements.

 

TWG Chairman Anthony Terlato works with Rutherford Hill winemakers to tackle the challenges of consistently improving the wine, vintage after vintage. The philosophy that the Terlatos apply to all their ventures was evident at Rutherford Hill from the start. Their first step was to reduce production by 14,000 cases. This eliminated inferior lots from the final blend, and met the demanding new quality standard they had set.

 

Building on Tradition

Another way of putting quality first was to create an environment in which reserve wines could be given the time, care and consideration they needed within the Rutherford Hill portfolio. A new state-of-the art facility for the production of reserve wines - a "winery within a winery" - began taking shape in spring of 2000 and was functional in time for that year's harvest. Costing more than $4 million, the 5,100-square foot winery addition has 24 fermentation tanks ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 gallons. It is self-contained, complete with its own crusher/de-stemmer, press, refrigeration capabilities (tanks are jacketed for both warming and cooling glycol) and harvest crew.

 

Rutherford Hill was an innovator in Napa Valley in the building of caves and employment of a pallet-stacking system within those caves. Year-round, 8,000 wine-filled French and American oak barrels age in an ideal wine-storage environment of 59ºF/90 percent humidity. The result is a substantial reduction in wine evaporation, creating wines with lower concentrations of alcohol. The improvements in the caves that began in 1999 illustrate the big-picture view that embodies the Terlato family's commitment to quality. Year-round, 8,000 French and American oak barrels age wine in an ideal, consistent storage environment of 59ºF, and up to 90 percent humidity.

 

Looking Toward the Future

A substantial investment has been made in purchasing vineyards and in new long-term contracts with growers representing some of Napa Valley's finest vineyards. These actions will help contribute to Rutherford Hill's ongoing pledge of excellence.

 

A quarter-century after Rutherford Hill was founded, the pioneering spirit that created it perseveres. Armed with their extensive wine industry experience, the Terlato Family continues to invest in future quality.

U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Davis

 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.

 

The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.

 

“The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”

 

The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.

 

“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.

 

Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.

 

“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.

 

African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.

 

“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.

 

U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.

 

“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.

 

He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.

 

“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.

 

“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.

 

“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.

 

He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.

 

“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.

 

Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.

 

Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.

 

“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.

 

He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.

 

“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.

 

“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.

 

“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.

 

“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”

 

The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.

 

“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.

 

“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.

 

Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.

 

“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.

 

“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.

 

“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.

 

“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.

 

“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?

 

“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.

 

Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.

 

“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.

 

Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.

 

“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”

 

“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.

 

“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.

 

“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”

 

The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.

 

“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.

 

“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.

 

“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.

 

Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.

 

“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.

 

“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.

 

“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.

 

“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.

 

“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.

 

Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.

 

“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.

 

“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.

 

“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.

 

“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.

 

Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.

 

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

 

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

 

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

 

The Finale to the BARC Club Car Championships Weekender at Brands Hatch and after a Very Thrilling set of both Qualifying Sessions and Races which took place on the Saturday it was Time once again for each Driver to strap in and get ready for some high speed Racing Action thought the Sunday.

 

In Tribute to the Marshall who was Tragically Killed on the Saturday Some Car and Driver Pairings were Racing with Orange Hearts on their Cars as a Tribute to all of Motorsports Family of Marshalls for who without Racing would not be possible. Thank You!

 

So Lets get started and see what the days events Haver to Offer and who can Push their Machinery to the Limits and beyond for a Victory.

 

Britcar Endurance Championship - Trophy Category (Race 1 Results FINAL)

 

The Britcar Endurance Trophy was the First up and it was time to see who could claim that elusive Pole Position and to see if anyone else could challenge the Top Three Drivers Lets see how things turned out.

 

In First Place was the Pairing Of (Datum Motorsport's Axel Van Nederveen and Adriano Medeiros) in their Ginetta G55A with a Best Lap Time of 52:193 and an Average Speed of 64.75mph. Congratulations Axel and Adriano a Really Fantastic Drive and A Super Victory.

 

In Second Place was (SVG's Mark Lee) in his Ginetta G56A with a Best Lap Time of 52.086 and an Average Speed of 64.70mph. Amazing Drive Mark Keeping that Ginetta on the Track and Taking Second Place while Nearly Matching the Speed of Axel and Adriano. Well Done.

 

In Third Place was (Terry Stephens) in his Peugeot 308 with a Best Lap Time of 53.421 and an Average Speed of 64.50mph. Well Fought Terry a Fantastic Finish in Third Place and Staying Ahead by just over 11 seconds to the Pair of Jasver and Bryan in 4th. Amazing Job.

 

A Really Enjoyable and Exciting First Race of the Sunday with High Speed Action and Incredible Victories on Track. Congratulations Axel Adriano Mark and Terry. Lets see what Race 2 Brings in terms of the Action.

  

Britcar Endurance Championship - Trophy Category (Race 2 Results FINAL)

 

Race 2 For Britcar Next and after a Very Fast and Action Packed First Race Will we see a New Face on the Top Step of the Podium? Lets find out.

 

In First Place was the Pairing of (Woodrow Motorsport's Simon Baker and Kevin Clarke) in their BMW 1 Series with a Best Lap Time of 51.837 and an Average Speed of 78.22mph. Amazing work Simon and Kevin who have Beaten the Pairing Of (Datum Motorsport's Axel Van Nederveen and Adriano Medeiros) to Victory. An Incredible Drive by Both of them Well Done.

 

In Second Place was (SVG Mark Lee) in his Ginetta G56A with a Best Lap Time of 52.281 and an Average Speed of 76.89mph. Again a Huge Congratulations to Mark Lee for hanging onto that Second Place Despite Fierce Competition during The Race. Amazing Drive.

 

In Third Place was (Simon Green Motorsport's Pairing of Jasver Sapra and Brian Branson) in their BMW M3 E46 with a Best Lap Time of 52.718 and an Average Speed of 76.88mph. Congratulations Jasver and Brain Brilliant Drive and well Defended to keep that Third Place in Tact.

 

Two Incredible Races with Two Very Different Outcomes of Race Winners and Runners Up The Britcar Endurance Trophy is Proving to be Very Competitive this Year.

 

A Huge Congratulations to Simon Kevin Mark Jasver and Brain for some Amazing Racing and Victories and Good Luck to All Other Drivers. Keep working Hard and Pushing for that All Important Victory.

 

CTCRC Edmundson Electrical Classic / Historic Thunder Saloons (Race 1 Result FINAL)

 

Next Up was the CTCRC Electrical and Historic Thunder Saloons and After a Thrilling Qualifying Session Yesterday Lets see what Each Driver has got and who can Push to the Limits for that All Important Victory.

 

In First Place was (Jason West) in his BMW E46 M3 3200 with a Best Lap Time of 51.907 and an Average Speed of 59.84mph. Congratulations Jason for Another Incredible Drive for First Place and a well Deserved Victory Amongst some Stiff Competition.

 

In Second Place was (Andrew Wilson) in his Holden Monaro 7000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.418 and an Average Speed of 59.96mph. Well Done Andrew Fantastic Driving and a Super Defensive Drive for Second Place.

 

In Third Place was (Samuel Wilson) in his Aston Martin V8 Vantage with a Best Lap Time of 52.699 and an Average Speed of 59.50mph. Amazing Work Samuel and a Beautiful Example of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage on Display Showing its Raw Power and Racing Pedigree to Finish in Third Place.

 

A Fantastic Finish to The Historic and Electrical Thunder Saloons Racing at The Weekend. A Huge Congratulations to Our Top Three Finishers Jason Andrew and Samuel. Fantastic Racing from all Three of you and Good Luck to all other Drivers Keep Tuning and Working Hard and I'm sure Victory Will not be too Far Away from you.

 

CTCRC JEC Saloon & GT Championship & Burton Power BOSS (Race 2 Results FINAL)

 

Next Up CTCRC Saloon and GT Championships and with some Fierce Competition on Display during not only Qualifying but also Their First Race on the Saturday Which saw Malcom Harding Storm to an Insane Victory who Will be able to Take him on and Potentially Steal his Crown during the Next Race Today? Lets See.

 

In First Place was (Malcom Harding) in his Ford Escort MK2 Zakspeed 2500 with a Best Lap Time of 53.888 and an Average Speed of 78.49mph. Another Incredible Victory for Malcom that Highly Modified Zakspeed Escort Really Shows off the Power and Performance of a True Champion and a Fantastic Driver. Congratulations Malcom.

 

In Second Place was (Steven Goldsmith) in his Ford Anglia 105e 260 with a Best Lap Time of 54.335 and an Average Speed of 78.21mph. Another Storming Drive to Achieve Second Place for Steven. Fantastic Driving and Amazing Car Control through Every Corner. Congratulations Steven.

 

In Third Place was (Tom Robinson) in his Jaguar XJ6 4000 with a Best Lap Time of 55.481 and an Average Speed of 55.481mph. Congratulations Tom Superb Display of Driving Ability behind the Jag and a Well Deserved Third Place for Him.

 

Another Incredible Weekend of Racing for the CTCRC Saloon and GT Championships with Some New and Some Old Drivers Stepping onto the Podium. Massive Congratulations to Malcolm Steven and Tom for their First Second And Third Place Finishes. Keep Up the Good Work and Never Stop Trying.

 

CTCRC Laser Tools Pre 93 & Simply Serviced Pre 03 Touring Cars (Race 1 Results FINAL)

 

Now Its Time for The Laser Tools Pre 93 and Simply Serviced Pre 03 Touring Cars to make their way back onto The Track for what Looked to be a Spectacular Race. A Whole Range of Different Cars to Race Against and Stiff Competition after Qualifying Proves that This Race will be One not to be Missed. Lets See what Unfolded.

 

In First Place was (Gary Prebble) in his Honda Civic EG 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 54.100mph and an Average Speed of 78.60mph. Well Done Gary a Really Well Deserved First Place Victory and an Amazing Drive to the Flag.

 

In Second Place was (David Griffith) in his BMW E36 M3 3058 with a Best Lap Time of 54.558 and an Average of 78.42mph. Incredible Drive their David Pushing that BMW For Everything that it Has got to Achieve Second Place.

 

In Third Place was (Kam Tunio) in his Honda Civic EK9 1595 with a Best Lap Time of 55.347 and an Average Speed of 77.05mph. Well Driven Kam Super Driving on Display and a Well Deserved Third Place Finish.

 

Another Amazing Race for The Pre 93 and Pre 03 Touring Cars and a Huge Congratulations to Gary David and Kam for their First Second and Third Place Victories. Keep up the Hard Work and Good Luck to everyone Else wherever your Next Races take you.

 

CTCRC Poultec Classic Race Engines Pre 66 Touring Cars (Race 1 Results)

 

Now it was Time for the Fan Favourite to Enter onto the Brands Hatch Circuit with the Pre 66 Touring Cars Championship. With Mini's Lotus Cortina's and Ford Falcons. This was One Race that No One Wanted to Miss. After a Very Fast Paced Qualifying Session on the Saturday Which saw (Alan Greenhalgh) take Pole Position who Will be able to Challenge Him During the Race and Snatch Victory Away from Him.

 

In First Place was (Alan Greenhalgh) in his Ford Falcon with A Best Lap Time of 58.707 and an Average Speed of 72.63mph. Congratulations Alan A Beautiful Example of the Ford Falcon and Certainly a Very Fast One too. Congratulations on Your Victory.

 

In Second Place was (Robyn Slater) in his Ford Anglia 1550 with a Best Lap Time of 58.992 and an Average Speed of 72.06mph. Very Good Drive their From Robyn to Secure Second Place in The First Race of the Day for the Pre 66 Touring Cars.

 

In Third Place was (Barry Sime) in his Morris Mini Cooper S 1293 with a Best Lap Time of 59.116 and an Average Speed of 71.95mph. Fantastic Work their Barry Keeping that Little Rocket on The Track looked to be Very Challenging but A Very Well Deserved Third Place.

 

What A First Race for The Historic Pre 66 Touring Cars showing The Power and Pride Each Driver takes in Both Racing and Preservation on Their Beloved Racing Machines. Congratulations to Alan Robyn and Barry on their First Second and Third Place Finishes. Lets See what New Challenges Await Them in Race 2 The Final Race of The Day for Them.

 

CTCRC Poultec Classic Race Engines Pre 66 Touring Cars (Race 2 Results FINAL)

 

The Epic FINALE To The Pre 66 Touring Cars Race was A Race in Wet Conditions Making it even more Challenging for The Top Three Drivers. Who would Win and be able to Retain if not Take on thease Three Giants of Touring Car Racing in thease Conditions. Lets See How Things Concluded.

 

In First Place was (Barry Sime) in his Morris Mini Cooper S 1293 with a Best Lap Time of 1:11.482 and an Average Speed of 58.62mph. Amazing Work Barry to take Home a Superb Victory and a Brilliant Bit of Wet Weather Driving in The Mini Well Done.

 

In Second Place was (John Davies) in his Austin Mini Cooper S 1293 with a Best Lap Time of 1:11.416 and an Average Speed of 58.38mph. Amazing Work John Racing A Mini in thease Conditions is Very Tricky and Yet both You and Barry made it look Easy.

 

In Third Place was (James Ibbotson) in his Hillman Imp Super 998 with a Best Lap Time of 1:11.518 and an Average Speed of 58.12mph. Well Done James Sliding that Imp around in the Wet for a Magnificent Third Place was Well Deserved.

 

What A Race to End the Day for the Pre 66 Touring Cars and with So many Old and New Winners Lets Hope we Get to see More Races like This One Thought the Rest of the 2021 Season. A Big Congratulations to Barry John and James on their Respective Victories and Keep Trying Everyone Else The Hard Work will Pay off.

 

CTCRC Shell Oils Pre 83 Touring Cars (Race 1 FINAL)

 

Up Next The Pre 83 Touring Cars took to the Track for Their Only Race of The Day and from what We Have Seen Already This Race also looks like its going to be a Very Strong Battle for First Second and Third Place. Lets See who Came First and Took that All Important Victory.

 

In First Place was (Mark Lucock) in his Ford Escort MK1 RS2000 2040 with a Best Lap Time of 57.687 and an Average Speed of 74.53mph. Amazing work there Mark Pushing All the Power the RS2000 Engine Has and Keeping it on Track to Score an Amazing Victory.

 

In Second Place was (Stephen Primett) in his Ford Escort MK1 2037 with a Best Lap Time of 57.503 and an Average Speed of 74.52mph. Another Brilliant Drive from the Likes of Stephen Keep the Pace with Mark and Making for some Fierce Competition Thought the Race.

 

In Third Place was (Mike Luck in his BMW E21 320 1998 with a Best Lap Time of 57.236 and an Average Speed of 74.46mph. Super Driving there Mike to take Third Place and a Very Classic Looking BMW Indeed.

 

What A Race from the Pre 83 Touring Cars showcasing Speed Power and What a Touring Car was Made to do around a Race Track. A Big Congratulations to Mark Stephen and Mike on their First Second and Third Place Finishes. Keep Racing and Keep Having Fun Out There.

 

Junior Saloon Car Championship (Race 1 Result FINAL)

 

The Junior Saloon Car Championship was Up Next and Even Though the Age Range of thease Next Drivers Taking to the Circuit Might Shock you at The Fact that Many of them are as Young as 15 Years of age don't be Fooled Because thease Guys Know how to Race Having been brought up from Carting since the age of 4. They are always a Fan Favourite and After Qualifying on the Saturday its Anyone's Game as to Who Wins and Who Losses in Thease Races.

 

In First Place was (Ruben Hage) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 59.967 and an Average Speed of 65.65mph. Congratulations Ruben What A Drive and an Incredible Run for First Place Fending off the Other On Coming Drivers. Truly a Championship Winning Drive.

 

In Second Place was (Harvey Caton) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 59.629 and an Average Speed of 65.64mph. Very Well Driven there Harvey Staying very Close to Ruben in First Place and Keeping Him on His Toes Thought the Entire Race.

 

In Third Place was (Charlie Hand) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Lap Time of 1:00.006 and an Average Speed of 65.57mph. Solid Third Place there Charlie Keep Up the Momentum and Never Give Up Chasing Your Dreams.

 

What a Fantastic Race from the Junior Saloon Car Championship with New Winners on the Podium and Some Close Wheel to Wheel Action Thought the Race Thease Guys will be Fantastic To see in Future Racing Series All Over The World. Congratulations to Ruben Harvey and Charlie for First Second and Third Place and Good Luck to All Other Aspiring Young Drivers Following in the Footsteps of Your Greatest Racing Heroes.

 

Kumho BMW Championship (Race 1 Results)

 

Finally it was Time for the Last Two Races of the Day the Kumo BMW Championship. Featuring The Makes and Models of Many BMW'S taking to the Circuit for Race 1. After a Busy Day Qualifying on Saturday Lets See what Each Driver Cando in The Frist of Two Races for their Championship.

 

In First Place was (Niall Bradley) in his BMW E46 M3 with a Best Lap Time of 50.920 and an Average Speed of 83.60mph. Brilliant Driving There Niall Pushing the Power of the BMW Engine to Max and Putting the Pedal to the Metal the Whole Race. A Superb Victory.

 

In Second Place was (Michael Vitulli) in his BMW E36 M3 3200 with a Best Lap Time of 51.158 and an Average Speed of 83.45mph. Another Incredible Driver Pushing Hard and Taking Second Place. Well Done Michael.

 

In Third Place was (James Card) in his BMW E46 M3 3200 with a Best Lap Time of 51.154 and an Average Speed of 83.42mph. Very Well Done their James Keep Pushing.

 

Three Fantastic Drivers in Niall Michael and James all Fighting for that Victory and Showing The Racer Inside each and Everyone of them. Lets see what Their Final Race of the Day Brings Them.

  

Kumho BMW Championship (Race 2 Results FINAL)

 

In First Place was (Niall Bradley) in his BMW E46 M3 with a Best Lap Time of 53.581 and an Average Speed of 77.79mph. Another Well Deserved First Place Finish to Round of The Days Racing. Congratulations Niall Go and Celebrate with The Team In Style.

 

In Second Place was (Darren Morgan Owen) in his BMW E46 M3 3200 with a Best Lap Time of 53.200 and an Average Speed of 77.43mph. Super Drive There Darren for Second Place and a New Winner onto The Podium.

 

In Third Place was (Brad Sheean) in his BMW E46 M3 3200 with a Best Lap Time of 53.227 and an Average Speed of 77.13mph. Fantastic Drive there Brad and Some Incredible Car Control thought the Entire Race to Finish Third.

 

And That Concludes Racing for the Kumho BMW Championship with 4 Different Winners Across two Races and A lot of Really Fast Action you could not Have Asked for a better Finish to The End of The Days Racing. Massive Congratulations to Niall Darren and Brad and Good Luck to all Other Competing Drivers who are still Looking for that almighty Victory.

 

That Concludes Racing for The BARC Club Car Championships Weekend A Big Congratulations to All of the Drivers of Every Team and a Huge Thank You to Marshalls Far and Wide as Without Your Support Events like This and Champion Drivers May Never Get to Achieve Their Dreams.

 

See You All At The Next One!

             

I can't remember why i decided to to Ufford; I think it was because it is in Simon's top ten of Suffolk churches. Of course everything is down to taste and perspective and what the day, light, or other factors at play when you visited.

 

I drove through the village three times looking for the church, but this was Upper Ufford; all golf clubs and easy access to the A12.

 

I tried to find the church on the sat nav, but that wanted me to go to Ipswich or Woodbridge, I then tried to find Church Lane, and hit the jackpot. Down through a modern housing estate, then down a narrow lane, left at the bottom and there at the end of a lane stood St Mary, or the tower of the church anyway.

 

In the house opposite, a young man paused doing physical jerks to stare at me as ai parked, but my eyes were on the church. What delights would I find inside?

 

-----------------------------------------

 

Upper Ufford is a pleasant place, and known well enough in Suffolk. Pretty much an extension northwards of Woodbridge and Melton, it is a prosperous community, convenient without being suburban. Ufford Park Hotel is an enjoyable venue in to attend professional courses and conferences, and the former St Audrey's mental hospital grounds across the road are now picturesque with luxury flats and houses. And I am told that the Ufford Park golf course is good, too, for those who like that kind of thing.

 

But as I say, that Ufford is really just an extension of Melton. In fact, there is another Ufford. It is in the valley below, more than a mile away along narrow lanes and set in deep countryside beside the Deben, sits Lower Ufford. To reach it, you follow ways so rarely used that grass grows up the middle.

You pass old Melton church, redundant since the 19th century, but still in use for occasional exhibitions and performances, and once home to the seven sacrament font that is now in the plain 19th century building up in the main village. Eventually, the lane widens, and you come into the single street of a pretty, tiny hamlet, the church tower hidden from you by old cottages and houses.

 

In one direction, the lane to Bromeswell takes you past Lower Ufford's delicious little pub, the White Lion. A stalwart survivor among fast disappearing English country pubs, the beer still comes out of barrels and the bar is like a kitchen. I cannot think that a visit to Ufford should be undertaken without at least a pint there. And, at the other end of the street, set back in a close between cottages, sits the Assumption, its 14th century tower facing the street, a classic Suffolk moment.

 

The dedication was once that of hundreds of East Anglian churches, transformed to 'St Mary' by the Reformation and centuries of disuse before the 19th century revival, but revived both here and at Haughley near Stowmarket. In late medieval times, it coincided with the height of the harvest, and in those days East Anglia was Our Lady's Dowry, intensely Catholic, intimately Marian.

 

The Assumption was almost certainly not the original dedication of this church. There was a church here for centuries before the late middle ages, and although there are no traces of any pre-Conquest building, the apse of an early-Norman church has been discovered under the floor of the north side of the chancel. The current chancel has a late Norman doorway, although it has been substantially rebuilt since, and in any case the great glories of Ufford are all 15th century. Perhaps the most dramatic is the porch, one of Suffolk's best, covered in flushwork and intriguing carvings.

 

Ufford's graveyard is beautiful; wild and ancient. I wandered around for a while, spotting the curious blue crucifix to the east of the church, and reading old gravestones. One, to an early 19th century gardener at Ufford Hall, has his gardening equipment carved at the top. The church is secretive, hidden on all sides by venerable trees, difficult to photograph but lovely anyway. I stopped to look at it from the unfamiliar north-east; the Victorian schoolroom, now a vestry, juts out like a small cottage.

I walked back around to the south side, where the gorgeous porch is like a small palace against the body of the church. I knew the church would be open, because it is every day. And then, through the porch, and down into the north aisle, into the cool, dim, creamy light.

 

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 21st August 1644, Ufford had a famous visitor, a man who entered the church in exactly the same way, a man who recorded the events of that day in his journal. There were several differences between his visit and the one that I was making, one of them crucial; he found the church locked. He was the Commissioner to the Earl of Manchester for the Imposition in the Eastern Association of the Parliamentary Ordinance for the Demolishing of Monuments of Idolatry, and his name was William Dowsing.

 

Dowsing was a kind of 17th century political commissar, travelling the eastern counties and enforcing government legislation. He was checking that local officials had carried out what they were meant to do, and that they believed in what they were doing. In effect, he was getting them to work and think in the new ways that the central government required. It wasn't really a witch hunt, although God knows such things did exist in abundance at that time. It was more as if an arm of the state extended and worked its fingers into even the tiniest and most remote parishes. Anyone working in the public sector in Britain in the early years of the 21st century will have come across people like Dowsing.

 

As a part of his job, Dowsing was an iconoclast, charged with ensuring that idolatrous images were excised from the churches of the region. He is a man blamed for a lot. In fact, virtually all the Catholic imagery in English churches had been destroyed by the Anglican reformers almost a hundred years before Dowsing came along. All that survived was that which was difficult to destroy - angels in the roofs, gable crosses, and the like - and that which was inconvenient to replace - primarily, stained glass. Otherwise, in the late 1540s the statues had been burnt, the bench ends smashed, the wallpaintings whitewashed, the roods hauled down and the fonts plastered over. I have lost count of the times I have been told by churchwardens, or read in church guides, that the hatchet job on the bench ends or the font in their church was the work of 'William Dowsing' or 'Oliver Cromwell'. In fact, this destruction was from a century earlier than William Dowsing. Sometimes, I have even been told this at churches which Dowsing demonstrably did not visit.

 

Dowsing's main targets included stained glass, which the pragmatic Anglican reformers had left alone because of the expense of replacing it, and crosses and angels, and chancel steps. We can deduce from Dowsing's journal which medieval imagery had survived for him to see, and that which had already been hidden - not, I hasten to add, because people wanted to 'save' Catholic images, but rather because this was an expedient way of getting rid of them.

 

So, for example, Dowsing visited three churches during his progress through Suffolk which today have seven sacrament fonts, but Dowsing does not mention a single one of them in his journal; they had all been plastered over long ago.

In fact, Dowsing was not worried so much about medieval survivals. What concerned him more was overturning the reforms put in place by the ritualist Archbishop Laud in the 1630s. Laud had tried to restore the sacramental nature of the Church, primarily by putting the altar back in the chancel and building it up on raised steps. Laud had since been beheaded thanks to puritan popular opinion, but the evidence of his wickedness still filled the parish churches of England. The single order that Dowsing gave during his progress more than any other was that chancel steps should be levelled.

 

The 21st of August was a hot day, and Dowsing had much work to do. He had already visited the two Trimley churches, as well as Brightwell and Levington, that morning, and he had plans to reach Baylham on the other side of Ipswich before nightfall. Much to his frustration, he was delayed at Ufford for two hours by a dispute between the church wardens over whether or not to allow him access.

 

The thing was, he had been here before. Eight months earlier, as part of a routine visit, he had destroyed some Catholic images that were in stained glass, and prayer clauses in brass inscriptions, but had trusted the churchwardens to deal with a multitude of other sins, images that were beyond his reach without a ladder, or which would be too time-consuming. This was common practice - after all, the churchwardens of Suffolk were generally equally as puritan as Dowsing. It was assumed that people in such a position were supporters of the New Puritan project, especially in East Anglia. Dowsing rarely revisited churches. But, for some reason, he felt he had to come back here to make sure that his orders had been carried out.

 

Why was this? In retrospect, we can see that Ufford was one of less than half a dozen churches where the churchwardens were uncooperative. Elsewhere, at hundreds of other churches, the wardens welcomed Dowsing with open arms. And Dowsing only visited churches in the first place if it was thought there might be a problem, parishes with notorious 'scandalous ministers' - which is to say, theological liberals. Richard Lovekin, the Rector of Ufford, had been turned out of his living the previous year, although he survived to return when the Church of England was restored in 1660. But that was in the future. Something about his January visit told Dowsing that he needed to come back to Ufford.

 

Standing in the nave of the Assumption today, you can still see something that Dowsing saw, something which he must have seen in January, but which he doesn't mention until his second visit, in the entry in his journal for August 21st, which appears to be written in a passion. This is Ufford's most famous treasure, the great 15th century font cover.

 

It rises, six metres high, magnificent and stately, into the clerestory, enormous in its scale and presence. In all England, only the font cover at Southwold is taller. The cover is telescopic, and crocketting and arcading dances around it like waterfalls and forests. There are tiny niches, filled today with 19th century statues. At the top is a gilt pelican, plucking its breast.

 

Dowsing describes the font cover as glorious... like a pope's triple crown... but this is just anti-Catholic innuendo. The word glorious in the 17th century meant about the same as the word 'pretentious' means to us now - Dowsing was scoffing.

But that was no reason for him to be offended by it. The Anglicans had destroyed all the statues in the niches a century before, and all that remained was the pelican at the top, pecking its breast to feed its chicks. Dowsing would have known that this was a Catholic image of the Sacrifice of the Mass, and would have disapproved. But he did not order the font cover to be destroyed. After all, the rest of the cover was harmless enough, apart from being a waste of good firewood, and the awkwardness of the Ufford churchwardens seems to have put him off following through. He never went back.

 

Certainly, there can have been no theological reason for the churchwardens to protect their font cover. I like to think that they looked after it simply because they knew it to be beautiful, and that they also knew it had been constructed by ordinary workmen of their parish two hundred years before, under the direction of some European master designer. They protected it because of local pride, and amen to that. The contemporary font beneath is of a type more familiar in Norfolk than Suffolk, with quatrefoils alternating with shields, and heads beneath the bowl.

 

While the font cover is extraordinary, and of national importance, it is one of just several medieval survivals in the nave of the Assumption. All around it are 15th century benches, with superbly characterful and imaginative images on their ends. The best is the bench with St Margaret and St Catherine on it. This was recently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Gothic exhibition. Other bench end figures include a long haired, haloed woman seated on a throne, which may well be a representation of the Mother of God Enthroned, and another which may be the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven. There is also a praying woman in a butterfly headdress, once one of a pair, and a man wearing what appears to be a bowler hat, although I expect it is a helmet of some kind. His beard is magnificent. There are also a number of finely carved animals, both mythical and real.

 

High up in the chancel arch is an unusual survival, the crocketted rood beam that once supported the crucifix, flanked by the grieving Mary and John, with perhaps a tympanum behind depicting the last judgement. These are now all gone, of course, as is the rood loft that once stood in front of the beam and allowed access to it. But below, the dado of the screen survives, with twelve panels. Figures survive on the south side. They have not worn well. They are six female Saints: St Agnes, St Cecilia, St Agatha, St Faith, St Bridget and, uniquely in England, St Florence. Curiously, the head of this last has been, in recent years, surrounded by stars, in imitation of the later Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Presumably this was done in a fit of Anglo-catholic enthusiasm about a century ago. The arrangement is similar to the south side of the screen at Westhall, and it may even be that the artist was the same. While there is no liturgical reason for having the female Saints on one side and, presumably, male Saints on the other, a similar arrangement exists on several Norfolk screens in the Dereham area.

 

Much of the character of the church today comes from it embracing, in the early years of the 20th century, Anglo-catholicism in full flood. It is true to say that, the later a parish took on the tradition, the more militant and intensely expressed it was, and the more evidence there is likely to be surviving. As at Great Ryburgh in Norfolk, patronage here ensured that this work was carried out to the very highest specification under the eye of the young Ninian Comper. Comper is an enthusiast's enthusiast, but I think he is at his best on a small scale in East Anglia like here and Ryburgh. His is the extraordinary war memorial window and reredos in the south aisle chapel, dedicated to St Leonard.

The window depicts Christ carrying his cross on the via dolorosa, but he is aided by a soldier in WWI uniform and, behind him, a sailor. The use of blues is very striking, as is the grain on the wood of the cross which, incidentally, can also be seen to the same effect on Comper's reredos at Ryburgh. The elegant, gilt reredos here profides a lovely foil to the tremendous window above it.

 

Comper's other major window here is on the north side of the nave. This is a depiction of the Annunciationextraordinary. from 1901, although it is the figures above which are most They are two of the Ancient Greek sibyls, Erythrea and Cumana, who are associated with the foretelling of Christ. At the top is a stunning Holy Trinity in the East Anglian style. There are angels at the bottom, and all in all this window shows Comper at the height of his powers.

 

Stepping into the chancel, there is older glass - or, at least, what at first sight appears to be. Certainly, there are some curious roundels which are probably continental 17th century work, ironically from about the same time that Dowsing was here. They were probably acquired by collectors in the 19th century, and installed here by Victorians. The image of a woman seated among goats is curious, as though she might represent the season of spring or be an allegory of fertility, but she is usually identified as St Agnes. It is a pity this roundel has been spoiled by dripping cement or plaster. Another roundel depicts St Sebastian shot with arrows, and a third St Anthony praying to a cross in the desert.

 

The two angels in the glass on the opposite side of the chancel are perhaps more interesting. They are English, probably early 16th Century, and represent two of the nine Orders of Angels, Dominions and Powers. They carry banners written in English declaring their relationship to eartly kings (Dominions) and priests and religious (Virtues). They would have been just two of a set of nine, but as with the glass opposite it seems likely that they did not come from this church originally.

  

However, the images in 'medieval' glass in the east window are entirely modern, though done so well you might not know. A clue, of course, is that the main figures, St Mary Salome with the infants St James and St John on the left, and St Anne with the infant Virgin on the right, are wholly un-East Anglian in style. In fact, they are 19th century copies by Clayton & Bell of images at All Souls College, Oxford, installed here in the 1970s. I think that the images of heads below may also be modern, but the angel below St Anne is 15th century, and obviously East Anglian, as is St Stephen to the north.

High above, the ancient roofs with their sacred monograms are the ones that Dowsing saw, the ones that the 15th century builders gilt and painted to be beautiful to the glory of God - and, of course, to the glory of their patrons. Rich patronage survived the Reformation, and at the west end of the south aisle is the massive memorial to Sir Henry Wood, who died in 1671, eleven years after the end of the Commonwealth. It is monumental, the wreathed ox heads a severely classical motif. Wood, Mortlock tells us, was Treasurer to the Household of Queen Henrietta Maria.

 

There is so much to see in this wonderful church that, even visiting time and time again, there is always something new to see, or something old to see in a new way. It is, above all, a beautiful space, and, still maintaining a reasonably High worship tradition, it is is still kept in High liturgical style. It is at once a beautiful art object and a hallowed space, an organic touchstone, precious and powerful.

 

Simon Knott, June 2006, updated July 2010 and January 2017

 

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Ufford.htm

Trojans FC has been providing top class Southampton Rugby for 142 years! Established in 1874 Trojans operates 3 Senior Men's, a Senior Ladies and teams at every youth age group.

#proudtobeatrojan

The Trojans Club was founded in 1874 initially as a rugby club - The Trojans Football Club.

There are now four very active sporting sections, Rugby, Cricket, Hockey and Squash with a total membership of well over one thousand.

During its long and proud history, Trojans has done much to foster amateur sport and has, over the years, produced many county and international players.

The original minute books are still in existence and are held in the Southampton City archives and there are many other documents and press reports that have been used extensively to create the following documents, broken into two sections, the History and the Playing Archives.

This is not intended to be a definitive history of the Trojans Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Hampshire, but more a selection of the highlights of the early years and a brief review of the past few years.

The Beginning

On the 3rd of September 1874 a meeting was held at the Antelope Hotel, Southampton, by members of a previous club, with a view to forming the "Trojans".

The previous Club was the "Southampton Football Club" which existed for one season under that name having previous been the "Grammar School Old Boys". The earliest recorded game so far found was the Old Boys against the Shirley Club on 5th October 1872 at Porter's Meadow. The match was won by Shirley by 2 touchdowns to one. H F Gibbs was captain of both of these forerunners.

H F Gibbs was voted the first Captain of the Trojans Football Club and the Club colours were voted as blue and red. It was agreed that the first annual subscription should be five shillings per year. The first rugby games of the Club were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park, Southampton.

The first Annual Meeting of the Club took place on the 24th September 1875 when the Treasurer reported a small credit balance of five pence halfpenny (2.29p). The results for the 1874/75 season produced five victories and three defeats.

The Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1881.

Change the Laws

At a committee Meeting on the 5th September 1874 the Playing Rules of Rugby Football were read through and the worthy members of the Trojans decided to make an amendment to Rule number 15 which read "It is lawful to run in anywhere across the goal line". The addition made by the Trojans at that stage was "except between the goal posts". The Club soon found it necessary to alter this!

The First Results

Southsea (A) lost by two punts out and seven touch downs

Salisbury (A) Won by one goal and two touch downs to nil.

Salisbury (H) Lost by one goal, one try and two touch downs to two tries and four touch downs.

Magpies Won by three tries and seven touch downs to nil.

Southsea (H) Won by one goal to nil

Springhill Won by one goal and three touch downs to one goal.

Royal Academy Gosport Lost by four tries and six touch downs to one try.

First Floodlit game

On the evening of 28th November 1878, a match was played against the Rovers Football Club by electric light, having been cancelled the night before because of rain. This was the first exhibition of electric light in Southampton, and believed to be the first ever game of rugby under lights. The local newspaper reported that "at times the light was very brilliant and players could be seen plainly".

Ban the Game!

During the 1880 season, S E Gibbs died as a result of an injury while playing against Romsey. There was much local comment and the then Mayor of Southampton issued a handbill, published in full in "The Times", condemning the game as follows:

"The Mayor in consequence of the many serious accidents and the recent deplorable death in Southampton resulting from the dangerous practice of playing football requests the Heads of Families, the Principals of Scholastic Establishments in the Town and Members of Clubs to take such steps as may be necessary for preventing the game being played in future according to Rugby Union, Association and other rules of a dangerous character. The Mayor considers it his duty to use every means in his power for prohibiting the game as hitherto played being continued in the Porters Meadow field or upon any other of the Public lands in Southampton".

At the Committee Meeting of 16th December 1880 "It was decided to play as usual unless we found out before that the Mayor had given any instruction to the police. In that case it was thought best to summons any offending "arm of the law" for assault".

The Formation of the Hampshire Rugby Football Union

At the Trojan Club's initiative, a meeting was held on 13th April 1883 to discuss the formation of "The Hampshire County Rugby Football Union". In the first season of the County Club, at least seven Trojans represented the County.

In 1901 County activities ceased and it was again the Trojans, along with United Services, who, in 1910, convened a meeting at the Trojans Club for the purpose of forming a Rugby Football Union in Hampshire.

Over 400 Trojan members have represented the county at rugby at the various levels and 140 at senior level.

“International” Football"

Although a rugby club, Trojans were known, on occasions, to play with the round ball. The following team was selected to play Curries French team (from Havre) on the New Football Ground, Archers Road (the Dell) on Tuesday 1st November 1898. Scotney, goal, Denning & Maundrell, backs, Densham, Ellerby & Colson, halfs, Ellaby, Page, Macdonald, Gamble & Hussey (councillor and later Sir George), forwards. Trojans were allowed to take half the gate money. The Echo reported this as a game against a team of French players and thus it claimed the honour of being the first international match played at the Dell.

The First Hampshire Cup

 

In May 1888 the Trojans Committee proposed the starting of a Rugby Union Cup Competition in the interests of Rugby Football. The County Challenge Cup (Presented by Tankerville Chamberlayne M.P., President of Trojans, and pictured here) was started in the 1889/1890 season and the Club entered the same. During this year, not only was the pitch enclosed by rope, but a charge of sixpence was made to all spectators. The Cup was duly won by Trojans in March 1890. Whether it was ever played for again is not sure as, in 1891, Trojans decided not to enter because " it was felt that it was a farce putting up the cup at the fag end of the season to be competed for by three clubs"! The present whereabouts of the grand cup is not known, although it is believed it was presented back to Tankerville Chamberlayne.

Service to the County

As well as forming the County Union (twice), Trojan members have served the County well and it can be said that there has always been a Trojan involved in Hampshire Rugby since its formation.

In particular, over the 108 active years of the Union, six Trojan members have served as President of the Union serving a total of 49 years. Six Secretaries served a total of 36 years and for the first sixty-two years of County representation on the RFU Committee the Hampshire representative was a Trojan.

Mr. Hampshire

There can be no more respected and faithful servant of the County and the Game than one particular Trojan, Dudley Kemp, as the following record illustrates -

Captain of Trojans 1927-34, 1935-38

Captain of Hampshire 1935

Played for England 1935.

Barbarian

President of the Rugby Football Union 1969

Member of the International Board 1971-77

Hampshire representative on the RFU Committee 1955-69

President HRFU 1973-76

Secretary HRFU 1946-67

Assistant Secretary HRFU 1967-68

Team Secretary HRFU 1946-53

Match Secretary HRFU 1953-56

Dudley died at his home in Devon in January 2003 aged 93.

Doggy Spectators

During a match between Trojans and Portsmouth Victoria in 1886, the ball was kicked into the Trojans' in-goal area where it rebounded off a stray dog. One of the Portsmouth players gathered it and touched down to claim a try. The Trojans protested, and claimed "dead-ball" the ball having struck a "spectator". The objection was later referred to the RFU Committee who ruled that the try should stand, as dogs could not be classed as spectators!

The Barbarians

H A Haigh-Smith was elected Trojans Captain in 1912. He was instrumental in forming the Barbarians Club and was later made president of that Club. He was also assistant Manager of the Lions tour in 1935.

Trojans played the Barbarians on January 9th 1895 but the result does not appear to have been recorded for posterity!

The Wars!

Trojans Rugby had to be suspended three times because of wars - in 1897 because of the Boer War, 1914, the Great War and 1939 the World War.

Moving Home

Although always considered a Southampton Club, Trojans actually now play in the Test Valley District. Over the years there have been many homes -

1874 the first games were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park on Queens Terrace. (by the Dock Gates)

1884 the Club donated the sum of two guineas towards the purchase of the proposed Cricket Ground in Bannister Park, until recently, the County Cricket Ground, and commenced playing rugby there in the 1884/85 season.

1897 Freemantle Ground, Stafford Road

1905 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road

1923 G H Brown's farm in Wide Lane, Swathling with Atlantic Park (now Southampton Airport) being used for the dressing accommodation.

1929 Southampton Stadium, Banister Road

1931 Bannister Court as well as G H Brown's farm

1933 11 acres of land purchased in Cemetery Road, Swaythling (sold in 1945)

1946 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road

1947 Sports Centre, Southampton

1958 Stoneham Park (the present ground). The ground, 22.8 acres, was purchased in 1953 for £1,205 and was another example of the members' foresight, as the timber in the ground was sold for sums almost sufficient to cover the cost of purchase! In 1958, a temporary corrugated iron changing room was completed and the foundations of the pavilion commenced. The pavilion was officially opened by A.T. Voyce, President of the Rugby Football Union, on 27th December 1960.

The Prime Years

Throughout the early and mid 1900s, Trojans went from strength to strength and provided many County Players as well a number of Internationals.

The modern peak was probably reached in the early 1960s when the Club could justifiably consider itself to be the premier civilian rugby club in the South of England (outside London). In 1961, seven rugby sides were fielded with over 200 players available for selection.

Before league tables were introduced in 1987/88, local newspapers ran Merit Tables, the Wessex Merit Table and the Hampshire Merit Table both being won in the 1978/79 and the 1980/81 seasons.

The Lean Years

There were many reasons for the decline from that peak which started in the early 80s. More local clubs, easier transport and a change of working patterns (Trojans being very much a "transit camp" in those days) were some of them. The introduction of leagues in 1987 hit the Club at the worst possible time. In the first year, the Club was put into London Division 3 but could not cope at that level and dropped straight into Hampshire Division One. Luck was also in short supply when the Club, having finished fifth, seventh from bottom (!), the team was still relegated to Hampshire Division Two (a quirk of the league structure). There the Club stayed, battling for promotion with the other strong clubs to be relegated in the mass drop, until the 1992/93 season when the league was won with a record of played 10, won 10, for 353, against 37 which included a league record win of 91-0 against Waterlooville.

Three seasons were spent in Hampshire One but the 1995/96 season saw what was probably

the strongest ever Hampshire Division 1 and relegation again befell the team. 1996/97 season saw us just lose out on promotion but success was achieved in 1997/98.

The Revival Years

Success was achieved in the 2000/2001 season when promotion was achieved to London Division 4SW (The old Division 3SW having been broken into two divisions). The first season at that level was quite successful, ending mid-table, but the next was not when Hampshire 1 again beckoned. Promotion and relegation followed over a number of seasons until London Division 1 was achieved in the 2011/12 season.

Competition is maintained throughout the Senior Club with the 2nd XV being in the Hampshire Senior merit table and the 3rd XV being in the Hampshire Division 1 merit table.

One significant advance was the introduction of Women's rugby which has developed into the strongest team in Southern England. The end of the 2006/07 season saw them promoted to the Championship 1 South (National level 2) and in 2009/10 a second team was entered into the leagues.

The Strength of Youth

One thing that has remained a strength since it's formation in the mid 70s is the Youth Section. Being one of the first clubs to introduce Mini Rugby in England (imported from Wales) the Mini and Junior Sections have encouraged many thousands of youngsters into the game and the Youth section now runs teams in every year group from under 8s to under 17s, holds annual tournaments and is generally held up to be a model of organization.

U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Davis

 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.

 

The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.

 

“The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”

 

The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.

 

“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.

 

Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.

 

“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.

 

African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.

 

“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.

 

U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.

 

“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.

 

He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.

 

“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.

 

“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.

 

“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.

 

He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.

 

“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.

 

Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.

 

Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.

 

“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.

 

He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.

 

“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.

 

“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.

 

“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.

 

“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”

 

The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.

 

“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.

 

“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.

 

Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.

 

“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.

 

“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.

 

“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.

 

“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.

 

“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?

 

“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.

 

Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.

 

“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.

 

Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.

 

“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”

 

“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.

 

“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.

 

“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”

 

The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.

 

“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.

 

“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.

 

“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.

 

Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.

 

“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.

 

“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.

 

“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.

 

“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.

 

“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.

 

Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.

 

“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.

 

“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.

 

“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.

 

“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.

 

Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.

 

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

 

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

 

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

Camera: NIkon F

Lens: Nikkor Non-ai S.C. 50mm F1.4

Film: Kodak Ektar 100

Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy and Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides join Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson and other state and local officials to announce the filing of a $3.5 billion economic development bill at Breakwater North Harbor in Lynn on April 21, 2022. The legislation, “An Act Investing in Future Opportunities for Resiliency, Workforce, and Revitalized Downtowns,” or FORWARD, would support Massachusetts’ path forward as the Commonwealth transitions into a post-pandemic world, including projects to strengthen state infrastructure, create jobs and invest in all 351 cities in towns. It includes $2.3 billion in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and more than $1.246 billion in capital bond authorizations. [Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office]

Rudolf von Alt (Wien 1812 - 1905 Wien)

Neuer Markt, Vienna, 1832

Der Neue Markt in Wien

Bleistift, Aquarell, Deckfarben

Pencil, watercolour, body colour

Albertina, Wien

 

The Art of the Viennese Watercolor

Till 13. May 2018

Transparent lightness, brilliant colours, and a generally atmospheric impression are the special qualities of 19th-century Viennese watercolor painting. Virtuosic city views and landscapes, detail-rich portraits, genre paintings, and floral works comprise the rich motivic repertoire featured in this glorious blossoming of Austrian art.

The Viennese watercolor’s heyday was the Biedermeier era: Jakob Alt, Matthäus Loder, Thomas Ender, and Peter Fendi number among its most important artistic figures.

Likewise outstanding are the exquisite works by Rudolf von Alt from his over 70-year career. His masterful watercolours run from the Biedermeier era all the way to the rise of the Secession movement around 1900.

This exhibition presents a veritable parade of exceptionally beautiful pictures, including the ALBERTINA’s own treasures as well as important loan works, all of which pay impressive tribute to the high standing of the Viennese watercolor in the context of 19th century art.

www.albertina.at/en/exhibitions/viennese_watercolour/

 

On view from 16 February until 13 May 2018.

 

The Albertina

The architectural history of the Palais

 

"It is my will that ​​the expansion of the inner city of Vienna with regard to a suitable connection of the same with the suburbs as soon as possible is tackled and at this on Regulirung (regulation) and beautifying of my Residence and Imperial Capital is taken into account. To this end I grant the withdrawal of the ramparts and fortifications of the inner city and the trenches around the same".

This decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I, published on 25 December 1857 in the Wiener Zeitung, formed the basis for the largest the surface concerning and architecturally most significant transformation of the Viennese cityscape. Involving several renowned domestic and foreign architects a "master plan" took form, which included the construction of a boulevard instead of the ramparts between the inner city and its radially upstream suburbs. In the 50-years during implementation phase, an impressive architectural ensemble developed, consisting of imperial and private representational buildings, public administration and cultural buildings, churches and barracks, marking the era under the term "ring-street style". Already in the first year tithe decided a senior member of the Austrian imperial family to decorate the facades of his palace according to the new design principles, and thus certified the aristocratic claim that this also "historicism" said style on the part of the imperial house was attributed.

It was the palace of Archduke Albrecht (1817-1895), the Senior of the Habsburg Family Council, who as Field Marshal held the overall command over the Austro-Hungarian army. The building was incorporated into the imperial residence of the Hofburg complex, forming the south-west corner and extending eleven meters above street level on the so-called Augustinerbastei.

The close proximity of the palace to the imperial residence corresponded not only with Emperor Franz Joseph I and Archduke Albert with a close familial relationship between the owner of the palace and the monarch. Even the former inhabitants were always in close relationship to the imperial family, whether by birth or marriage. An exception here again proves the rule: Don Emanuel Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca (1696-1771), for which Maria Theresa in 1744 the palace had built, was just a close friend and advisor of the monarch. Silva Tarouca underpins the rule with a second exception, because he belonged to the administrative services as Generalhofbaudirektor (general court architect) and President of the Austrian-Dutch administration, while all other him subsequent owners were highest ranking military.

In the annals of Austrian history, especially those of military history, they either went into as commander of the Imperial Army, or the Austrian, later kk Army. In chronological order, this applies to Duke Carl Alexander of Lorraine, the brother-of-law of Maria Theresa, as Imperial Marshal, her son-in-law Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, also field marshal, whos adopted son, Archduke Charles of Austria, the last imperial field marshal and only Generalissimo of Austria, his son Archduke Albrecht of Austria as Feldmarschalil and army Supreme commander, and most recently his nephew Archduke Friedrich of Austria, who held as field marshal from 1914 to 1916 the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Despite their military profession, all five generals conceived themselves as patrons of the arts and promoted large sums of money to build large collections, the construction of magnificent buildings and cultural life. Charles Alexander of Lorraine promoted as governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1741 to 1780 the Academy of Fine Arts, the Théâtre de Ja Monnaie and the companies Bourgeois Concert and Concert Noble, he founded the Academie royale et imperial des Sciences et des Lettres, opened the Bibliotheque Royal for the population and supported artistic talents with high scholarships. World fame got his porcelain collection, which however had to be sold by Emperor Joseph II to pay off his debts. Duke Albert began in 1776 according to the concept of conte Durazzo to set up an encyclopedic collection of prints, which forms the core of the world-famous "Albertina" today.

1816 declared to Fideikommiss and thus in future indivisible, inalienable and inseparable, the collection 1822 passed into the possession of Archduke Carl, who, like his descendants, it broadened. Under him, the collection was introduced together with the sumptuously equipped palace on the Augustinerbastei in the so-called "Carl Ludwig'schen fideicommissum in 1826, by which the building and the in it kept collection fused into an indissoluble unity. At this time had from the Palais Tarouca by structural expansion or acquisition a veritable Residenz palace evolved. Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen was first in 1800 the third floor of the adjacent Augustinian convent wing adapted to house his collection and he had after 1802 by his Belgian architect Louis de Montoyer at the suburban side built a magnificent extension, called the wing of staterooms, it was equipped in the style of Louis XVI. Only two decades later, Archduke Carl the entire palace newly set up. According to scetches of the architect Joseph Kornhäusel the 1822-1825 retreaded premises presented themselves in the Empire style. The interior of the palace testified from now in an impressive way the high rank and the prominent position of its owner. Under Archduke Albrecht the outer appearance also should meet the requirements. He had the facade of the palace in the style of historicism orchestrated and added to the Palais front against the suburbs an offshore covered access. Inside, he limited himself, apart from the redesign of the Rococo room in the manner of the second Blondel style, to the retention of the paternal stock. Archduke Friedrich's plans for an expansion of the palace were omitted, however, because of the outbreak of the First World War so that his contribution to the state rooms, especially, consists in the layout of the Spanish apartment, which he in 1895 for his sister, the Queen of Spain Maria Christina, had set up as a permanent residence.

The era of stately representation with handing down their cultural values ​​found its most obvious visualization inside the palace through the design and features of the staterooms. On one hand, by the use of the finest materials and the purchase of masterfully manufactured pieces of equipment, such as on the other hand by the permanent reuse of older equipment parts. This period lasted until 1919, when Archduke Friedrich was expropriated by the newly founded Republic of Austria. With the republicanization of the collection and the building first of all finished the tradition that the owner's name was synonymous with the building name:

After Palais Tarouca or tarokkisches house it was called Lorraine House, afterwards Duke Albert Palais and Palais Archduke Carl. Due to the new construction of an adjacently located administration building it received in 1865 the prefix "Upper" and was referred to as Upper Palais Archduke Albrecht and Upper Palais Archduke Frederick. For the state a special reference to the Habsburg past was certainly politically no longer opportune, which is why was decided to name the building according to the in it kept collection "Albertina".

This name derives from the term "La Collection Albertina" which had been used by the gallery Inspector Maurice von Thausing in 1870 in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts for the former graphics collection of Duke Albert. For this reason, it was the first time since the foundation of the palace that the name of the collection had become synonymous with the room shell. Room shell, hence, because the Republic of Austria Archduke Friedrich had allowed to take along all the movable goods from the palace in his Hungarian exile: crystal chandeliers, curtains and carpets as well as sculptures, vases and clocks. Particularly stressed should be the exquisite furniture, which stems of three facilities phases: the Louis XVI furnitures of Duke Albert, which had been manufactured on the basis of fraternal relations between his wife Archduchess Marie Christine and the French Queen Marie Antoinette after 1780 in the French Hofmanufakturen, also the on behalf of Archduke Charles 1822-1825 in the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory by Joseph Danhauser produced Empire furnitures and thirdly additions of the same style of Archduke Friedrich, which this about 1900 at Portois & Ffix as well as at Friedrich Otto Schmidt had commissioned.

The "swept clean" building got due to the strained financial situation after the First World War initially only a makeshift facility. However, since until 1999 no revision of the emergency equipment took place, but differently designed, primarily the utilitarianism committed office furnitures complementarily had been added, the equipment of the former state rooms presented itself at the end of the 20th century as an inhomogeneous administrative mingle-mangle of insignificant parts, where, however, dwelt a certain quaint charm. From the magnificent state rooms had evolved depots, storage rooms, a library, a study hall and several officed.

Worse it hit the outer appearance of the palace, because in times of continued anti-Habsburg sentiment after the Second World War and inspired by an intolerant destruction will, it came by pickaxe to a ministerial erasure of history. In contrast to the graphic collection possessed the richly decorated facades with the conspicuous insignia of the former owner an object-immanent reference to the Habsburg past and thus exhibited the monarchial traditions and values ​​of the era of Francis Joseph significantly. As part of the remedial measures after a bomb damage, in 1948 the aristocratic, by Archduke Albert initiated, historicist facade structuring along with all decorations was cut off, many facade figures demolished and the Hapsburg crest emblems plunged to the ground. Since in addition the old ramp also had been cancelled and the main entrance of the bastion level had been moved down to the second basement storey at street level, ended the presence of the old Archduke's palace after more than 200 years. At the reopening of the "Albertina Graphic Collection" in 1952, the former Hapsburg Palais of splendour presented itself as one of his identity robbed, formally trivial, soulless room shell, whose successful republicanization an oversized and also unproportional eagle above the new main entrance to the Augustinian road symbolized. The emocratic throw of monuments had wiped out the Hapsburg palace from the urban appeareance, whereby in the perception only existed a nondescript, nameless and ahistorical building that henceforth served the lodging and presentation of world-famous graphic collection of the Albertina. The condition was not changed by the decision to the refurbishment because there were only planned collection specific extensions, but no restoration of the palace.

This paradigm shift corresponded to a blatant reversal of the historical circumstances, as the travel guides and travel books for kk Residence and imperial capital of Vienna dedicated itself primarily with the magnificent, aristocratic palace on the Augustinerbastei with the sumptuously fitted out reception rooms and mentioned the collection kept there - if at all - only in passing. Only with the repositioning of the Albertina in 2000 under the direction of Klaus Albrecht Schröder, the palace was within the meaning and in fulfillment of the Fideikommiss of Archduke Charles in 1826 again met with the high regard, from which could result a further inseparable bond between the magnificent mansions and the world-famous collection. In view of the knowing about politically motivated errors and omissions of the past, the facades should get back their noble, historicist designing, the staterooms regain their glamorous, prestigious appearance and culturally unique equippment be repurchased. From this presumption, eventually grew the full commitment to revise the history of redemption and the return of the stately palace in the public consciousness.

The smoothed palace facades were returned to their original condition and present themselves today - with the exception of the not anymore reconstructed Attica figures - again with the historicist decoration and layout elements that Archduke Albrecht had given after the razing of the Augustinerbastei in 1865 in order. The neoclassical interiors, today called after the former inhabitants "Habsburg Staterooms", receiving a meticulous and detailed restoration taking place at the premises of originality and authenticity, got back their venerable and sumptuous appearance. From the world wide scattered historical pieces of equipment have been bought back 70 properties or could be returned through permanent loan to its original location, by which to the visitors is made experiencable again that atmosphere in 1919 the state rooms of the last Habsburg owner Archduke Frederick had owned. The for the first time in 80 years public accessible "Habsburg State Rooms" at the Palais Albertina enable now again as eloquent testimony to our Habsburg past and as a unique cultural heritage fundamental and essential insights into the Austrian cultural history. With the relocation of the main entrance to the level of the Augustinerbastei the recollection to this so valuable Austrian Cultural Heritage formally and functionally came to completion. The vision of the restoration and recovery of the grand palace was a pillar on which the new Albertina should arise again, the other embody the four large newly built exhibition halls, which allow for the first time in the history of the Albertina, to exhibit the collection throughout its encyclopedic breadh under optimal conservation conditions.

The palace presents itself now in its appearance in the historicist style of the Ringstrassenära, almost as if nothing had happened in the meantime. But will the wheel of time should not, cannot and must not be turned back, so that the double standards of the "Albertina Palace" said museum - on the one hand Habsburg grandeur palaces and other modern museum for the arts of graphics - should be symbolized by a modern character: The in 2003 by Hans Hollein designed far into the Albertina square cantilevering, elegant floating flying roof. 64 meters long, it symbolizes in the form of a dynamic wedge the accelerated urban spatial connectivity and public access to the palace. It advertises the major changes in the interior as well as the huge underground extensions of the repositioned "Albertina".

Christian Benedictine

 

Art historian with research interests History of Architecture, building industry of the Hapsburgs, Hofburg and Zeremonialwissenschaft (ceremonial sciences). Since 1990 he works in the architecture collection of the Albertina. Since 2000 he supervises as director of the newly founded department "Staterooms" the restoration and furnishing of the state rooms and the restoration of the facades and explores the history of the palace and its inhabitants.

 

www.wien-vienna.at/albertinabaugeschichte.php

I can't remember why i decided to to Ufford; I think it was because it is in Simon's top ten of Suffolk churches. Of course everything is down to taste and perspective and what the day, light, or other factors at play when you visited.

 

I drove through the village three times looking for the church, but this was Upper Ufford; all golf clubs and easy access to the A12.

 

I tried to find the church on the sat nav, but that wanted me to go to Ipswich or Woodbridge, I then tried to find Church Lane, and hit the jackpot. Down through a modern housing estate, then down a narrow lane, left at the bottom and there at the end of a lane stood St Mary, or the tower of the church anyway.

 

In the house opposite, a young man paused doing physical jerks to stare at me as ai parked, but my eyes were on the church. What delights would I find inside?

 

The south wall of the church inside the porch is lined with some very nice tiles; I take a few pictures. Inside, your eye is taken to the wonderful font cover, several metres high, disappearing into the wooden beams high above. A fine rood beam stretched across the chancel arch, and is still decorated.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

Upper Ufford is a pleasant place, and known well enough in Suffolk. Pretty much an extension northwards of Woodbridge and Melton, it is a prosperous community, convenient without being suburban. Ufford Park Hotel is an enjoyable venue in to attend professional courses and conferences, and the former St Audrey's mental hospital grounds across the road are now picturesque with luxury flats and houses. And I am told that the Ufford Park golf course is good, too, for those who like that kind of thing.

 

But as I say, that Ufford is really just an extension of Melton. In fact, there is another Ufford. It is in the valley below, more than a mile away along narrow lanes and set in deep countryside beside the Deben, sits Lower Ufford. To reach it, you follow ways so rarely used that grass grows up the middle.

You pass old Melton church, redundant since the 19th century, but still in use for occasional exhibitions and performances, and once home to the seven sacrament font that is now in the plain 19th century building up in the main village. Eventually, the lane widens, and you come into the single street of a pretty, tiny hamlet, the church tower hidden from you by old cottages and houses.

 

In one direction, the lane to Bromeswell takes you past Lower Ufford's delicious little pub, the White Lion. A stalwart survivor among fast disappearing English country pubs, the beer still comes out of barrels and the bar is like a kitchen. I cannot think that a visit to Ufford should be undertaken without at least a pint there. And, at the other end of the street, set back in a close between cottages, sits the Assumption, its 14th century tower facing the street, a classic Suffolk moment.

 

The dedication was once that of hundreds of East Anglian churches, transformed to 'St Mary' by the Reformation and centuries of disuse before the 19th century revival, but revived both here and at Haughley near Stowmarket. In late medieval times, it coincided with the height of the harvest, and in those days East Anglia was Our Lady's Dowry, intensely Catholic, intimately Marian.

 

The Assumption was almost certainly not the original dedication of this church. There was a church here for centuries before the late middle ages, and although there are no traces of any pre-Conquest building, the apse of an early-Norman church has been discovered under the floor of the north side of the chancel. The current chancel has a late Norman doorway, although it has been substantially rebuilt since, and in any case the great glories of Ufford are all 15th century. Perhaps the most dramatic is the porch, one of Suffolk's best, covered in flushwork and intriguing carvings.

 

Ufford's graveyard is beautiful; wild and ancient. I wandered around for a while, spotting the curious blue crucifix to the east of the church, and reading old gravestones. One, to an early 19th century gardener at Ufford Hall, has his gardening equipment carved at the top. The church is secretive, hidden on all sides by venerable trees, difficult to photograph but lovely anyway. I stopped to look at it from the unfamiliar north-east; the Victorian schoolroom, now a vestry, juts out like a small cottage.

I walked back around to the south side, where the gorgeous porch is like a small palace against the body of the church. I knew the church would be open, because it is every day. And then, through the porch, and down into the north aisle, into the cool, dim, creamy light.

 

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 21st August 1644, Ufford had a famous visitor, a man who entered the church in exactly the same way, a man who recorded the events of that day in his journal. There were several differences between his visit and the one that I was making, one of them crucial; he found the church locked. He was the Commissioner to the Earl of Manchester for the Imposition in the Eastern Association of the Parliamentary Ordinance for the Demolishing of Monuments of Idolatry, and his name was William Dowsing.

 

Dowsing was a kind of 17th century political commissar, travelling the eastern counties and enforcing government legislation. He was checking that local officials had carried out what they were meant to do, and that they believed in what they were doing. In effect, he was getting them to work and think in the new ways that the central government required. It wasn't really a witch hunt, although God knows such things did exist in abundance at that time. It was more as if an arm of the state extended and worked its fingers into even the tiniest and most remote parishes. Anyone working in the public sector in Britain in the early years of the 21st century will have come across people like Dowsing.

 

As a part of his job, Dowsing was an iconoclast, charged with ensuring that idolatrous images were excised from the churches of the region. He is a man blamed for a lot. In fact, virtually all the Catholic imagery in English churches had been destroyed by the Anglican reformers almost a hundred years before Dowsing came along. All that survived was that which was difficult to destroy - angels in the roofs, gable crosses, and the like - and that which was inconvenient to replace - primarily, stained glass. Otherwise, in the late 1540s the statues had been burnt, the bench ends smashed, the wallpaintings whitewashed, the roods hauled down and the fonts plastered over. I have lost count of the times I have been told by churchwardens, or read in church guides, that the hatchet job on the bench ends or the font in their church was the work of 'William Dowsing' or 'Oliver Cromwell'. In fact, this destruction was from a century earlier than William Dowsing. Sometimes, I have even been told this at churches which Dowsing demonstrably did not visit.

 

Dowsing's main targets included stained glass, which the pragmatic Anglican reformers had left alone because of the expense of replacing it, and crosses and angels, and chancel steps. We can deduce from Dowsing's journal which medieval imagery had survived for him to see, and that which had already been hidden - not, I hasten to add, because people wanted to 'save' Catholic images, but rather because this was an expedient way of getting rid of them.

 

So, for example, Dowsing visited three churches during his progress through Suffolk which today have seven sacrament fonts, but Dowsing does not mention a single one of them in his journal; they had all been plastered over long ago.

In fact, Dowsing was not worried so much about medieval survivals. What concerned him more was overturning the reforms put in place by the ritualist Archbishop Laud in the 1630s. Laud had tried to restore the sacramental nature of the Church, primarily by putting the altar back in the chancel and building it up on raised steps. Laud had since been beheaded thanks to puritan popular opinion, but the evidence of his wickedness still filled the parish churches of England. The single order that Dowsing gave during his progress more than any other was that chancel steps should be levelled.

 

The 21st of August was a hot day, and Dowsing had much work to do. He had already visited the two Trimley churches, as well as Brightwell and Levington, that morning, and he had plans to reach Baylham on the other side of Ipswich before nightfall. Much to his frustration, he was delayed at Ufford for two hours by a dispute between the church wardens over whether or not to allow him access.

 

The thing was, he had been here before. Eight months earlier, as part of a routine visit, he had destroyed some Catholic images that were in stained glass, and prayer clauses in brass inscriptions, but had trusted the churchwardens to deal with a multitude of other sins, images that were beyond his reach without a ladder, or which would be too time-consuming. This was common practice - after all, the churchwardens of Suffolk were generally equally as puritan as Dowsing. It was assumed that people in such a position were supporters of the New Puritan project, especially in East Anglia. Dowsing rarely revisited churches. But, for some reason, he felt he had to come back here to make sure that his orders had been carried out.

 

Why was this? In retrospect, we can see that Ufford was one of less than half a dozen churches where the churchwardens were uncooperative. Elsewhere, at hundreds of other churches, the wardens welcomed Dowsing with open arms. And Dowsing only visited churches in the first place if it was thought there might be a problem, parishes with notorious 'scandalous ministers' - which is to say, theological liberals. Richard Lovekin, the Rector of Ufford, had been turned out of his living the previous year, although he survived to return when the Church of England was restored in 1660. But that was in the future. Something about his January visit told Dowsing that he needed to come back to Ufford.

 

Standing in the nave of the Assumption today, you can still see something that Dowsing saw, something which he must have seen in January, but which he doesn't mention until his second visit, in the entry in his journal for August 21st, which appears to be written in a passion. This is Ufford's most famous treasure, the great 15th century font cover.

 

It rises, six metres high, magnificent and stately, into the clerestory, enormous in its scale and presence. In all England, only the font cover at Southwold is taller. The cover is telescopic, and crocketting and arcading dances around it like waterfalls and forests. There are tiny niches, filled today with 19th century statues. At the top is a gilt pelican, plucking its breast.

 

Dowsing describes the font cover as glorious... like a pope's triple crown... but this is just anti-Catholic innuendo. The word glorious in the 17th century meant about the same as the word 'pretentious' means to us now - Dowsing was scoffing.

But that was no reason for him to be offended by it. The Anglicans had destroyed all the statues in the niches a century before, and all that remained was the pelican at the top, pecking its breast to feed its chicks. Dowsing would have known that this was a Catholic image of the Sacrifice of the Mass, and would have disapproved. But he did not order the font cover to be destroyed. After all, the rest of the cover was harmless enough, apart from being a waste of good firewood, and the awkwardness of the Ufford churchwardens seems to have put him off following through. He never went back.

 

Certainly, there can have been no theological reason for the churchwardens to protect their font cover. I like to think that they looked after it simply because they knew it to be beautiful, and that they also knew it had been constructed by ordinary workmen of their parish two hundred years before, under the direction of some European master designer. They protected it because of local pride, and amen to that. The contemporary font beneath is of a type more familiar in Norfolk than Suffolk, with quatrefoils alternating with shields, and heads beneath the bowl.

 

While the font cover is extraordinary, and of national importance, it is one of just several medieval survivals in the nave of the Assumption. All around it are 15th century benches, with superbly characterful and imaginative images on their ends. The best is the bench with St Margaret and St Catherine on it. This was recently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Gothic exhibition. Other bench end figures include a long haired, haloed woman seated on a throne, which may well be a representation of the Mother of God Enthroned, and another which may be the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven. There is also a praying woman in a butterfly headdress, once one of a pair, and a man wearing what appears to be a bowler hat, although I expect it is a helmet of some kind. His beard is magnificent. There are also a number of finely carved animals, both mythical and real.

 

High up in the chancel arch is an unusual survival, the crocketted rood beam that once supported the crucifix, flanked by the grieving Mary and John, with perhaps a tympanum behind depicting the last judgement. These are now all gone, of course, as is the rood loft that once stood in front of the beam and allowed access to it. But below, the dado of the screen survives, with twelve panels. Figures survive on the south side. They have not worn well. They are six female Saints: St Agnes, St Cecilia, St Agatha, St Faith, St Bridget and, uniquely in England, St Florence. Curiously, the head of this last has been, in recent years, surrounded by stars, in imitation of the later Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Presumably this was done in a fit of Anglo-catholic enthusiasm about a century ago. The arrangement is similar to the south side of the screen at Westhall, and it may even be that the artist was the same. While there is no liturgical reason for having the female Saints on one side and, presumably, male Saints on the other, a similar arrangement exists on several Norfolk screens in the Dereham area.

 

Much of the character of the church today comes from it embracing, in the early years of the 20th century, Anglo-catholicism in full flood. It is true to say that, the later a parish took on the tradition, the more militant and intensely expressed it was, and the more evidence there is likely to be surviving. As at Great Ryburgh in Norfolk, patronage here ensured that this work was carried out to the very highest specification under the eye of the young Ninian Comper. Comper is an enthusiast's enthusiast, but I think he is at his best on a small scale in East Anglia like here and Ryburgh. His is the extraordinary war memorial window and reredos in the south aisle chapel, dedicated to St Leonard.

The window depicts Christ carrying his cross on the via dolorosa, but he is aided by a soldier in WWI uniform and, behind him, a sailor. The use of blues is very striking, as is the grain on the wood of the cross which, incidentally, can also be seen to the same effect on Comper's reredos at Ryburgh. The elegant, gilt reredos here profides a lovely foil to the tremendous window above it.

 

Comper's other major window here is on the north side of the nave. This is a depiction of the Annunciationextraordinary. from 1901, although it is the figures above which are most They are two of the Ancient Greek sibyls, Erythrea and Cumana, who are associated with the foretelling of Christ. At the top is a stunning Holy Trinity in the East Anglian style. There are angels at the bottom, and all in all this window shows Comper at the height of his powers.

 

Stepping into the chancel, there is older glass - or, at least, what at first sight appears to be. Certainly, there are some curious roundels which are probably continental 17th century work, ironically from about the same time that Dowsing was here. They were probably acquired by collectors in the 19th century, and installed here by Victorians. The image of a woman seated among goats is curious, as though she might represent the season of spring or be an allegory of fertility, but she is usually identified as St Agnes. It is a pity this roundel has been spoiled by dripping cement or plaster. Another roundel depicts St Sebastian shot with arrows, and a third St Anthony praying to a cross in the desert.

 

The two angels in the glass on the opposite side of the chancel are perhaps more interesting. They are English, probably early 16th Century, and represent two of the nine Orders of Angels, Dominions and Powers. They carry banners written in English declaring their relationship to eartly kings (Dominions) and priests and religious (Virtues). They would have been just two of a set of nine, but as with the glass opposite it seems likely that they did not come from this church originally.

  

However, the images in 'medieval' glass in the east window are entirely modern, though done so well you might not know. A clue, of course, is that the main figures, St Mary Salome with the infants St James and St John on the left, and St Anne with the infant Virgin on the right, are wholly un-East Anglian in style. In fact, they are 19th century copies by Clayton & Bell of images at All Souls College, Oxford, installed here in the 1970s. I think that the images of heads below may also be modern, but the angel below St Anne is 15th century, and obviously East Anglian, as is St Stephen to the north.

High above, the ancient roofs with their sacred monograms are the ones that Dowsing saw, the ones that the 15th century builders gilt and painted to be beautiful to the glory of God - and, of course, to the glory of their patrons. Rich patronage survived the Reformation, and at the west end of the south aisle is the massive memorial to Sir Henry Wood, who died in 1671, eleven years after the end of the Commonwealth. It is monumental, the wreathed ox heads a severely classical motif. Wood, Mortlock tells us, was Treasurer to the Household of Queen Henrietta Maria.

 

There is so much to see in this wonderful church that, even visiting time and time again, there is always something new to see, or something old to see in a new way. It is, above all, a beautiful space, and, still maintaining a reasonably High worship tradition, it is is still kept in High liturgical style. It is at once a beautiful art object and a hallowed space, an organic touchstone, precious and powerful.

 

Simon Knott, June 2006, updated July 2010 and January 2017

 

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Ufford.htm

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

Processed with Snapseed.

Trojans FC has been providing top class Southampton Rugby for 142 years! Established in 1874 Trojans operates 3 Senior Men's, a Senior Ladies and teams at every youth age group.

#proudtobeatrojan

The Trojans Club was founded in 1874 initially as a rugby club - The Trojans Football Club.

There are now four very active sporting sections, Rugby, Cricket, Hockey and Squash with a total membership of well over one thousand.

During its long and proud history, Trojans has done much to foster amateur sport and has, over the years, produced many county and international players.

The original minute books are still in existence and are held in the Southampton City archives and there are many other documents and press reports that have been used extensively to create the following documents, broken into two sections, the History and the Playing Archives.

This is not intended to be a definitive history of the Trojans Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Hampshire, but more a selection of the highlights of the early years and a brief review of the past few years.

The Beginning

On the 3rd of September 1874 a meeting was held at the Antelope Hotel, Southampton, by members of a previous club, with a view to forming the "Trojans".

The previous Club was the "Southampton Football Club" which existed for one season under that name having previous been the "Grammar School Old Boys". The earliest recorded game so far found was the Old Boys against the Shirley Club on 5th October 1872 at Porter's Meadow. The match was won by Shirley by 2 touchdowns to one. H F Gibbs was captain of both of these forerunners.

H F Gibbs was voted the first Captain of the Trojans Football Club and the Club colours were voted as blue and red. It was agreed that the first annual subscription should be five shillings per year. The first rugby games of the Club were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park, Southampton.

The first Annual Meeting of the Club took place on the 24th September 1875 when the Treasurer reported a small credit balance of five pence halfpenny (2.29p). The results for the 1874/75 season produced five victories and three defeats.

The Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1881.

Change the Laws

At a committee Meeting on the 5th September 1874 the Playing Rules of Rugby Football were read through and the worthy members of the Trojans decided to make an amendment to Rule number 15 which read "It is lawful to run in anywhere across the goal line". The addition made by the Trojans at that stage was "except between the goal posts". The Club soon found it necessary to alter this!

The First Results

Southsea (A) lost by two punts out and seven touch downs

Salisbury (A) Won by one goal and two touch downs to nil.

Salisbury (H) Lost by one goal, one try and two touch downs to two tries and four touch downs.

Magpies Won by three tries and seven touch downs to nil.

Southsea (H) Won by one goal to nil

Springhill Won by one goal and three touch downs to one goal.

Royal Academy Gosport Lost by four tries and six touch downs to one try.

First Floodlit game

On the evening of 28th November 1878, a match was played against the Rovers Football Club by electric light, having been cancelled the night before because of rain. This was the first exhibition of electric light in Southampton, and believed to be the first ever game of rugby under lights. The local newspaper reported that "at times the light was very brilliant and players could be seen plainly".

Ban the Game!

During the 1880 season, S E Gibbs died as a result of an injury while playing against Romsey. There was much local comment and the then Mayor of Southampton issued a handbill, published in full in "The Times", condemning the game as follows:

"The Mayor in consequence of the many serious accidents and the recent deplorable death in Southampton resulting from the dangerous practice of playing football requests the Heads of Families, the Principals of Scholastic Establishments in the Town and Members of Clubs to take such steps as may be necessary for preventing the game being played in future according to Rugby Union, Association and other rules of a dangerous character. The Mayor considers it his duty to use every means in his power for prohibiting the game as hitherto played being continued in the Porters Meadow field or upon any other of the Public lands in Southampton".

At the Committee Meeting of 16th December 1880 "It was decided to play as usual unless we found out before that the Mayor had given any instruction to the police. In that case it was thought best to summons any offending "arm of the law" for assault".

The Formation of the Hampshire Rugby Football Union

At the Trojan Club's initiative, a meeting was held on 13th April 1883 to discuss the formation of "The Hampshire County Rugby Football Union". In the first season of the County Club, at least seven Trojans represented the County.

In 1901 County activities ceased and it was again the Trojans, along with United Services, who, in 1910, convened a meeting at the Trojans Club for the purpose of forming a Rugby Football Union in Hampshire.

Over 400 Trojan members have represented the county at rugby at the various levels and 140 at senior level.

“International” Football"

Although a rugby club, Trojans were known, on occasions, to play with the round ball. The following team was selected to play Curries French team (from Havre) on the New Football Ground, Archers Road (the Dell) on Tuesday 1st November 1898. Scotney, goal, Denning & Maundrell, backs, Densham, Ellerby & Colson, halfs, Ellaby, Page, Macdonald, Gamble & Hussey (councillor and later Sir George), forwards. Trojans were allowed to take half the gate money. The Echo reported this as a game against a team of French players and thus it claimed the honour of being the first international match played at the Dell.

The First Hampshire Cup

 

In May 1888 the Trojans Committee proposed the starting of a Rugby Union Cup Competition in the interests of Rugby Football. The County Challenge Cup (Presented by Tankerville Chamberlayne M.P., President of Trojans, and pictured here) was started in the 1889/1890 season and the Club entered the same. During this year, not only was the pitch enclosed by rope, but a charge of sixpence was made to all spectators. The Cup was duly won by Trojans in March 1890. Whether it was ever played for again is not sure as, in 1891, Trojans decided not to enter because " it was felt that it was a farce putting up the cup at the fag end of the season to be competed for by three clubs"! The present whereabouts of the grand cup is not known, although it is believed it was presented back to Tankerville Chamberlayne.

Service to the County

As well as forming the County Union (twice), Trojan members have served the County well and it can be said that there has always been a Trojan involved in Hampshire Rugby since its formation.

In particular, over the 108 active years of the Union, six Trojan members have served as President of the Union serving a total of 49 years. Six Secretaries served a total of 36 years and for the first sixty-two years of County representation on the RFU Committee the Hampshire representative was a Trojan.

Mr. Hampshire

There can be no more respected and faithful servant of the County and the Game than one particular Trojan, Dudley Kemp, as the following record illustrates -

Captain of Trojans 1927-34, 1935-38

Captain of Hampshire 1935

Played for England 1935.

Barbarian

President of the Rugby Football Union 1969

Member of the International Board 1971-77

Hampshire representative on the RFU Committee 1955-69

President HRFU 1973-76

Secretary HRFU 1946-67

Assistant Secretary HRFU 1967-68

Team Secretary HRFU 1946-53

Match Secretary HRFU 1953-56

Dudley died at his home in Devon in January 2003 aged 93.

Doggy Spectators

During a match between Trojans and Portsmouth Victoria in 1886, the ball was kicked into the Trojans' in-goal area where it rebounded off a stray dog. One of the Portsmouth players gathered it and touched down to claim a try. The Trojans protested, and claimed "dead-ball" the ball having struck a "spectator". The objection was later referred to the RFU Committee who ruled that the try should stand, as dogs could not be classed as spectators!

The Barbarians

H A Haigh-Smith was elected Trojans Captain in 1912. He was instrumental in forming the Barbarians Club and was later made president of that Club. He was also assistant Manager of the Lions tour in 1935.

Trojans played the Barbarians on January 9th 1895 but the result does not appear to have been recorded for posterity!

The Wars!

Trojans Rugby had to be suspended three times because of wars - in 1897 because of the Boer War, 1914, the Great War and 1939 the World War.

Moving Home

Although always considered a Southampton Club, Trojans actually now play in the Test Valley District. Over the years there have been many homes -

1874 the first games were played at Porters Mead, which is now called Queens Park on Queens Terrace. (by the Dock Gates)

1884 the Club donated the sum of two guineas towards the purchase of the proposed Cricket Ground in Bannister Park, until recently, the County Cricket Ground, and commenced playing rugby there in the 1884/85 season.

1897 Freemantle Ground, Stafford Road

1905 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road

1923 G H Brown's farm in Wide Lane, Swathling with Atlantic Park (now Southampton Airport) being used for the dressing accommodation.

1929 Southampton Stadium, Banister Road

1931 Bannister Court as well as G H Brown's farm

1933 11 acres of land purchased in Cemetery Road, Swaythling (sold in 1945)

1946 County Cricket Ground, Northlands Road

1947 Sports Centre, Southampton

1958 Stoneham Park (the present ground). The ground, 22.8 acres, was purchased in 1953 for £1,205 and was another example of the members' foresight, as the timber in the ground was sold for sums almost sufficient to cover the cost of purchase! In 1958, a temporary corrugated iron changing room was completed and the foundations of the pavilion commenced. The pavilion was officially opened by A.T. Voyce, President of the Rugby Football Union, on 27th December 1960.

The Prime Years

Throughout the early and mid 1900s, Trojans went from strength to strength and provided many County Players as well a number of Internationals.

The modern peak was probably reached in the early 1960s when the Club could justifiably consider itself to be the premier civilian rugby club in the South of England (outside London). In 1961, seven rugby sides were fielded with over 200 players available for selection.

Before league tables were introduced in 1987/88, local newspapers ran Merit Tables, the Wessex Merit Table and the Hampshire Merit Table both being won in the 1978/79 and the 1980/81 seasons.

The Lean Years

There were many reasons for the decline from that peak which started in the early 80s. More local clubs, easier transport and a change of working patterns (Trojans being very much a "transit camp" in those days) were some of them. The introduction of leagues in 1987 hit the Club at the worst possible time. In the first year, the Club was put into London Division 3 but could not cope at that level and dropped straight into Hampshire Division One. Luck was also in short supply when the Club, having finished fifth, seventh from bottom (!), the team was still relegated to Hampshire Division Two (a quirk of the league structure). There the Club stayed, battling for promotion with the other strong clubs to be relegated in the mass drop, until the 1992/93 season when the league was won with a record of played 10, won 10, for 353, against 37 which included a league record win of 91-0 against Waterlooville.

Three seasons were spent in Hampshire One but the 1995/96 season saw what was probably

the strongest ever Hampshire Division 1 and relegation again befell the team. 1996/97 season saw us just lose out on promotion but success was achieved in 1997/98.

The Revival Years

Success was achieved in the 2000/2001 season when promotion was achieved to London Division 4SW (The old Division 3SW having been broken into two divisions). The first season at that level was quite successful, ending mid-table, but the next was not when Hampshire 1 again beckoned. Promotion and relegation followed over a number of seasons until London Division 1 was achieved in the 2011/12 season.

Competition is maintained throughout the Senior Club with the 2nd XV being in the Hampshire Senior merit table and the 3rd XV being in the Hampshire Division 1 merit table.

One significant advance was the introduction of Women's rugby which has developed into the strongest team in Southern England. The end of the 2006/07 season saw them promoted to the Championship 1 South (National level 2) and in 2009/10 a second team was entered into the leagues.

The Strength of Youth

One thing that has remained a strength since it's formation in the mid 70s is the Youth Section. Being one of the first clubs to introduce Mini Rugby in England (imported from Wales) the Mini and Junior Sections have encouraged many thousands of youngsters into the game and the Youth section now runs teams in every year group from under 8s to under 17s, holds annual tournaments and is generally held up to be a model of organization.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market in partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative features cranberries with a constructed mini-bog on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.

 

HOW TO PICK

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.

 

HOW TO PREPARE

Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.

 

HOW TO STORE

These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.

 

FUN FACTS

• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.

• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.

 

OCEAN SPRAY

Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.

 

The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.

 

For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket

@USDA_AMS

#USDAFarmersMkt

#VEGU

 

USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.

I had no idea how quickly the larva could form a chrysalis! My wife came in from outside and told me that there was a monarch larva affixing itself to the vinyl siding on our garden shed. I was busy at the time and didn't go outside until a half-hour later. Bam, there it was, a brand-new chrysalis, not even dry yet!

 

I'll be more attentive in future!

 

Update: This chrysalis survived for less than 24 hours before it was destroyed by a predator. See this photo.

The emblem of our site is carefully chosen, it is the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan buddhism grouped together in a perfect symmetry. The emblem represents eight auspicious symbols and each symbol has a meaning and an elaborate description to it. The eight symbols are:

 

1. The Precious Parasol - The precious umbrella symbolises the wholesome activity of preserving beings from illness, harmful forces, obstacles and so forth in this life and all kinds of temporary and enduring sufferings of the three lower realms, and the realms of men and gods in future lives. It also represents the enjoyment of a feast of benefit under its cool shade. This was a traditional Indian symbol of protection and royalty. The parasol denoted wealth and status - the more included in a person's entourage, the more influential the person was, with 13 parasols defining the status of king. Indian Buddhists who saw the Buddha as the universal monarch adopted this concept. Besides, 13 stacked parasols form the conical spire of the Buddha or Tath¨¢gata stupa. In Buddhist mythology, the king of the nagas (serpent-like creatures) gave a jeweled umbrella to the Buddha. Symbolically, the protection provided by the parasol is from the heat of suffering, desire, obstacles, illness, and harmful forces. A typical Tibetan parasol consists of a thin round wooden frame with 8, 16, or 32 thinly arched wooden spokes. Through its center passes a long wooden axle-pole embellished at the top with a metal lotus, a vase, and the triple jewel. White, yellow, or multicolored silk stretches over the domed frame and a folded or pleated silk skirt with 8 or 16 hanging silk pendants attached hang from the circular frame. The parasol dome represents wisdom and the hanging skirt, compassion.

   

2. The Victory Banner - The victory banner symbolises the victory of the activities of one's own and others body, speech and mind over obstacles and negativitities. It also stands for the complete victory of the Buddhist Doctrine over all harmful and pernicious forces. This was traditionally carried in battle. Great warriors would often have banners with their own emblems, the banners being carried on the back of their chariots. Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) had a banner bearing the garuda bird (a bird deity). In early Buddhism, the banner represented Buddha's victorious enlightenment with his overcoming the armies of Mara (hindrances and defilements). Legend says the banner was placed on the summit of Mt Meru, symbolizing Buddha's victory over the entire universe. In Tibetan Buddhism, the banner represents eleven methods of overcoming Mara: the development of knowledge, wisdom, compassion, meditation, and ethical vows; taking refuge in the Buddha; abandoning false views; generating spiritual aspiration, skilful means, and selflessness; and the unity of the three sam¨¢dhis of emptiness, formlessness, and desire-less-ness.

   

3. The Right-coiled White Conch - The white conch which coils to the right symbolises the deep, far-reaching and melodious sound of the Dharma teachings, which being appropriate to different natures, predispositions and aspirations of disciples, awakens them from the deep slumber of ignorance and urges them to accomplish their own and others' welfare. The conch shell is thought to have been the original horn-trumpet; ancient Indian mythical epics relate heroes carrying conch shells. The Indian god Vishnu is also described as having a conch shell as one of his main emblems; his shell bore the name Panchajanya, meaning, "having control over the five classes of beings." The conch shell is an emblem of power, authority, and sovereignty; its blast is believed to banish evil spirits, avert natural disasters, and scare away poisonous creatures. In Indian culture, different types of conch shells were associated with the different castes and with male and female. In Buddhism, the conch was adopted as a symbol of religious sovereignty and an emblem that fearlessly proclaimed the truth of the dharma. One of the 32 signs of a Buddha's body is his deep and resonant voice, which is artistically symbolized in images of the Buddha by three conch-like curving lines on his throat. Shells that spiral to the right are very rare and considered especially sacred, the right spiral mirroring the motion of the sun, moon, planets, and stars across the sky. Also, the hair curls on a Buddha's head spiral to the right, as do his fine bodily hairs, the long white curl between his eyebrows, and the conch-like swirl of his navel.A shell is made into Tibetan ritual musical instruments by cutting off the end of its tip and furnishing it with a mouthpiece and an ornamental metal casing that extends from the shell's mouth.

   

4. The Golden Fish - The golden fish symbolises the auspiciousness of all living beings in a state of fearlessness, without danger of drowning in the ocean of sufferings, and migrating from place to place freely and spontaneously, just as fish swim freely without fear through water. The two fishes originally represented the two main sacred rivers of India - the Ganges and the Yamuna. These rivers are associated with the lunar and solar channels that originate in the nostrils and carry the alternating rhythms of breath or prana (life-sustaining force). Fish have religious significance in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions as well as in Christianity (the sign of the fish, the feeding of the five thousand). In Buddhism, the fish symbolize happiness as they have complete freedom of movement in the water. They represent fertility and abundance. They are often drawn in the form of carp, which are regarded in Asia as sacred on account of their elegant beauty, size, and lifespan.

   

5. The Golden Wheel of Dharma - The golden wheel symbolises the auspiciousness of the turning of the precious wheel of Buddha's doctrine, both in its teachings and realizations, in all realms and at all times, enabling beings to experience the joy of wholesome deeds and liberation. The wheel is an ancient Indian symbol of creation, sovereignty, protection, and the sun. The six-spoke wheel was associated with Vishnu and was known as the Sudarshana Chakra. The wheel represents motion, continuity, and change, forever moving onwards like the circular wheel of the heavens. Buddhism adopted the wheel as a symbol of the Buddha's teachings and his first discourse at the Deer Park in Sarnath is known as "the first turning of the wheel of dharma." In Tibetan Buddhism, it is understood as "the wheel of transformation" or spiritual change. The hub of the wheel symbolizes moral discipline, and the eight spokes represent analytical insight via rim-meditative concentration. The eight spokes point to the eight directions and symbolize the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

   

6. The Endless Knot - The auspicious drawing, The Endless Knot, symbolises the mutual dependence of religious doctrine and secular affairs. Similarly, it represents the union of wisdom and method, the inseparability of emptiness and dependent arising at the time of path, and finally, at the time of enlightenment, the complete union of wisdom and great compassion. This symbol was originally associated with Vishnu and represented his devotion to his consort Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. It symbolizes the Buddha's endless wisdom and compassion. It also can represent continuity or dependent origination as the underlying basis of life.

   

7. The lotus Flower - The lotus flower symbolises the complete purification of the defilements of the body, speech and mind, and the full blossoming of wholesome deeds in blissful liberation. The lotus blossoms unstained from the watery mire; it is a symbol of purity, renunciation, and divinity.

             

8. The Vase of Treasure - The treasure vase symbolises an endless rain of long life, wealth and prosperity and all the benefits of this world and liberation. This is known as "the vase of inexhaustible treasures" - however much is removed from it, the vase remains perpetually full. In Tibet, wealth vases sealed with precious and sacred substances are commonly placed upon altars and on mountain passes, or buried in water springs. The symbol is often shown as a highly ornate, traditional-shaped vase with a flaming jewel or jewels protruding from its mouth.

Trekking in Nepal is part of adventure trekking tourism and Adventure Trekking in Nepal and Trekking in Himalaya. Natures to renew one’s own self regard, to relive oneself, to realize Nepal beauty, to interact with its generous, friendly peoples are highlights of Trekking in Nepal. Trekking is one long term activity that draws repeat Nepal Travelers for Treks Himalaya. So, Nepal is final purpose for trekking. Offers numerous options walking excursion to meet snowy peaks, their foot hills, valleys but however there is amazing for each who hope Trek in Nepal hill, mountain area. Typical trekking and Hiking in Nepal as unique combination of natural glory, spectacular trekking trips to hard climbing and Everest Base Camp Trek is most rewarding way to skill Nepal natural beautification and cultural array is to walking, trekking, width and the height of country. Trekking is important of Travel Nepal for Trekking Tours in Himalaya on description Nepal Tour of large range of ecological features for Nepal Travel Holiday. The country nurtures a variety of flora and scenery. Addition to natural atmosphere is rich Himalayan culture. Many of visitor trek to different part of Nepal every year to experience its rustic charm, nature and culture. Most treks through areas between 1000 to 5185m, though some popular parts reach over 5648 meters. Trekking is not climbing, while the climb of Himalayan peaks and enjoy walking Holiday in Nepal and Trekking Tours Nepal might be an attraction for travelers. Every travelers knows for the Trekking in Nepal from all over the words an inspiring knowledge. Attraction for your Travel Holiday in Nepal of beauty and its excellent culture.

 

Nepal Trekking heartily welcome your Travel Holiday in Nepal. We are honest your travel and Travel and Trekking in Nepal with us from our try to be fully satisfy client in our country and we anticipate good suggestion from you for our agency always. Client gratify is our motto and continually faithful frequently in our service when you are in any types of travel activities in Nepal. We presume to positives feedback in future and increase Nepal travelers with us every year. All the crews from our agency in Nepal are expert in Travel and Tourism in Nepal, as well as trekking and Peak Climbing in Nepal. Customer’s security, safety, relaxed and enjoyment always in high priority. Adventure Guided Walking make sure that every knowledge with us how to satisfy and remarkable Holiday in Nepal. Hope you confident to make trips inquiries and our company quick responds to you make joyful Holiday Travel.

 

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Annapurna trekking region of Nepal enjoy with magnificent view close to highest and impressive mountain range in the world. Day exploration in Pokhara and morning morning flight to Jomsom or drive to Besishisahar from Kathmandu begin of trek. High destination, Muktinath 3800m and in generally highest point of whole Annapurna is 5416m. Thorangla la is situated in Buddhist Monastery, an eternal flame, and Hindus Vishnu Tempe of Juwala Mai making it a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists and Muktinath is on the way down from popular trekking it call Thorang la pass which is incredible view in Annapurna region. Whenever possible we will arrive at lodging mid-afternoon, which should leave plenty time for explore the local villages, enjoy the hot springs at Tatopani, continue to Ghorepani where there is forever the possibility of sunrise hike to Poon Hill for spectacular views of Dhaulagiri, Fishtail, Nilgiri and the Annapurna Himalaya range. Continue on to Birethanti finally between with the Baglung road where we will catch cab to Pokhara, next day drive or fly to Kathmandu.

 

Everest trekking region, although fairly effortless compare to some of other trek, takes you high along trails to Tengboche monastery Everest Solu Khumbu is the district south and west of Mount Everest. It is inhabited by sherpa, cultural group that has achieve fame because of the develop of its men on climbing expeditions. Khumbu is the name of the northern half of this region above Namche, includes highest mountain (Mt. Everest 8848m.) in the world. Khumbu is in part of Sagarmatha National Park. This is a short trek but very scenic trek offers really superb view of the world's highest peaks, including Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Thamserku, Mt. Amadablam and other many snowy peaks. Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla it is in the Khumbu region and trek up to Namche Bazzar, Tyangboche and into the Khumjung village, a very nice settlement of Sherpas people. This trek introduction to Everest and Sherpa culture with great mountain views, a very popular destination for first time trekkers in Nepal. Justifiably well-known world uppermost mountain (8848m.) and also for its Sherpa villages and monasteries. Few days trek from Lukla on the highland, takes you to the entry to Sagarmatha National Park and town of Namche Bazaar is entrance of Everest Trek. Environment of the towering Himalayas is a very delicate eco-system that is effortlessly put out of balance.

 

Langtang trekking region mixture of three beautiful trek taking us straight into some of the wildest and most pretty areas of Nepal. Starting from the lovely hill town of Syabrubensi our trek winds during gorgeous rhododendron and conifer forests throughout the Langtang National Park on the way to the higher slopes. Leads up to the high alpine yak pastures, glaciers and moraines around Kyanging. Along this route you will have an chance to cross the Ganja La Pass if possible from Langtang Valley. Trail enters the rhododendron (National flower of Nepal) forest and climbs up to alpine yak pastures at Ngegang (4404m). From Ngegang we make a climb of Ganja La Pass (5122m). We start southwest, sliding past Gekye Gompa to reach Tarkeghyang otherwise we take a detour and another unique features of trekking past, the holy lakes of Gosainkund (4300 m.) cross into Helambu via Laurebina to Ghopte (3430 m) and further to Trakegyang. Northern parts of the area mostly fall within the boundaries of Langtang National park.

 

Peak Climbing in Nepal is great view of Himalayas and most various geological regions in asia. Climbing of peaks in Nepal is restricted under the rules of Nepal Mountaineering Association. Details information and application for climbing permits are available through Acute Trekking. First peak climbing in Nepal by Tenzing Norgey Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hilary on May 29, 1953 to Mt. Everest. Trekking Agency in Nepal necessary member from Nepal Mountaineering Association. Our agency will arrange equipment, guides, high altitude porters, food and all necessary gears for climbing in Nepal. Although for some peaks, you need to contribute additional time, exertion owing to improved elevation and complexity. Climbing peaks is next step beyond simply trekking and basic mountaineering course over snow line with ice axe, crampons, ropes etc under administration and coaching from climbing guide, who have substantial mountaineering knowledge and for your climbing in mountain.

 

Everest Base Camp Trek well noon its spectacular mountain peaks and the devotion and openness of its inhabitants, the Everest region is one of the most popular destination for tourists in Nepal. While numerous of the routes through the mountains are difficult, there are plenty places to rest and enjoy a meal along the way. Additionally, don't worry about receiving lost. Just ask a local the way to the next village on your route, and they will direct you. Most Sherpas under the age of fifty can at least understand basic English, and many speak it fluently.

 

Annapurna Base Camp Trek is the major peaks of the western portion of the great Annapurna Himalaya, Annapurna South, Fang, Annapurna, Ganagapurna, Annapurna 3 and Machhapuchhare and including Annapurna first 8091 meters are arranged almost exactly in a circle about 10 miles in diameter with a deep glacier enclosed field at the center. From this glacier basin, known as the Annapurna base camp trek (Annapurna sanctuary trek), the Modi Khola way south in a narrow ravine fully 12 thousand ft. deep. Further south, the ravine opens up into a wide and fruitful valley, the domain of the Gurungs. The center and upper portions of Modi Khola offer some of the best short routes for trekking in Nepal and the valley is situated so that these treks can be easily joint with treks into the Kali Gandaki (Kali Gandaki is name of the river in Nepal) region to the west.

 

Upper Mustang Trekking name Make an escapade beginning from world deepest gorge Kaligandaki valley into world's highest area of Lo-Mangthang valley that passes through an almost tree-less barren landscape, a steep stony trail up and down hill and panorama views of high Annapurna Himalaya including Nilgiri, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and numerous other peaks. The trek passes through high peaks, passes, glaciers, and alpine valleys. The thousands years of seclusion has kept the society, lifestyle and heritage remain unaffected for centuries and to this date.

 

Helicopter Tour in Nepal having high mountains and wonderful landscape of countryside but is effortlessly reachable by land transport, is known as helicopter tours country. Helicopter services industry in Nepal is now well well-known with many types and categories of helicopters for the fly to different of Nepal. The pilots are very knowledgeable expert with 1000 of flying hours knowledge in Nepal. We have service for helicopter is outstanding reputations and established records for reliable emergency and rescue flight too. Here we would like to offer some of amazing helicopter tour in Himalaya country of Nepal. Further more details information about Nepal tour itinerary for helicopter tour in different part of Nepal contact us without hesitation.

 

Kathmandu Pokhra Tour is an exclusive tour package specially designed for all level travelers. Kathmandu Pokhara tour package is effortless tour alternative for Nepal visitors. This tour package vacation the historically significant and ethnically rich capital (Kathmandu ) of Nepal and the most stunning city of world by the nature, Pokhara. Mountain museum and world peace stupa are another charming of Pokhara tour. Pokhara is the center of escapade tourism in Nepal. Package tour to Kathmandu Pokhara is design to discover highlighted areas of Kathmandu and Pokhara valley. Nepal is the country which is socially and geographically different that’s why we powerfully recommend you discover Nepal to visit once in life time. It is hard to explore all Nepal in one Nepal tours trip in this way we design this trip to show you the highlights of Nepal especially in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

 

Adventure trekking in the southern part of the asia continent there lays a tiny rectangular kingdom squeezed between two hugely populated countries, China to the north and India to the south, this country is Nepal a world of its own. Adventure trekking is a type of tourism, involving exploration or travel to remote, exotic and possibly hostile areas. Adventure trekking in Nepal is rapidly growing in popularity, as tourists seek different kinds of vacations. The land of contrast is presumably the exact way to define the scenery of Nepal for you will find maximum world highest peaks high high up above the clouds determined for the gods above. Straight, active and attractive learning experience adventure trekking in Nepal that engross the whole person and have real adventure. Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Daulagiri, and Annapurna and many more are there for the offering for mountain-lovers, adventurers and travelers.

 

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Trekking in Nepal - Nepal Trekking - Tea House Trekking - Lodge Trekking - Kathmandu Pokhara Tour - High Pass Trekking - Luxury Trekking in Nepal - Luxury Tour in Nepal - Helicopter Tour in Nepal - Nepal Helicopter Tour - Annapurna Trekking - Annapurna Base Camp Trek - Annapurna Sanctuary Trek - Annapurna Panirama Trekking - Ghorepani Trekking - Jomsom Muktinath Trekking - Annapurna Circuit Trekking - Annapurna Round Trekking - Tilicho Mesokanto Trekking - Tilicho Lake Mesokanto Pass Trekking - Upper Mustang Trekking - Everest Trekking - Everest Base Camp Trek - Everest Panorama Trekking - Gokyo Trekking - Gokyo Everest Trekking - Renjola Pass Trekking - Kongmala Pass Trekking - Three Pass Trekking - Jiri Everest Trekking - Langtang Trekking - Langtang Valley Trekking - Gosaikunda Trekking - Helambu Trekking - Tamang Heritage Trekking - Chisapani Nagarkot Trekking - Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking - Langtang Gosaikunda Helambu Trekking - Ganjala Pass Trekking - Peak Climbing in Nepal - Nepal Peak Climbing - High Pass Trekking - Nepal For All Season - Package Tour in Nepal - Island Peak Climbing - Mera Peak Climbing - Pisang Peak Climbing - Adventure Trekking - Adventures Trekking - Mustang Trekking - Upper Mustang Trek - Lower Mustang Trekking - Seasonal Package Trekking Tours in Nepal - Annapurna Trekking Region - Annapurna Base Camp Trek - Everest Trekking Region - Gokyo Trekking - Langtang Trekking Region - Tea House Trek or Lodge Trek - Three Pass Trekking or Everest High Pass Trekking

North American P-51D Mustang "Gunfighter"

CAF: Great Plains Wing

 

The P-51 was designed by The North American Aviation Company in 1940, from specifications provided by the British Government. The first P-51 models (the A-36, the P-51 and the P-51A) were powered by Allison, non-supercharged engines. The subsequent models; the B,C,D,H and K, were powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, or variants of that engine. The Packard Motor Car Company was licensed to build the Merlin engine in the United States to provide sufficient numbers of the engine as production of the P-51 increased.

 

A combined total of over 15,000 Mustangs were produced, including all models. The Mustang was produced by North American in Inglewood, California and in Dallas, Texas.

 

The Mustang's top speed is 505 MPH, with a top cruising speed of 437 MPH (at 25,000 feet). The average fuel consumption is 60 gallons per hour at economy cruise. During WWII combat conditions, pilots confirmed speeds of 600 MPH in a vertical dive in pursuit of enemy aircraft and both the pilot and aircraft survived to fly and fight in future air battles.

 

The P-51 orginally cost the U.S. Government $51,000. As late as 1959, they were sold at surplus auction for an average sales price of $1,490. Today these aircraft are valued in excess of $1,000,000, depending on aircraft condition.

 

This particular aircraft is a "D" model, serial number 44-73264, which was the most produced P-51 model during the War with over 8,000 built. Today, about 140 Mustangs exist, world-wide, in Museums, flying or under restoration. No country in the world any longer flies the Mustang as part of their inventory. The Dominican Republic was the last country to do so and sold these aircraft on the civilian market in 1985.

 

44-73264 was built in the North American plant in Inglewood, California and accepted into the USAAF in March, 1945. That same month, it was trans-shipped to England, where it was assigned to the famous 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force. In July of the same year, after the War had ended in Europe, it was returned to the U.S. and asigned to Olmstead Field in Pennsylvania, where it remained until 1947. For the next nine years the aircraft served with four different state Air National Guard units in Wyoming, New Mexico, Illinois and finally the Kentucky ANG, where in 1956, it was declared surplus and sold on the civilian market.

 

44-73264 is restored in the colors of the 343rd Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group, 66th Fighter Wing, 8th Air Force, USAAF, using the nose art "Gunfighter", providing the name by which the aircraft is widely known.

I took a walk in the park behind my house this morning. I'd heard the call of a Golden Whistler. Before I found it, though, I noticed this beautiful Dragonfly. Had to photograph it with the bird lens .. think must carry macro lens in future too!