A mystery at the Swan Inn at Clare, Suffolk….

murreyandblue

On reading the February 2021 edition of the Mortimer History Society’s publication, Mortimer Matters, I was intrigued by an article (by Hugh Wood) about a curious piece of carved and painted wood. “….Brightening up the front of the Swan Inn in Clare in Suffolk is this colourful piece of carved wood. Its shape suggests that it was once the sill of an oriel window. The pub itself is thought to date from the 17th century, but the sign is much older…and comes from Clare Castle….” Great care is taken in the article to point out that the carvings have been repainted a number of time over the centuries, so therehas to be caution about some of the colours. For instance, the shield in the centre of the Mortimer arms (on the right of the above illustration, quartered with the de Burgh arms) should be silver, but silver deteriorates to…

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Abbey … 1002

Panorama of the ruins of the abbey church, with the new Millennium Tower of St Edmundsbury Cathedral in the background.

St. Edmund, the King of East Anglia who was killed by Vikings in 869, was brought from Hoxne to the town of Beodricsworth in 903. In 1020, Cnut, possibly descended from Edmund’s assailants, founded a Benedictine abbey for his remains such that both the structure and the town took his name. It proved popular with pilgrims and the Abbey church was added a century or so later. The Abbey, which owned most of West Suffolk, was destroyed by rioters in 1327 but the gatehouse survived and the rest was rebuilt. It was dissolved in 1539 but the ruins remain as a feature of Abbey Gardens.

Now for the (slightly delayed) millennium celebrations: These will take place by the Cathedral, St. James’ Church as it was until the 1920s, on the 14th and 15th of May, with an address by Dr. Rowan Williams and workshops on Benedictine life during the Saturday afternoon and evening. The Sunday programme features worship and a procession of real Benedictines.

The Mid-Anglia Group will be in attendance but members and others will need to buy a £10 weekend pass.