I have been a bit remiss in keeping up to date on here, but this one is from earlier this week. After a toasty and hectic fabulous weekend of dancing in Tewkesbury for this year's medieval festival, it was a great relief to break our homeward journey in Malmesbury and enjoy an hour or so of peace in the abbey. These are the tales it had to tell.
Hannah Twynnoy is believed to be the first person killed by a tiger in England. She was either a servant or a barmaid at the White Lion Inn [now a private house] and for reasons that aren't apparent there was a wild menagerie being kept on the premises. Despite several warnings from its keeper to not antagonise the tiger Hannah wouldn't leave it alone. Eventually she managed to provoke the poor beast so much so that it broke free from where it was being held and attacked her. Little is known about the victim, but the circumstances of her demise live on.
This fellow is King Athelestan [grandson of King Alfred] and in 937AD he became the first king of England. He was known to be a deeply religious man aswell as a successful diplomat. Following his death in Gloucester, his body was brought to Malmesbury to be buried as were his wishes. Many came to visit his remains and venerate him. The tomb you see is not contemporary. Instead it's a 15th century one built to commemorate him. Not only that, but it's also empty as his bones have been lost. It seems likely that they went missing after the dissolution of the monasteries, but may well still be buried there in a forgotten place.
That chap holding a pair of wings is Elmer who was one of the Benedictine monks from the original abbey which stood here. He was said to have seen Halley's Comet and have written about astrology. It's not clear why he climbed to the top of the abbey tower with wings attached to his arms and legs, but he did just that in about 1005AD and then jumped off the top. He managed to fly for several metres before crash landing and breaking both legs which left him lame for the rest of his life.
The abbey remains a large church, but it's easy to see where bits have been demolished. Whilst it has the most stunning Romanesque details around the doors, it's quite a plain white washed affair inside. It was so calm with a welcoming cafe. Just a few details this time. There are several old medieval books in display cabinets and I felt the need to capture and share the maginalia which made me smile.
Although we didn't have time to do the town justice, I can see that it will be worth stopping again when we are next over that way.
Arilx
No comments:
Post a Comment