Todays Lent without borders email marks the last week of Lent and the theme is "Creational Love that Nourishes and Sustains." The prayer is especially poignant in this season as we enter into Spring although it marks the beginning of fall it reminds us of God's gifts to the world:
Prayer
In the fading of the summer sun,
the shortening of days, cooling breeze,
swallows’ flight and moonlight rays
we see the Creator’s hand.
In the browning of leaves once green,
morning mists, autumn chill,
fruit that falls, frost’s first kiss
we see the Creator’s hand.
We bless you, God of Seed and Harvest,
and we bless each other,
that the beauty of this world,
and the love that created it,
might be expressed through our lives
and be a blessing to others,
now and always.
Amen.
Harvest Thanksgiving prayers written by John C. Birch and sourced from the website, Faith and Worship c. 2020
We are asked what is the work of God that we are called to do? In my old age, now 77.5 years of age, I keep busy transcribing the Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills (mostly the older ones) as my skill set lets me look at these wills and generally see the words that were written so many years ago (this also includes Wills held at the various Registry Offices that were probated locally). Words of faith and love for God always at the beginning as the person writing the will sees the end of their life often enough but not always. Sometimes these wills are written when the testator is still healthy but needing to put down on paper their last thoughts. Letting these thoughts continue to live in the present world has been my aim the last nearly eighteen years and they have consumed my life now in widowhood. What God has created let no one put asunder I would like to see as the aim of all peoples. Let us love and care for the earth and its peoples. No more war. Let us do our competition on the athletic fields and leave war behind.
Yesterday I forgot to post the Blake Newsletter but it is now done; I remembered suddenly on awakening that I had not done that task yesterday. It includes two Latin wills from the 1520s for which I had new insight to share with the members of the group. The Blake family at Andover has suddenly become a more visible line in that Lady Diana, Princess of Wales is descendant of the Blake family at Andover with Thomas Blake at Eastontown being her ancestor according to the book published by Richard K Evans and I can verify that he has indeed traced her line back from Diana twelve generations to Thomas who was born circa 1562 and buried at St Pauls Church, Covent Garden 19 Aug 1660. The Blake family at Andover is found in the Manor Books at the start of the 1300s and I need to continue looking at those books one of these days. I continue researching this family and will likely as long as my abilities remain with me. This is possibly when this family acquired the name of Blake as people in England did not use/have surnames before the Norman Conquest. I would like to pursue this search as the actual time when the Blake surname started to be used might be in the Manor Books. The Domesday Book does list Enham where this family is found in the early 1300s. There are two land owners in 1086 which included 20 households with one owner being referred to as Saeric and the other is referred to as Alsi the valet. Also included as part of the information is the Overlord in 1066 King Edward and the name of the two Lords in 1066 (Alwin and Wulfeva (Beteslau)). King Edward (the Confessor) being the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. It was King William I (Duke of Normandy) that defeated King Edward the Confessor during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is interesting to see that there were 16 smallholders of land in total at Enham. One of these was perhaps the Blake family found there in the early 1300s in the Manor Books (still need to work back in these books). More work to do as I continue with my research into the Blake family.
Land of Saeric
Households
Households: 2 villagers. 7 smallholders.
Land and resources
Ploughland: 2 ploughlands. 1 lord's plough teams. 0.5 men's plough teams.
Other resources: Meadow 2 acres. Woodland 2 swine render. 0.5 mills, value 5 shillings.
Valuation
Annual value to lord: 1 pound 10 shillings in 1086; 3 pounds in 1066.
Owners
Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Saeric.
Lord in 1086: Saeric.
Overlord in 1066: King Edward.
Lord in 1066: Alwin.
Other information
Phillimore reference: Hampshire 69,27
View on page: Hampshire folio 26
Land of Alsi the valet
Households
Households: 2 villagers. 9 smallholders.
Land and resources
Ploughland: 1 ploughland. 1 lord's plough teams. 1 men's plough teams.
Other resources: Meadow 2 acres. Woodland 2 swine render. 0.5 mills, value 5 shillings.
Valuation
Annual value to lord: 1 pound 10 shillings in 1086; 3 pounds in 1066.
Owners
Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Alsi the valet.
Lord in 1086: Alsi the valet.
Overlord in 1066: King Edward.
Lord in 1066: Wulfeva (Beteslau).
Other information
Phillimore reference: Hampshire 69,28
Today Church on You-Tube and it does fill my life with joy (must have been a delay so I have read and sung the service by myself and will listen to the sermon when it is broadcast later). The desire to actually be there still runs through my veins but my mind tells me that being present on You-Tube is my way and I am content. My sins of omission will live with me to the ends of my days. So long as there is war, greed, poverty in the world then no one is free of sin. We must aim for that sunlit plain where all peoples are at peace and sin is no more. Prayers for Ukraine.
I attended the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels this afternoon for Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. There are so many services on You-Tube which can be watched anywhere in the world. The computer has given us, as Christians, the ability to tell the story of Jesus around the world. It was what He asked us to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment