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A group of Watchmen (Prayer for Leicester) have been engaged in addressing

 various historical/spiritual issues in the city over the last years, which has included 

repentance and a public renouncing by the council of an ancient charter expelling the 

Jews from Leicester by Simon DeMontfort. This received national and international 

coverage at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

Gloucestershire

August 20, 2005

 

Gloucestershire – August 20, 2005

As I prayed about this county, I heard there is gold in the land.  When I looked up the county I found an interesting article about “soft Ggld.”  It was about the fur trade coming into the area which made millionaires out of the Astor’s.

Then the Lord showed me that the Harry Potter films being filmed from the Gloucestershire Cathedral was unrighteous gain and would not be tolerated even as God did not tolerate in Tyre – recorded in Ezekiel 28:18.

Gloucester History

Witchcraft

Teresa Moorey self confessed witch and prolific author on witchcraft, lives near Stroud, Gloucestershire.  She also has regular access to the media.[1]

Gloucester cathedral was used as sets for the Harry Potter films.

“Gloucester’s historic cathedral cloisters were transformed into the corridors of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the films of JK Rowling’s first two books – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”[2]

Anti-semitism

In 1168 the Jewish population were forced to leave, because they were falsely accused of the ritual murder of a Christian boy.  In 1275 the Jews were forced to leave again but this time by edict because Gloucester had been given as a part of the Queen’s dowry and consequently, according to the King, Edward I, could not love there.

Bath History

The spa – goddess worship

The Roman name for Bath was Aquae Sulis, after Sulis, the Celtic sin goddess and goddess of arcane prophecy.[3]  Bath is famed for its spa, which was within the temple to Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and “the patroness of the arts and trades”.[4]   Minerva became the composite Sulis Minerval.  The temple became the center for a healing cult that went throughout the Roman Empire.   It was also a place of cursing; “pilgrims inscribed curses on thin pewter sheets which were then usually rolled up and placed in the water. [5] 

 he occult inspiration behind Bath’s Georgian architecture

Bath is famed for its architecture, especially Bath Circus and the Royal Crescent.  Its architect, John Wood, was a druid, who designed the former to the reflect Stonehenge.  According to the following reference from a website for Druids, they now use it is a meeting place.

“At the ceremony, Tim Sebastian explained the significance of holding the ceremony at the Circus. He stressed that Wood (a Druid) had carefully aligned the Circus with Stonehenge, the inner circle of trees (planted after Wood's time) being equivalent to the inner horseshoe of Stonehenge, the buildings being the outer circle, and the pillars on the facade of the houses topped by acorns representing the Aubrey holes. He claimed that below, at the very centre of the Circus, was a sacred spring. The Circus was thus being used for Wood's intended purpose, as a forum for a Druidic ceremony.”[6]

It is also claimed that Bath Circus represents the sun and the Royal Crescent the moon.[7]   Other points made are that

“The roofline of the Circus is punctuated with acorns. Serving to illustrate Wood's belief in the Druids as the Princes of the Hollow oak and a reminder of the legend of how Prince Bladud discovered the healing powers of the hot springs.”[8]

“Wood was obsessed by arcane symbolism, hence the 528 carvings, taken from a 17th-century fortune telling book.” [9]

There is also an obelisk in Bath, designed by John Wood, in honour of a visit by Frederick, the Prince of Wales.

Bristol History

Bristol was one of the two cities, Liverpool being the other, that took over from London as the ports for the English slave trade.

“Bristol's links with the sea became even stronger in the 18th and 19th centuries when it became one of England's busiest ports.

The city was central to the trade triangle between Africa, the UK and the New World, and goods such as sugar and tobacco filled the warehouses.

An often overlooked part of Bristol's past during this period is the fact that the city also played a central role in the 18th century slave trade - much of Bristol's wealth during this period was the result of slavery.”[10]

What is more, there was Church complicity:

“In Bristol, the church clergy themselves did not hesitate to “turn the Penny” from the slave trade. There were as many as 84 Quaker slave traders, among them Alexander and David Barclay - who later founded today’s Barclays Bank.[11] Rev Raymund Harris (commissioned by Liverpool Council to justify slavery) dutifully wrote that the trade was “in perfect harmony with the principles of the Word of God ...” and received £100 for his pamphlet.”[12]

Of the church St Mary Redcliffe, it was said that the her bells “were rung amid general civic celebrations” in Bristol in 1791 when Wlberforce's parliamentary bill to end the slave trade was defeated.[13]

The Merchant Venturers of Bristol

The Merchant Venturers was a society that fought for Bristol’s share of the English slave trade and resisted its ultimate (official[14]) abolition.  This society merits a separate section, because it is still around today functioning as a centre of power in the  Gloucestershire area.  I quote,

“The Venturers are now well known for their charitable giving and their continued contribution to the growth of the City. But some still regard them as a sinister force in the area, a Masonic cabal exercising its considerable sway in the community due to a massive presence onthe boards of major companies and businesses in the South West. The list is long and impressive and includes Bristol United Press, Bristol University, HTV, Bristol Evening Post and the Avon & Somerset Constabulary to name but a few.  ..

Whether it is viewed as merely unfortunate, simply ironic - or even a little disturbing – the city is still very much run by the influential white middle classes and the Society that was founded on the trading of slaves just three hundred years ago.”[15]

Although most of the members of the Merchant Venturers are probably freemasons, the society is probably not a masonic organization in and of itself, since Prince Phillip, Prince Charles, Lord Carey (the ex-archbishop of Canterbury) are all honorary members.[16][17]   The nature of the society may possibly be gleaned from the following.

“The society's official history describes meetings that involve heavy drinking, plenty of feasting and a bizarre procession with a stuffed fox and a model of Queen Elizabeth 1st's death mask.”[18]
 

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Yorkshire

September 24, 2005

This is the territory where all the papers were forged that wound up betraying Israel.  Sykes-Picot Agreement – White Paper – Balfour Declaration  

A spirit of betrayal --covenant breaking spirit – an anti-Semitic spirit

The York Rite of Freemasonry watch as Jesus is raised to the grand lodge above – Jesus the freemason – blasphemy I have tried to find out anything about the York rite, but to no avail.

The York rose was the white rose – at the end of the 100 years war ended feudalism in England or so it is said.  Rose of York – love and war

I keep seeing a skeleton – wondering if this is the dry bones of Ezekiel and we need to prophesy to them?

History

York occupies an unenviable place in Jewish history.  In the words of one student at the city's university, it is the worst place in England for Jews.  The events which gave birth to the stigma of anti-Semitism happened over 800 years ago.  Time has done little to heal in York's case; Jews have been discouraged to settle there by their religion's leaders, despite the city's notable Medieval-Jewish heritage.  In the modern period, the city never regained its status as a centre for Jews in England.  This lack of a Jewish population is surprising given the city's importance as a centre for Medieval-Jewry.

Twelfth Century York was home to one of the largest Jewish communities in England, besides being a centre for Jewish studies and scholars.  The only remaining sites of Jewish interest hide more than they tell about York's Jewish past.  At Clifford's Tower, a few sentences describe a massacre of 1190 where Jews "chose to die at each others hands rather than renounce their faith".  The memory of this massacre, York's "blackest day", taints the city and makes York's Jewish history more of a shameful secret than something to be celebrated.

No documentary evidence has been found of a cherem, a Jewish order of excommunication, on York, however, it is widely accepted within the Jewish community that such an order existed. This cherem forbade Jews from settling within York's city walls, and reflects the distaste with which Jews viewed the city.

War of the Roses - traditional name given to the intermittent struggle (1455-85) for the throne of England between the noble houses of York (whose badge was a white rose) and Lancaster (later associated with the red rose).    

About the middle of the 15th century Richard, Duke of York, came to the forefront as leader of the opposition to the faction (William de la Pole, duke of Suffolk; Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset; and the queen, Margaret of Anjou ) that controlled the weak Lancastrian king Henry VI . The Yorkists gained popular support as a result of discontent over the failure of English arms in the Hundred Years War and over the corruption of the court, discontent reflected in the rebellion of Jack Cade in 1450. Also in that year Suffolk was murdered, and the duke of York forced the king to recognize his claim as heir to the throne.  In 1453 the king became insane, and the birth of a son to Margaret of Anjou displaced York as heir. The duke was appointed protector, but when the king recovered in 1454, York was excluded from the royal council. He resorted to arms.

The opposing factions met (1455) at St. Albans—usually taken as the first battle of the Wars of the Roses. Somerset was killed, leaving Queen Margaret at the head of the defeated royal party, and York again served as protector for a short period (1455-56). By 1459 both parties were once more in arms. The following year the Yorkists defeated and captured the king at the battle of Northampton. The duke of York hurried to London to assert his claims to the throne, which were, by laws of strict inheritance, perhaps better than those of the king himself. A compromise was effected by which Henry remained king and York and his heirs were declared successors.

Queen Margaret, whose son was thus disinherited, raised an army and defeated (1460) the Yorkists at Wakefield. York was killed in this battle, and his claims devolved upon his son Edward, but Richard Neville, earl of Warwick, became the real leader of the Yorkist party. Margaret's army rescued the king from captivity in the second battle of St. Albans (Feb., 1461), but Edward meanwhile secured a Yorkist victory at Mortimer's Cross, marched into London unopposed, and assumed the throne as Edward IV .

The Lancastrians, after their defeat at Towton (Mar., 1461), continued (with Scottish aid) to raise resistance in the north until 1464. The deposed Henry was captured (1465) and put into the Tower of London. Although the Lancastrian cause now seemed hopeless, a quarrel broke out between Warwick and Edward IV after the latter's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville in 1464. Warwick and the king's brother George, duke of Clarence, allied against Edward, fled to France (1470), and there became reconciled with Margaret of Anjou. Supported by Louis XI of France, they crossed to England and restored Henry VI to the throne.

Edward fled, but with the aid of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, returned to England in 1471, regained London, and recaptured Henry. In the ensuing battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury (1471), Warwick and Henry's son, Edward, were killed. Margaret was imprisoned. Soon thereafter Henry VI died, probably slain at the orders of Edward IV. After 12 relatively peaceful years, Edward IV was succeeded (1483) by his young son Edward V , but soon the boy's uncle Richard, duke of Gloucester, usurped the throne as Richard III . Opposition to Richard advanced the fortunes of Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, now the Lancastrian claimant. In 1485, Henry landed from France, defeated and killed Richard at Bosworth Field, and ascended the throne as Henry VII.

Henry VII's marriage to Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth, united the houses of Lancaster and York. Except for various efforts during Henry's reign to place Yorkist pretenders on the throne, the Wars of the Roses were ended. It is generally said that with them ended the era of feudalism in England, since the nobles who participated suffered heavy loss of life and property and were too weak, as a class, to contest the strong monarchy of the Tudors. The middle and lower classes were largely indifferent to the struggle and relatively untouched by it.

For the Romans, York ("Eboracum") was a major military base; Emperor Septimius Severus died there in AD 211, and Constantius Chlorus, the father of Constantine I, died there in 306. In York, Constantine's troops proclaimed him emperor (note that the only other city in which an emperor has been proclaimed is Rome itself). Substantial Roman remains were discovered under the Minster and a re-erected Roman column now stands on Deangate. There are also the remains of a Roman bath, but a temple and the site of the Roman bridge over the River Ouse have also been excavated lately. Outside the city walls are the remains of substantial Roman cemeteries. A large number of Roman finds are now housed in the Yorkshire Museum.

Paulinus of York brought Christianity to the region in the early 7th century with the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria and the first Minster is believed to have been built in 627, although the location of the early Minster is a matter of dispute. York became a centre of learning, its most famous scholar being Alcuin.

Viking York

A "great Viking army" captured York in AD 866, and in 876 the Vikings settled permanently in parts of the Yorkshire countryside. Viking kings ruled this area, known to historians as "The Viking Kingdom of Jorvik", for almost a century. In 954 the last Viking king, Eric Bloodaxe, was expelled and his kingdom was incorporated in the newly consolidated Anglo-Saxon state. Another renowned scholar of this era was Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York.

Mediaeval York

Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, York was substantially damaged by the punitive harrying of the north (1069) launched by William the Conqueror in response to regional revolt. Two castles were erected in the city on either side of the River Ouse. In time York became an important urban centre as the administrative centre of the county of Yorkshire, as the seat of an archbishop, and at times in the later 13th and 14th century as an alternative seat of royal government. It was an important trading centre. Several religious houses were founded following the Conquest, including St Mary's Abbey and Holy Trinity Priory. The city as a possession of the crown also came to house a substantial Jewish community under the protection of the sheriff.

On March 16, 1190 a mob of townsfolk forced the Jews in York to flee into the wooden castle, which was under the control of the sheriff. The castle was set on fire and the Jews were massacred. It is likely that various local magnates who were indebted to the Jews helped instigate this massacre or, at least, did nothing to prevent it. Commemoration of the York massacre passed into the Jewish liturgy and until 1990 orthodox Judaism forbade Jews from living within the city.

York prospered during much of the later mediaeval era and this is reflected in the built environment. York Minster is the largest mediaeval cathedral in England and one of the largest gothic churches in Europe. The mediaeval city walls, with their entrance gates, known as bars, encompassed virtually the entire city and survive to this day. The city was also designated as a county corporate, giving it effective county status.

The later years of the 14th and the earlier years of the 15th centuries were characterised by particular prosperity. It is in this period that the regular cycle of religious pageants (or plays) associated with the Corpus Christi cycle and performed by the various craft guilds grew up. Among the more important personages associated with this period was Nicholas Blackburn senior, Lord Mayor in 1412 and a leading merchant. He is depicted in glass in the (now) east window of All Saints' Church in North Street. The period from the later 15th century seems to have witnessed economic contraction and a dwindling in York's regional importance. The construction of the city's new guildhall around the middle of the century can be seen as an attempt to project civic confidence in the face growing uncertainty.

Dating from the later mediaeval era, and now a popular tourist attraction, is the Shambles, an old street with overhanging timber-built shops, now occupied by souvenir shops as opposed to the original butchers. York is also home to numerous Ghost Walks and also a favourite venue for hen parties.

[In 1318, when the Scots invaded England, Ripon only escaped being burnt a second time by the payment of 1000 marks. The custom of blowing the wakeman's horn every night at nine o'clock, maintained to this day, is said to have originated about AD 700. It was probably at first a means of calling the people together in case of a sudden invasion, but was afterwards a signal for setting the watch. A horn with a baldric and the motto "Except the Lord keep the city the watchman waketh but in vain" forms the mayor's badge."  [www.lovemytown.co.uk/CityProfiles/Ripon/]

However, "The Ripon Hornblower appears each night at 9.00pm to sound his horn at the four corners of the obelisk in the centre of the market place. Known as 'setting the watch', .... ."

[www.aboutbritain.com/towns/ripon.asp]

This second article also goes on to say,

"St. Wilfrid's Procession takes place in August to celebrate the safe homecoming of the Saint from his exile in 686 AD. At this time the streets fill with a cavalcade of floats which culminate in a special service at the Cathedral."

Wilfrid was the Anglo-Saxon bishop whose power ensured that the Roman Catholic model was imposed on the English Church. 

 With respect to Rome, I note the sentence, "Mithras carried two keys as symbols of his authority", in the passage below.  After the meeting in Leeds, Andre, without prompting, told me about the significance to York of the emblem of the cross keys.  This seems to confirm the idea that York is another Rome and a seat of the false apostolic.

 THE KEYS

The “keys” of Janus had been symbolic keys of the Mystery religion since olden times and have been found in various other forms and places. The Brahmatma, the Supreme Pontiff of India, was regarded as the preserver of the “keys,” bearing upon his tiara two crossed keys. Mithras carried two keys as symbols of his authority. The Turkish “interpreters” of the Koran were called, “Mufties”, and derive that name from the very same verb as that from which comes “Miftah”, a key. Thus, when the emperor claimed to be the successor of the “gods,” the Supreme Pontiffs of the Mysteries, the “keys” came to be a symbol of their authority also. When the Pope became the Pontifex Maximus in about A.D. 378, he automatically became the possessor of the Mystic “keys.” This gained recognition for the Pope from the pagans, but how would this be associated with Christianity? Again, the apostate church leaders saw an opportunity to mix Peter into the story. Janus was another ancient Roman god with the title, “Peter.” The “Peter-god,” Janus, was called, “keeper of the gates of Heaven and Earth” and carried a key in his hand. The apostate church mixed the “keys” and Peter by taking what Christ had said to Peter in Matthew 16:19: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven…” It was not until A.D. 631, though, that the Pope publicly claimed that the keys he displayed as insignia of his spiritual authority were the keys that Christ gave to the Apostle Peter. This was over fifty years after the Pope had become the “Pontifex Maximums,” possessor of the “keys.” It is evident, then, that these “keys” of Peter are the mystic keys of paganism, not “keys” given by Christ.

This passage of Scripture is misunderstood anyway. The “keys” the Lord gave to Peter were not literal keys. The key that was given to Peter and all the rest of the Disciples that the Lord sent forth was the message of the Gospel. Through the preaching of the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, men could be saved and become part of the glorious Kingdom of God. In their misinterpretation, many actually view Peter as the “gate-keeper” in which Peter decides who to let in and who to keep out of Heaven, perfectly demonstrating the ultimate hypocrisy of any religious system of law. No man determines Salvation. “And no man in Heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the Book, neither to look thereon” (Rev. 5:3). Granting entrance into Heaven is the Lord’s position only, and it exemplifies the greater plan of Grace that comes through Faith in Christ Jesus. It is only the faithful bride of Christ (the true invisible church) who will enter Heaven’s “pearly gates.” “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom [Christ] came; and they who were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (Mat. 25:10). Unfortunately, Peter’s (the Pope’s) faithful bride will enter through a very different set of gates.  

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Worcestershire

September 29, 2005

The Lord is saying you have abdicated your land to Freemasonry which serves any and all gods.  We had those from the area repent for allowing these principalities and powers to control their land, and they were willing to take the challenge to un-lodge the demonic in their area.

God has a redemptive purpose in this land and it is to be married to HIM.  And if you are really married to HIM you can start a revolution in this land to overthrow the principalities and powers that have locked up the destiny of the nation and then the nations. 

Romans 7:4 - “Wherewith my brethren, ye also have become dead to the law, that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

Isa 62:3-6 - “Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.  Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah and thy land Beulah (to be master, to rule, to be married to) for the Lord delights in you and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over you.”

Eph 4:11 – “Jesus gave gifts to the body of Christ for the perfecting of the saints UNTIL we all come into the unity of the faith.” 

He is saying there is a Pastoral anointing in this land which shepherds the flock and is married to HIM.

Evesham - History

The ancient market town of Evesham can trace its existence back to the eight century when Evesham Abbey was founded on the spot where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to a humble swineherd call Eoves while he was searching for a stray pig in the area called 'Lomme'.  Eoves reported his experience to Ecgwin the third Bishop of Worcester for whom he worked who came to the spot and also saw the vision.  Ecgwin founded the Abbey in 709 and became the first Abbot.  The area became known as Eoveshomme (later Evesham).  The town grew around the Abbey which in 1540 when it was dissolved by Henry VIII was estimated to be the 3rd largest and most powerful Abbey in England. 

According to the Random House Dictionary, a "revolution" is "a forcible overthrow of an established government or political system by the people governed." There can be no doubt that the people of Worcester County staged a full-scale revolution, long before Lexington and Concord.  This Revolution has been obscured for many reasons: it was bloodless, it had no famous leaders, it was basically middle-class, it was far from the media center in Boston, it has been overwhelmed by the repeated telling of Paul Revere¹s ride.  But we should not be misled: the patriots of 1774 staged a very potent Revolution precisely because they were nameless yet ubiquitous, aggressive yet bloodless.  The staggering power of "the body of the people" precluded serious resistance.  Local Tories, overwhelmingly outnumbered, had no choice but to acquiesce.  Officers of the British army looked on helplessly, not knowing where, when, or how to deal with an uprising of such breadth and magnitude.  All British troops withdrew to Boston, and General Gage reported back to London that "the flames of sedition" had "spread universally throughout the country, beyond conception."  For seven months the patriots reigned supreme in rural Massachusetts, unchallenged until the counter-revolution of April 19, 1775.

FREEMASONRY IN WORCESTERSHIRE

Is recorded as going back 270 years although it is believed older than that but it cannot be proved.  1st lodge in Worchestershire was at Stourbridge in 1733 in the Talbot Hotel they still meet there today.  Several other lodges formed in Worcshestershire in 1700's two of them still surviving today.  One of them being lodge No 574 but it was changed to be lodge 280 in late Victorian times.   It shows were it stands in today’s batting order as lodges being formed today are in the high 9000's.

They used to meet in a red brick building on the east side of St Nicholas street.  This was outgrown and a large purpose built Masonic lodge was built on Rainbow Hill and it now houses the cities lodges

1874 saw a large breakfast at the guildhall followed by a service at the cathedral and they all paraded in their regalia.  It gave the city such a high profile that perhaps it placed Worcestershire on the map.  For Masons to wear their regalia in public they had to have the permission of national Grand master (usually a member of royalty).  It was obviously granted.

1884 saw large exhibition of freemasonry memorabilia from several nations including Britain.  Worcester chapter managed to purchase most of what was on display and they now house a museum to freemasonry and it is 2nd only to the Headquarters in London

Much Mason money has gone into the restoration of the cathedral £1000 was donated in 1874 (lots of money then) also several stained glass windows in local churches funded by free masons.

Worcestershire lodges played a large part in the freemasonry in the community drive were the masons were trying to gain acceptability in the community.

Worcestershire masons also have an education program in place to educate masons in “helping brethren understand, perform and be comfortable with the various offices and roles in which they will find themselves in their progression towards the chair"

They have also been key in seeing the publication "A Daily Advancement in Masonic knowledge - fifty short talks in the crafts.”

They have also set in place in several of the lodges in the province, a Master of Novices, or a Mentor.

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Dorset

September 30, 2005

I see a line of blood needs to be drawn at your boundary in order to keep the witchcraft out.  The Jezebel spirit has risen up and taken hold of your land.  It seems every where we went during our prayer journey around this city to the freemason hall the mosque, war memorial, etc. we encountered the Jezebel spirit in one way or another. 

The interesting thing about the Lord saying to draw a line of blood about the county is the following:  A.D. 1363 Winchelsea Certificate–establishing town boundaries, particularly the sea.  

Beating the bounds (marking boundaries) BECAME A 3 YEARLY RITUAL (CURRENT).  Beating the bounds can be found in Celtic/Roman/Saxon and Christian rituals.  Often it is pagan.  Often it involved the abuse of young boys in some boundary marking.  It involved cursing those who infringed on the boundaries.  In Poole (this is the city where we were meeting for the county tour) one reference says: children were encouraged to “prick their fingers with thorns or were beaten with wands (sticks of stripped willow) and thrown into the water to reaffirm boundaries”  Another says: “The traditional beating of parish bounds is accompanied by bells, banners and lights and the bounds are beaten with sticks, but in Poole we have other customs!”  “Points and pins are given to boys and girls in order that through slashing their hands and pricking their fingers, they might remember the bounds.”  Halfpence were thrown to the boys in 1778 and this custom continues TODAY WITH MODERN COINAGE.  When the Romans practiced this ritual they were paying homage to a god of the boundaries named Terminus.  This bloodletting is again a sacrifice to false gods. (Please go to http://www5.thdo.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A805871 for a history of beating the bounds.) 

The team I led also went to the port in the city.  It is the second largest deep water port after Sydney, Australia.  In the spirit I saw much entering the port that was un-Godly, especially slave trade.  It seems that day in Birmingham they raided a brothel with women who were being held as sex slaves.  We called forth watchmen to surround this port and see what was coming in and forbid it to continue.   

History  

Wimborne Minster – (from http://www.wimborneminster.org.uk)  

For nearly 1300 years this Minster has been a centre for pilgrimage, prayer and worship. As a Minster in the early days it was a centre of mission, a home for a group of clergy who went out into the surrounding countryside to preach the Gospel.  As a Parish Church today it has a central place in the lives of its members and in the life of the town.  It is not a museum, although we have inherited some wonderful treasures from the past. It is a living centre for work, worship and prayer.

The Minster is dedicated to St. Cuthburga - sister to King Ina, King of the West Saxons. St. Cuthburga founded a Benedictine Nunnery here in c. A.D. 705. There was also a monastery located here.   

The Abbey Church most probably stood on the site of the present Minster. St. Cuthburga was succeeded by Quinburga (her sister) and then by Tetta. At one time 500 women were being trained and it was from Wimborne that St. Boniface from Devon (c. 680-755) recruited missionaries to aid him in the task of evangelising the pagan tribes of Germany.  

In 871 Alfred the Great buried his brother Ethelred (not the Unready) in the Minster. Ethelred was mortally wounded in a battle at Martin, near Cranborne.  The Nunnery was destroyed by the Danes in 1013 during one of their incursions into Wessex and never rebuilt.   

In 1043 Edward the Confessor founded a college of secular (that is, non-monastic) canons, consisting of a dean, four prebends, four vicars, four deacons, and five singers. A list of Deans from 1224 until the last in 1537 is in the Baptistry, containing many notable names, not least of which is that of Hugh Oldham, 1499, later Bishop of Exeter and co-founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford and founder of Manchester Grammar School.  

In 1318 Edward II declared the Minster a Royal Peculiar which exempted it from all diocesan jurisdiction. The choir used to wear scarlet robes, a legacy of this 'Peculiar'. Similar robes are worn in Westminster Abbey and St. George's Chapel, Windsor.  

In 1562 a grant was obtained from Queen Elizabeth I by which part of the property formerly belonging to the college, together with all ecclesiastical rights and prerogatives was returned to Wimborne and vested in twelve governors. The grant included tithes, lands and property. The charter was surrendered to James I and a new charter was obtained from Charles I at a cost of £1000 with the addition of an organist and singing men.  

There were many problems in Wimborne during the Civil War, but the church did not suffer any severe damage. When Charles I was beheaded his coat of arms was painted out, but on the restoration of Charles II the arms were speedily replaced and have now been restored. Wimborne did not go out of its way to oppose either King or Protector.  

The 18th century saw years of sleepiness and duties were very much neglected, both in the town and the church, but in the 19th century a revival took place which included the extensive restoration of the fabric from 1855 to 1857. In 1846 the Royal Peculiar was abolished, and now all that remains of the old order is the control by 12 Governors of some of the Minster affairs.  

Dorset is known for: 

1) beaches and tourism and for fossils...

2) Tollpuddle martyrs - trade union movement started from here

3) Witchcraft - Weymouth being a particularly unclean sort of area (Chesil Beach) 

Hag Stones or Holy Stones, these naturally perforated flint stones or polished pebbles were often found along the coast washed up by the passing tides or disturbed by the plough in fields.  Often around houses and things see article on witchcraft –  

The "Hag pebbles", on the banks of the Chesil Beach, are highly prized though removal of pebbles is still strictly forbidden. In reflection of rituals dating back to the times of the Roman Goddess, Diana, Hag pebbles bearing the mark of the "Veasta" of the Chesil Beach, are still believed by some to be powerful charms. 

Hag pebbles, found on the banks of Chesil Beach, are still highly prized. They are considered to bring good luck and fortune, especially Hag pebbles, bearing the mark of the Veasta of Chesil Beach.  They are believed to be powerful charms to enhance the potency and fertility of male and female.  Rituals invoking such powers date back to the times of the Roman Goddess, Diana.  Diana - another name Artemisia, was a warrior and hunter, goddess of the moon -the invisible and unviolated virgin... 

4) The Roy Dog of Portland - yugh dogs again!!!! 

Near to the Portland Bill lighthouse there is a hole close to the cliff edge called Cave Hole. During extreme stormy weather, it is advisable to keep well away from it as this is the lair of the dreaded Roy Dog!  This animal is described as a shaggy black dog, as high as a man, with large fiery eyes, one green, one red, and entwined in his mane of dark fur can be seen the freshly plucked eyes of his victims. 

It is said that the creature emerges from the watery depths to seize any traveler passing by Cave Hole, and drags them down into his dark watery domain.

Portlanders would often tell of another spectral black dog with large saucer shaped eyes, which prowls the island during the hours of darkness, called The Row Dog. However, unlike the Roy Dog he does not attack you, but merely obstructs your way, snarling and barking aggressively. “It was larger than a mortal dog with sharp fangs eager to rip and tear flaming eyes, one red, one green and a black coat beyond compare.”

5) The Wishing Well at Upney is a natural spring and source of the River Wey. The tradition as a wishing well is said to have begun as a visitor attraction early this century.  Visitors would often participate in the ritual by taking a few sips of well water from a glass and throwing the rest of the water backwards over their left shoulder while wishing.  The Wishing Well waters are thought to also have healing properties especially in the healing of sore eyes. George 3rd would visit...

6) There is a freemasonry lodge with the same name as the church in Wimborne used to have St Carthberga... there were at least 49 lodges in Dorset in 2003/4. They seem to be able to be public as well (interesting general fm link-www.mqmagazine.co.uk) http://dorsetfreemasonry.info

October 6, 2005

What a battle we had getting there.  The car broke down and we had to leave it on the side of the road.  After several calls someone came and took us to the home of the lady driving as there was another car there, but the battery was dead.  We then called the husband of another of the prayer team with us and he came and picked us up and took us, but the prayer team there had already gone without us as it was five by the time we got there.  We took a team at midnight to the freemason’s hall.  It was a beautiful old church with beautiful grounds (once again we see the land abdicated to freemasonry or Islam.  This has been true on so many of the counties.  This was known as St Michael’s church and John Wesley had preached there.  We spent quite a bit of time there praying, declaring, redeeming, etc. 

We dealt with much that night at the meeting.  We felt that from the deep had been birthed the counterpart empire.  Declared the only empire free to rule was the Kingdom of God.  Strong spirit of lawlessness, anti-Christ and religion, but pre-dominant was freemasonry.

While praying about this county the Lord simply said deep hole.

I found the following article on the internet (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2639797.stm):

A 600-feet deep hole has appeared in a beauty spot in Shropshire.  The hole opened up after capping over a disused mine shaft collapsed in The Bog outside Shrewsbury. Engineers are warning that another chasm nearby might be about to open as the ageing capping deteriorates. Neil Wilcox, from Shropshire County Council, said the mine could be one of two which lay undiscovered when other shafts were re-capped in the 1980s. The mine, which employed 100 people, was a major source for lead and zinc between 1730 and 1924. Peter Sheldrake, from the Shropshire Mines Trust, said the appearance of the chasm was inevitable. "I would say that once every five years one of these shafts opens somewhere.  "When the last one opened it was on farmer's land and his horse disappeared."

From http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Shropshire  -- Shropshire was officially known as Salop from 1974 to 1980. Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England.The county was called Salop in legal documents for some centuries, a name deriving from 'Salopesbiry', an older name for the county town, Shrewsbury.

Birthplace of Charles Darwin - It is often said by Christians in literature that Darwin’s wife was a Christian and that he became a Christian before he died and he withdrew his theories about creation - no proof as yet...

Creationists site the problem of the teradactyl sort of like an equivalent to Big Bang Theory and Darwinist scientists of a big hot potato – as it has been proved in cave paintings to be around with stone age man – problem being if it was around it puts the theory that the dinosaurs died out long before man actually first appeared…I remember the vision Sharon Stone had in St Albans about ancient and new anointings and intimacy with the Lord and a time of prophets with integrity…on a sort of teradactyl creature being born out of the pellets that were dropped from the air…

It was also the birthplace of William Penny Brookes, a less well known starter of the modern Olympics than Frenchman Coubertin.  There is much linking with masonry and the old boys network re- modern Olympic movement - this is why God wants to bring it back here to bring reform -hooray...needs a bit more research!

Robert Clive engineered British rule in India, fighting several key battles with the French for control of trade in the sub-continent was also born in the area.

Quite why this remote, rural county on the Welsh border became the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution is mystifying to many people. The reason, however, is mainly due to Shropshire's diverse geology. Shropshire is the "geological capital" of the UK, as just about every rock type in Northern Europe is found within its borders, as are coal, lead, copper and iron ore deposits. In addition to this, the River Severn flows through the county and has been used for the transportation of goods and services for centuries. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shropshire)

A lot going on in Much Wenlock!!!!

Dr. William Penny Brookes from Much Wenlock had the time and energy for a considerable amount of social reform, and amongst his local accomplishments were the Agricultural Lending Library, the Olympian Games, gas street and domestic lighting, and the railway.  Dr. Brookes was responsible for founding the Wenlock Agricultural Reading Society and the opening of a library for 'the diffusion of useful information with the underlying theme of the moral and intellectual improvement of the lower and labouring classes.'  (from http://www.shropshire-promotions.co.uk/MWenlock-4.html)   Can't prove Dr Brookes was a freemason but seems to be saying the Ruskin type mantra!!! Maybe it is just the style of the time????

Witches in Shropshire - A well-known Shropshire witch called Nanny Morgan lived at Westwood Common near Much Wenlock in the 19th century. She was a prominent character in the Wenlock areas and was alleged to possess the "evil eye".  (from http://www.shropshire-promotions.co.uk/MWenlock-4.html)

Oobviously linked in with government e.g. “Witches and Warriors: Legends from the Shropshire Marches,” a book by Karen Lowe. I looked up this link and it is still being prepared by the Shropshire county council for their official site!!!

http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/

Shrewsbury – (from http://www.shrewsburyguide.info/shrewsbury_history.html)

The First English Parliament - Edward I was a regular visitor to the Shrewsbury area and it is believed that he convened the first English Parliament at Acton Burnell Castle in 1263.  Further meetings took place at the Chapter House in Shrewsbury Abbey.

The Battle of Shrewsbury - One of the bloodiest battles in English history took place just north of the town. The Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 saw the death of over 6000 soldiers over a period of just three hours with bodies strewn over a three mile area.  Shakespeare immortalised the events in his Henry IV plays.  The site has been designated as a heritage area and can be visited, as can the nearby memorial church. The best known fatality of the battle was Harry Hotspur.  His dead body was also brought to the High Cross, beheaded and quartered. This Cross is a marker for many slayings and today you can see on the wall of Barclay’s Bank across from a replacement cross a plaque telling of all the executions.

The following was provided by Francesca Fleming:

THE COUNTY OF SHROPSHIRE

 OVERVIEW ^{1  Wikipedia}

Shropshire is situated on the western most part of the Midlands of England and is described as a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands.  It shares  a county border with Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and the Welsh counties of Powys and Clwyd.   The five main towns of Shropshire are Shrewsbury, Telford, Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Oswestry, only Telford being of more modern origin.  In addition there are at least 21 smaller towns and numerous villages.  It is one of the most rural of counties and people say it carries something that is considered to be quintessentially English in character and identity.

 

This is an interesting description given its history and location so near the Welsh border.  It does not appear to carry that particular trait so common to border settlements of dual identity, uncertainty of identity and dual loyalties.  In fact quite the reverse seems to be the case.  A quick study of this county throws up a strong defensive character in its history, legacy and development.  Strong historical characters have also emerged who have taken up clearly defined positions from support of particular kings to support of religious causes at different times.  In addition some of the famous “sons” of Shropshire carry a strong defensive, at times imperial, even warlike element within them (e.g. Clive of India, Sir Philip Sidney,) and /or have strong individual opinions (e.g. Charles Darwin, Wilfred Owen, a WWI war poet).  I sense this also points to something of the underlying character that has helped to shape the underlying nature of the county from prehistoric times to the present.

 

The county capital town is Shrewsbury, just 9 miles from the Welsh border and situated on the river Severn, (although Telford is the large town).  It is known as a medieval town and the historic town centre maintains its medieval street pattern and many narrow streets and passages. During the 14th/15th Centuries the town was at its height in terms of national importance and wealth, mainly due to the wool trade, a major industry at the time, with the rest of Britain and Europe, especially with the River Severn as a trading route.  These trade routes remain in the form of major A roads that now bypass Shrewsbury but which link the adjoining towns to each other and to Shrewsbury.  It is a major artery and indeed its geographical placing within the county would seem to support this also (see map below).

 

 

Districts of Shropshire

 

1. North Shropshire

2. Oswestry

3. Shrewsbury and Atcham

4. South Shropshire

5. Bridgnorth

6. Telford and Wrekin (Unitary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ^{2  BBC History}

 

Foundations

 

Shropshire's earliest man-made remains date from the Bronze Age, which spans the period from about 2400 BC to 700BC. Most are ritual sites, or mark the location of the grave of an important person.  Many are burial mounds or earth-built barrows elsewhere.  Shropshire's two stone circles (Mitchells Fold & Hoarstone) also date from this period, as do a series of ditches across many of Shropshire's upland areas, known as cross-ridge dykes. 

 

A place called the “devil’s chair” in the rocky hills of the Stiperstones, with its dramatic rocky outcrops (see picture below) is full of legend and part of it says the devil wore an apron! (note: so do freemasons!!).  On the longest night of the year, according to legend, he sits on his chair and summons all his local followers - witches and evil spirits, mainly - and they choose their king for the year.  The Stiperstones are actually made up of a unique rock - Stiperstones Quartzite - which emerges from the ground to form its distinctive rocky crest.

 

                                                                        Reconstruction of devil on his chair
                                                                        (source: BBC online: Weird Shropshire)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However it is the sheer number of Iron Age hillforts that most obviously point to an ancient ritual legacy intertwined with a defensive purpose. A hill fort is a settlement on a hill defended by ramparts and ditches of varying complexity.  Not all of them were inhabited but their siting showed an understanding of strategic positioning for defensive purposes.  The inhabitants of Old Owestry fort for example - presumably an ancient Celtic tribe (some sources name the Cornovii tribe) lived on the flat hilltop, which occupies an area of some six hectares.

 

Much of the perimeter of the fort is surrounded by a series of five ramparts and ditches, designed to slow any forces attempting to attack the settlement.  On the west side the number of ramparts increases to an impressive seven, while two entrances, one to the west and one to the east, are heavily defended.  The western entrance, however, is the one that gets the archaeologists going - it features a series of deep rectangular hollows that are unique to Old Oswestry.

 

There has been no shortage of suggestions as to what these hollows were for, from water tanks to quarries and even extra fortifications - but we will probably never know.  I mention this as Martha had the word “deep hole” prophetically.

 

 

Old Owestry hillfort

 

 

 

 

 

The later occupants, the Saxons, added to the defensive nature of Shropshire. In the 8th Century Offa was a powerful Saxon king, and his territory of Mercia stretched from the Thames Valley in the south to the Mersey River in the north. Shropshire was at the kingdom’s most western extreme and faced trouble from the marauding Welsh.  He built 130 km of defensive earthworks, known today as Offa’s Dyke, which marked the border between Offa’s Mercian kingdom and that of Wales. Even today, the border between England and Wales still largely follows the remains of Offa’s Dyke.

 

Without being able to go into any further detail, I know from earlier research leads that there is evidence that these dykes were at times infused with a ritual element, even at times being dedicated or named after one of the Norse gods.

 

I have no doubt that there is a historical continuity of witchcraft which dates from prehistoric times and which was built upon by succeeding generations (Celtic/Roman/Saxon in particular).

 

Later History: ruined castles

 

•     No one knows for certain when Hopton Castle was built - but its last mention in history is notorious.  For it was here that 28 men were murdered in cold blood during the Civil War - and ever since locals have steered clear of the ruined building;

•      Shropshire's spookiest ruined castle isn't just one castle - it's two! The original Moreton Corbet Castle dates from the 13th Century. But the most striking ruins on the site were built 300 years later.

•      Shrawardine was the location of a ford across the River Severn, and a castle sat on each side of the river to guard the crossing point.  One of these castles, on the west bank of the river, was built along the lines of the Norman motte and bailey - a large mound with a wooden keep at the top.  In 1215 the Welsh prince Llewellyn launched an attack on Shrewsbury, completely destroying Shrawardine Castle.  It was taken over by the FitzAlan family in 1229 and renamed Castle Isobel.  When the civil war broke out, Sir Henry remained loyal to King Charles I and the castle was destroyed by fire.

•      Stokesay Castle is one of the few castles (actually a fortified manor house) to have somehow survived the Civil War - although it came close to destruction and 150 years of neglect before it was saved by a Victorian visionary.

•      These few examples give ample proof I think of the defensive character of Shropshire.

 

Battles

 

•      The Battle of Shrewsbury 1403 was a rebellion against Henry IV, a king who had his hands full putting down rebellions. And after the battle nothing much changed - because the king won.  It was also the first time that English bowmen faced each other.  It's also regarded by some as the opening exchange of the Wars of the Roses, a civil war fought between rival factions of the royal family which raged until 1485.  Shrewsbury was fought to decide who ruled England.

•      The Battle of Blore Heath 1459.  Some 56 years after the Battle of Shrewsbury, Shropshire was again at the centre of a struggle over who would rule England.  The outcome of the battle was inclusive and just 3 weeks later another battle took place at Ludlow Bridge.  Every September some 300 medieval re-enactors converge on a field on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border to play out the opening exchanges of England's first civil war.

 

Industrial Age

 

•      It is said that the Industrial revolution had its start in Shropshire.

•      Famous Shropshire son Thomas Telford invented the ability to make wrought iron which was much stronger than cast iron.  The BBC site calls him “the builder of Britain”.  His work is evident all over Shropshire.  Telford is named after him and Ironbridge after the iron bridge that he built that was so revolutionary in its time.

•      The trade route theme continued into the Victorian period with the building of canals for trade purposes.

•      Today there are no working mines left in Shropshire, and most of the mine sites were abandoned long ago.  But it hasn't always been this way. Not so long ago the county was awash with dozens of mines.  Mining in Shropshire goes back a long way back to the Romans and maybe even further. There are signs that Bronze Age man may have mined copper at Llanymynech, while the Romans mined lead in the Shropshire hills more than 1,500 years ago.

•      Recently a 600-feet deep hole appeared in a beauty spot in Shropshire.  The hole opened up after capping over a disused mine shaft collapsed in The Bog outside Shrewsbury.

 

Origins of Names: main towns in Shropshire

 

Traditionally people from Shropshire or Shrewsbury have been known as “Salopians”. The county was called Salop in legal documents for some centuries, a name deriving from 'Salopesbiry', an older name for the county town, Shrewsbury.  The name was never popular, and the council renamed itself 'Shropshire County Council' in 1980. However, the term "Salopian", derived from "Salop", is still used to mean "from Shropshire". The latin motto of "Floreat Salopia" (may Shropshire/Shrewsbury flourish) is also used for Shropshire and Shrewsbury on crests and emblems.  

Shropshire coat of arms

 

 

 

 

 

 

•       Telford: is a planned town and named after the engineer Thomas Telford.  Telford was a freemason.

•       Ludlow: is an ancient location mentioned in the Doomsday book.  Records show that the name 'Lodelowe' was in use for this site by the year 1138. At the time this section of the Teme river contained rapids, and so the hlud of Ludlow came from 'the loud waters', while hlaw meant hill. Thus Ludlow meant a place on a hill by a loud river.

•       Bridgnorth: is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn.  Some experts now believe that it was Hitler's intention to make Bridgnorth his HQ in Britain, due to its central, but rural, location and its now disused airfield.

•       Owestry: its naming is most interesting.  The area has long been settled. Old Oswestry is the site of a large Iron Age hill fort with evidence for occupation dating back to the 550s BC.  The Battle of Maserfield is thought to have been fought here in 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Penda and Oswald. Oswald's body was hung from a tree, which became known as "Oswald's Tree", which evolved into "Oswestry". The spring Oswald's Well is supposed to have originated where a raven dropped one of Oswald's arms.  Offa's Dyke runs nearby to the west.

 

SUMMARY

 

       This short overview brings into sharp relief some of the dominant characteristics of Shropshire that I think are:

i     Its strong defensive nature;  location for much conflict;

ii    Its tendency to stand by and/or go to war for its beliefs (both a positive and negative attribute);

iii    Its sense of identity – does not carry the border town profile;

iv    Sense of entrenchment – it digs deeps into itself somehow;

v     Strong belief in itself – motto quite revealing;

vi    Strong trades route connections;

vii   Strategic location in general.

 

FM Hall:

 There appear to be at least 4 lodges in Shrewsbury alone.  My guess is that the following is the main one:

Salopian Lodge of Charity 117

Crewe Street Masonic Hall (formerly St Michael's Church) not far from the Fire Station.  Contact Tel: A Griffin 01743 242976

 

I couldn’t find a mosque location in Shrewsbury . 

 

Francesca Cornu Fleming

Gateway Christian Media Ltd

4 October 2005

For County Tour Project for CIE.

 

REFERENCES USED:

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/history/ancient/

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/history/ancient/ 

Durham

October 8, 2005

Tunnels – foxes that spoil the vine.  Things under the earth

I believe God is saying there will be things discovered in this area which will be riches unimaginable.  It will cause this to become a place of refuge.

While on or prayer assignment we went to the square where surrounding us was the university, the cathedral, college of theology, and the war memorial.  As we stood in this place, felt the Lord say this was a seat of learning, but humanism had taken over.  The Lord said come against it in the opposite spirit which is the supernatural.  During the meeting that night God showed up in a supernatural way – Praise the Lord.   

The River Wear rises near Wearhead in County Durham and enters the North Sea at Sunderland. With headwaters in the Pennines, it flows through Weardale and once entered the sea in the vicinity of Hartlepool, but was subsequently diverted northward. Durham city is built around the River Wear with its castle and cathedral standing some 100 feet (30 metres) above the river. The river can be viewed from a number of vantage points within the city, and the annual Durham Rowing Regatta just reaches into the city boundaries. 

National Trust calls for A303 Public Inquiry to accept case for longer road tunnel

On Tuesday February 17, after decades of discussion, the Public Inquiry will open to assess the Government’s proposal to develop a 2.1km bored tunnel which will take the A303 under the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.

While welcoming the decision to develop a bored tunnel, the Trust does not believe that the proposed 2.1km tunnel is long enough to guarantee the integrity of this iconic site.

Martyn Heighton, Territory Director for the National Trust, said: "The Public Inquiry needs to consider whether the proposed tunnel is long enough to conserve and enhance the spirit of place, landscape and archaeological interest of Stonehenge".

The Trust remains concerned, for example, about the proposal to site the tunnel exits on archaeologically and visually sensitive ridgelines. Under these proposals, The Avenue - a 1¼ mile-long Bronze Age earthwork which formed the ceremonial approach to the stones - remains severed by the A303, while the landscape setting of important barrow groups will continue to be impacted by traffic.

Martyn Heighton continued, "Stonehenge is one of the world's greatest heritage sites and its history and setting create a spirit of place that is uniquely powerful. The National Trust does not believe that The Highways Agency’s present proposals amount to a solution that is fit for the unique quality of this World Heritage Site. We cannot sell Stonehenge short."

§         produced a World Heritage Site Management Plan as a framework for restoration. The Stonehenge Project delivers the main improvements recommended in the Plan. A road tunnel will break the current stranglehold of traffic thundering past the stones on the busy A303 and A344, and the intrusive car park and visitor facilities will disappear from view.

An outline statement of the Trust’s case to be put forward at the Public Inquiry can be found on our website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/news/stonehenge_position.htm) 

Those that endure to the end (Mk 13:13 – 2 Tim 4:3) 

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, which is almost always referred to as Durham Cathedral -4th most significant place in Anglican hierarchy... 

St Cuthbert and Bede are buried there  

Is one of the redemptive gifts of Durham the true call for wise counsel - and the prophetic...in terms of prophetic teaching, etc. like in terms of true study of God - like the Bible made easy for all...In this regard - Tom Wright is the newest Bishop of Durham- he is appreciated by many for his easy writings and complicated ones (don't know much about him personally- sort of like CS Lewis - I have been told he is a true Christian theologian and is still radical in his views but very much a Bible believing Christian apparently challenging ungodly held beliefs not in line with the Bible...not like the last Bishop of Durham...who was an honest man but not believing in the virgin birth etc. remember the lightning... 

It seems that Durham is well-known for theology - Bede was a prolific writer and the most well known... 

In recent months I have been praying and pondering about those called to be theologians in these days and asking God loads of questions after a while came to the place where I believe the church in the UK (and maybe elsewhere) had to repent for not accepting the true God called theologians - who also bring wise council and more light on the Biblical message - so often they are often not accepted by the church as often it is more usual to think of people who have twisted this calling and used their positions to bring their particular theology and not God's - so often then the true theologians who can help bring wise counsel and shed more light on the gospel are ignored or vilified, .often even having their words spurned by the church and by society - there is a real issue here as they can have real influence in this arena as you know- like the current archbishop has - unfortunately often in a mixed way... 

So as a group theologians have relinquished ground and most theology conferences these days are made up of  liberals, non believers and even pagans as well as Christians...I believe God is wanting to cleanse this whole area, bring restoration and reform again -  

We could do with the true theologians being in place in these days and releasing Godly wisdom to the church and wider society with purity and fulfilling their particular callings. It is of course another part of the prophetic that has been misused - but a true destiny being fulfilled and recognised by all as a  Christian theologian like with CS Lewis can have so much affect on wider society (he did both children and adults books that were easy to read and really quite heavy books as well...) and as we know part of the foundation of change that society and the church can be built. Is it time to repent in Durham so that the church and society can start to honour in a pure way without idolatry...those truly called to study the bible in depth and describe what they find in wise ways to challenge and equip us and help us even more become God's ready bride... 

The following is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, which is almost always referred to as Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham…, was founded in 1093 and remains a centre for Christian worship today. It is generally regarded as one of the finest examples of a Norman cathedral in Europe, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green, high above the River Wear.

The Cathedral houses the shrine and related treasures of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a 7th century saint, and these are on public view.

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (ca. 634-March 20, 687) was a British monk and bishop who was one of the most important saints of England during the early Middle Ages.

Cuthbert was of Northumbrian origin, probably from the neighborhood of Dunbar, in modern-day Scotland. While still a boy, employed as a shepherd, he thought that he saw one night the soul of Aidan carried to heaven by angels and thereupon went to the monastery of Old Melrose and became a monk (651

Durham is also home to the remains of the Venerable Bede.

Bede (Latin Beda), also known as Saint Bede or, more commonly, the Venerable Bede (c. 672 – May 27, 735), was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Wearmouth (today part of Sunderland), and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow. He is well known as an author and scholar, whose best-known work is Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People) gained him the title "The father of English History". Bede wrote on many other topics, from music and metrics to scripture commentaries.

Almost all that is known of his life is contained in a notice added by himself to his Historia (v. 24), which states that he was placed in the monastery at Wearmouth at the age of seven, that he became deacon in his nineteenth year, and priest in his thirtieth, remaining a priest for the rest of his life. It is not clear if he was of noble birth or not. He was trained by the abbots Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrid, and probably accompanied the latter to Jarrow in 682. There he spent his life, finding his chief pleasure in being always occupied in learning, teaching, or writing, and zealous in the performance of monastic duties. There likewise he died and was buried, but his bones were, towards the beginning of the 11th century, removed to Durham Cathedral.

Bede became known as Venerable Bede soon after his death, but this was not linked to consideration for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church. His scholarship and importance to Catholicism were recognised in 1899 when he was declared a Doctor of the Church as St Bede The Venerable.

Work

His works show that he had at his command all the learning of his time. It was thought that the library at Wearmouth-Jarrow was between 300-500 books, making it one of the largest in England. It is clear that Biscop made strenuous efforts to collect books on his extensive travels. Bede was proficient in patristic literature, and quotes Pliny the Younger, Virgil, Lucretius, Ovid, Horace, and other classical writers, but with some disapproval. He knew some Greek but no Hebrew. His Latin is generally clear and without affectation, and he is a skilful story-teller. However, his style can be considerably more obscure in his Biblical commentaries.

Bede practiced the allegorical method of interpretation, and was by modern standards credulous concerning the miraculous; but in most things his good sense is conspicuous, and his kindly and broad sympathies, his love of truth and fairness, his unfeigned piety, and his devotion to the service of others combine to make him an exceedingly attractive character.

Bede's writings are classed as scientific, historical, and theological. The scientific include treatises on grammar (written for his pupils), a work on natural phenomena (De rerum natura), and two on chronology (De temporibus and De temporum ratione). Bede made a new calculation of the age of the earth and began the practice of dividing the Christian era into BC and AD. Interestingly, Bede wrote that the Earth was round "like a playground ball", contrasting that with being "round like a shield".

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Cumberland

October 7, 2005 

There was much to be done in this county, but some of the things we did included to call forth the true watchmen to get on these walls and to begin to trumpet what God was saying.  There was a lot about the boundaries and how the enemy had moved boundaries for his purposes.  We felt the Lord gave us Rev 3 – Sardis – that if they didn’t watch they would be overtaken by the enemy.  Again, we felt there was much UNDER the earth.  In fact it seems the closer we get to our time in London things are going under ground. 

When I began to pray about this county the first thing I heard was FENCE.   

Research and History

Hanging drawing and quartering.  (from http://www.richard.clark32.btinternet.co.uk/hdq.html)

This was the ultimate punishment available in English law for men who had been convicted of High Treason. Women were burned at the stake instead, apparently for the sake of decency.

The full sentence passed upon those convicted of High Treason up to 1870 was as follows: That you be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution where you shall be hanged by the neck and being alive cut down, your privy members shall be cut off and your bowels taken out and burned before you, your head severed from your body and your body divided into four quarters to be disposed of at the King’s pleasure.”  So not for the feint hearted then!!

As you will see from the sentence it should properly be called drawing, hanging and quartering as the condemned was drawn to the place of execution tied to the hurdle which was dragged by a horse. This is confirmed by contemporary law books.  Drawing does not refer to the removal of the intestines in this context and remained part of the sentence for High Treason long after the disembowelling and dismemberment had ceased.  The hurdle was similar to a piece of fencing made from thin branches interwoven to form a panel to which the prisoner was tied to be dragged behind a horse to the place of execution. Once there, the prisoner(s) were hanged in the normal way (i.e. without a drop to ensure that the neck was not broken) but cut down whilst still conscious. The penis and testicles were cut off and the stomach was slit open. The intestines and heart were removed and burned before them. The other organs were torn out and finally the head was cut off and the body divided into four quarters. The head and quarters were parboiled to prevent them rotting too quickly and then displayed upon the city gates as a grim warning to all.
At some point in this agonising process the prisoner inevitably died of strangulation and/or haemorrhage and/or shock and damage to vital organs.

It has to be one of the most sadistic forms of execution ever invented, which it was in 1241, specifically to punish William Maurice who had been convicted of piracy.

In 1283 David, the last Welsh Prince of Wales was tried for treason at Shrewsbury in Shropshire and was sentenced "to be drawn to the gallows as a traitor to the King who made him a Knight, to be hanged as the murderer of the gentleman taken in the Castle of Hawarden, to have his limbs burnt because he had profaned by assassination the solemnity of Christ's passion and to have his quarters dispersed through the country because he had in different places compassed the death of his lord the king". 

In August 1660, Charles II passed the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion which gave a free pardon to anyone who had supported the republican (Commonwealth) government of Oliver Cromwell. However, he retained the right to try for treason those people who had participated in the trial and execution of his father, Charles I.

Finally on Friday the 19th it was Hacker and Axtell’s turn.  Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton, Thomas Pride and John Bradshaw were all dead by this time but were posthumously tried for high treason. They were found guilty and in January 1661 their corpses were exhumed and hung in chains at Tyburn.

CUMBERLAND, England - History and Description, 1868 

(from http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/CUL/Gaz1868.html)

 

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer (1868)]

"CUMBERLAND, the extreme N.W. county of England, bounded on the N. by Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire, on the E. by Northumberland and Durham, on the S.E. by Westmoreland, Lancashire, and the estuary of the Duddon, and on the W. by the Irish Sea and the Solway Frith. Its greatest length from S.W. to N.E. is 74 miles, and its breadth 34 miles. It contains 1,565 square miles, or 1,001,273 acres, being about 215 miles in circuit. It lies between 54° 11' and 55° 12' N. lat., and between 2° 17' and 3° 37' W. long. In form it is an irregular rhomboid, with the acute angles at the N. and S. extremities.

During the Roman occupation of this island, Cumberland was inhabited by the Voluntii and the Brigantes a brave and independent race, who gave very great trouble to the invaders. Ostorius Scapula, and Didius, who succeeded him, A.D. 55, defeated them several times, but they again revolted during the reign of Vespasian, under Venutius, the principal British leader after the capture of Caractacus. This revolt was quelled by Potilius Cerealis, but the country was not entirely subdued till Hadrian's expedition in A.D. 121, when he built the "Picts' Wall", to protect them and the other British tribes from the incessant forays of the Picts and Caledonians.

This wall, which connected a few forts built about 40 years previously by Agricola, was rebuilt in 210 by Severus, who added a stone wall close to it, the former one being merely a mound of earth. Traces of it are seen in many places, from its commencement at Bowness, on the Solway Frith, to the point where it leaves the county near the Rose Hill station. There are also many remains of Roman camps and stations, especially at Old Carlisle, Old Penrith, Maryport, Bewcastle, Salkeld, and Lazenby; the two latter were connected by a road. On the withdrawal of the Romans, the whole country was devastated by the Scots and Picts and during the early Saxon period by the Danes. At that time it formed part of the kingdom of Northumbria, but retained the right of having a separate ruler.

There are a great number of rivers of various sizes in this county.  The largest is the Eden, about 35 miles in length. It rises in the Ravenstonedale fells, on the borders of Yorkshire and Westmoreland, and unites with the Eamont about 9 miles from its parting with Ulleswater; it then flows right across the county, and falls into the Solway Frith. It passes Eden Hall, the seat of the Musgrave family, Kirkoswald, Nunnery Park, Armathwaite, Corby Castle, Warwick Bridge, Carlisle, and Grinsdale. Near its mouth is the monument erected to King Edward I. The Roman Wall crosses the river a short distance below Carlisle.

The Line is formed by the union of two streams - the Black and White Line - which rise on the borders of Scotland, in the Christenbury Crags. The Sark is for about 6 miles the border-line between Cumberland and Scotland, near Solway Moss. The Wampool and the Waver form one estuary of considerable size. The former flows from the Brocklebank Fells, past Old Carlisle and Wigton. The town of Kirkbride is close to its mouth. The Waver rises in the same neighbourhood, and takes a similar course. The Ellen reaches the sea near Maryport, after a course of about 18 miles, passing on its way Ireby, Bolton, Aspatria, Ellenborough, and Netherhall.

The Cocker forms the lakes of Buttermere and Crummockwater, and at Cockermouth receives the Derwent, which rises in Borrowdale, and flows through Derwentwater, and Bassenthwaite Water. The united streams join the sea at Workington. The Greta has its source in a tarn on Saddleback, and flowing in a very circuitous direction, passes Threlkeld and joins the Derwent at Keswick. The Irt, which flows through Wastdale, was once celebrated for the beauty of the pearls found in its waters. The Dudden has its source at Wrynose Fell, and for about 20 miles is the boundary between Cumberland and Lancashire. There is a second Esk, which flows from near Sea Fell to join the sea at Ravenglass. The Tees for a short distance divides Cumberland from Westmoreland and Durham.

The minerals of this county are numerous. It belongs to the red marl district, which runs by the western base of the range of hills extending from the Tweed to Derbyshire. The most common formation is white and red sandstone, the latter predominating. A strip of carboniferous limestone, bordered by another of coal, runs across from Penrith to Ireby, thence to Cockermouth, and the coal extends to Maryport and Whitehaven. At Carlisle these two minerals are again found, the intermediate space being sandstone.

The mountainous districts consist principally of granite, sienite, greenstone, hypersthene, sandstone, limestone, and slate. Granite of the grey variety is found near Skiddaw, and in the beds of the Caldew and Greta. Various coloured marbles are met with: at Lip Stainton and Dacre, brown; at Kirkoswald, blue; at Cross Fell, green; and in the Peteril, yellow. At Ambroth Fell, near Keswick, and in St. John's Vale, red porphyry is found, and the same stone occurs at Borrowdale, Eskdale, Patterdale, Sea Fell, and Helvellyn, associated with grey slate and hornstone.

The mineral productions are very valuable, including coal, lead, silver, iron, copper, and plumbago, and afford work to a large number of hands. Limestone is burnt in large quantities for exportation. There are 28 collieries in the county, of which 12 are near Maryport, 8 near Workington, and 4 near Whitehaven. There are also 2 near Wigton, 1 at Aspatria, and 1 at Harrington. At Whitehaven the principal entrance to the mines is by a long passage hewn in the rock, at the foot of a hill, with galleries intersecting it. The King-pit, the deepest in the mine, runs under the sea to a depth of 960 feet, the water above being deep enough to allow a passage to ships of a considerable size. At Workington the pits are not so deep, being usually from 240 to 500 feet.

Silver is frequently found in the same locality, and though formerly neglected, is now worked to great profit; the largest yield is usually from Roughten Gill. Copper is worked at Hesket, Wytheburn, and Caldbeck. At Giller Coom, in Borrowdale, was the richest graphite or plumbago mine in the world, but it is now almost exhausted. A vein of gold was discovered near Newlands by a foreigner, in the time of Elizabeth, but was never worked, owing to a lawsuit between the queen and the Earl of Northumberland, the lord of the manor. A few precious stones, as chalcedony, garnets, jasper, cornelian, opal, and agate, are found occasionally among the rocks, especially those of the Sea Fell and Helvellyn range.

Some of the antiquities, as the Roman walls, have already been mentioned while sketching the history of the county. In addition to these, many objects of interest have been turned up. There are three Druidical temples still standing: one near Keswick, a circle of fifty granite stones, about 8 feet high; one near Cumwhitton, called "Gray Yauds", a circle of 52 yards diameter, containing 88 stones not more than 4 feet high; and a third near Little Salkeld, called "Long Meg and her Daughters", a circle about 150 yards in diameter, the largest stone being 17 feet in height.

There are also two or three circles at Black Comb; a barrow and a rocking-stone at Souden Head; an old Danish obelisk near Bewcastle; and inscriptions at Netherby, Ellenborough, and other places. On the Scotch borders there are many martello towers, or Peel Houses, as they are locally called, of three or four stories high, with one room on each floor. They were built as watch-towers and places of refuge during a raid, and most of them are very ancient.

~~~~~~~~

Masonry  

Masonry is big here – The Cumbrian province contains more than 80 lodges and around 4,000 brothers. It is divided into six groups, including the Carlisle group of lodges, of which there are 15. Lawrie Keen added: “Our philosophy is simply to make ourselves better citizens and to give a helping to hand to those less fortunate than ourselves. We do look after our own, but we look after others as well.”  Nationally, the movement gave away almost £2 million to its major charities last year, not counting its donations to the hospice movement and other good causes. See http://www.cumbwestmasons.co.uk/index2.html   

Foot and mouth  

Major outbreak a few years ago and recent flooding - it is in economic decline according to Kay Bourne the business manager of Carlisle Business Centre 

Carlisle – I keep thinking "graveyard"...Not very encouraging - then came across this - can't find anything to say it has been dealt with so far...also Kevin Carlyon, high priest of the British White Witches, is put in his penny's worth of comments

Curse of Carlisle

(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle)

In 2005, the locals of Carlisle began to blame certain misfortunes such as the recent flooding and their football team's bad performance on a 16th century curse. The curse was first invoked by Archbishop Dunbar of Glasgow in 1525 against cross-border families, known as the Border Reivers, who lived by stealing cattle, rape and pillage. For the millennium celebrations, the local council commissioned a 14-tonne granite artwork inscribed with all 1,069 words of the curse.

In March 2005 Liberal Democrat city councilor Jim Tootle, hoping to break the curse, proposed the stone either be moved outside the city boundaries or destroyed altogether. A council meeting on March 8 rejected Tootle's proposal, a move welcomed by council leader Mike Mitchelson, who had earlier questioned whether moving the stone was a good use of council funds.

Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border (Border country), for nearly three hundred years from the late 13th century to the middle of the 16th century. They were English and Scottish, and raided both sides of the border impartially, forcing the inhabitants to live in a state of constant alert, and giving rise to the building of fortified houses, such as the bastle houses and Peel towers which are characteristic of this area and period. Smailholm is one of many surviving Peel towers.

The Border Reivers were mounted, and specialized in rustling livestock. They were considered the finest light cavalry in all of Europe, and after meeting one Reiver, Walter Scott of Buccleuch, who had broken a prisoner out of Carlisle Castle, Queen Elizabeth I is quoted as having said that "with ten thousand such, James (VI) could shake any throne in Europe." Many Reivers served as mercenaries, both in the Low Countries and in Ireland; such service was often handed down to captured raiders as punishment in lieu of death. Many took part in the plantation of Ulster becoming the people know as Ulster-Scots (Scots-Irish in America).

The Reivers also served both English and Scottish kings as soldiers; Flodden Field and Solway Moss were battles where Border light cavalry played an important part. While they were, as mentioned, excellent light cavalry, they were difficult to control, and there were always questions about how loyal they were. At battles such as Ancrum Moor in Scotland in 1545, it was possible for Borderers who found themselves on the side which looked like losing, to change sides and attack their former comrades, so as to be able to curry favour with the victors. Many Borderers had relatives on the other side of the Border, despite laws forbidding international marriage, and at the time, they were described as being English or Scottish, whichever happened to be more advantageous.

In the unsettled conditions of the late-medieval Anglo-Scottish Border, a special body of law, known as Border Law, grew up to deal with the situation. Under Border Law, a person who had been raided had the right to mount a counter-raid, even across the border, to recover his goods, and any person meeting this counter-raid was required to ride along and offer such help as he could, on pain of being considered complicit with the raiders. Both Borders were divided into "Marches," under a "March Warden," and the respective kingdoms' March Wardens would meet at appointed times along the border itself to settle claims against people on their side of the border by people from the other kingdom. These occasions, known as "Days of Truce," were much like fairs, with entertainment and much socializing, and the threat of violence to spice things up---many reivers resisted being taken by force.

The reivers' activities, although usually within a day's ride of the Border, extended both north and south of their main haunts. English raiders were reported to have hit the outskirts of Edinburgh, and Scottish raids were known as far south as Yorkshire. The main raiding season ran through the winter months, when the nights were longest and the cattle and horses fat from having spent the summer grazing. The true reivers didn't care which side of the border they raided, so long as the people they hit had no powerful protectors and no connection to their own kin. Many reivers collected tribute from more peaceful folk to spare them from attack; this was called "blackmail" or "black rent," and this is where the term "blackmail" entered the English language.

By the death of Elizabeth I, things had come to such a pitch along the Border that the English government looked into re-fortifying and rebuilding Hadrian's Wall. Upon his accession to the English throne, James VI of Scotland (who became James I of England) moved hard against the reivers, abolishing Border Law and the very term "Borders" in favor of "Middle Shires," and dealing out stern justice to many known reivers, who could no longer duck into the other kingdom until things cooled down. By the end of James VI/I's reign, the Borders were fairly peaceful; such surviving thieves as existed did not have the infrastructure behind them that their ancestors would have had.

Long after they were gone, the reivers were romanticized by writers such as Sir Walter Scott, although he got some things wrong---the term "moss-trooper" more correctly refers to one of the robbers that existed after the real reivers had been put down. The stories of legendary border reivers like Kinmont Willie were retold in folk-song as Border ballads. There are also local legends, probably untrue, such as the "Dish of Spurs" which would be served to a border chieftain to remind him that the larder was empty and it was time to acquire some more plunder.

Hawick in Scotland hold an annual Reivers festival as do the Schomberg Society in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland (the two often co-operate). The Ulster-Scots Agency's first two leaflets from the ‘Scots Legacy’ series feature the story of the historic Ulster tartan and the origins of the kilt and the Border Reivers. Reiver descendents can be found throughout Ulster with names such as Elliot, Armstrong, Beattie, Bell, Hume and Heron, amongst others.

Carlisle History (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle)

Because Carlisle was the last English town before the Scottish border, in the days when the two countries were separate kingdoms, it developed importance as a military stronghold, and Carlisle Castle is still relatively intact. Built in 1092 by William Rufus, and having once served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots, it still houses The King's Own Royal Border Regiment. Because of the frequently changing position of the Anglo-Scottish border during the Wars of Independence, Carlisle has a distinct Scottish ambiance, despite being in England.

In 1916, during World War I, the government took over all the pubs in the town because of endemic drunkenness among munitions workers.

The Tullie House Museum, an award-winning museum, tells the story of the Border country, including much material on Hadrian's Wall, the Roman defensive structure which runs close to the city, and many items of Roman architecture. Tullie House used to house an excellent lending and reference library, but that has now been placed on top of a supermarket in the lanes. (The Lanes are Carlisle's main shopping area in the centre of the city). Carlisle cathedral has the largest east window of any cathedral in Europe, but the western end of the cathedral was demolished by Oliver Cromwell to shore up the castle. Carlisle also has a first-class racetrack, located to the south of the city centre.

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

From BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1639647.st

5 November, 2001, 19:13 GMT

Churchmen call for stone exorcism

The archbishop of Glasgow cursed the stone

Churchmen have asked a Roman Catholic archbishop to perform an exorcism on a giant stone.

In 1520, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Glasgow, Archbishop Dunbar, cursed the stone in an attempt to ex-communicate the savage and lawless Border Reivers terrorising Cumbria.

And Carlisle City Council has re-inscribed the curse on the bishop's stone, as it is known, to form the centrepiece of a museum exhibition.

But now the Bishop of Carlisle, the Reverend Graham Dow, wants the next archbishop of Glasgow - who will succeed Cardinal Thomas Winning, who died in June - to lift the curse.

Councilor Judith Attinson told the BBC's Today programme the curse was just "words very nicely engraved into a huge lump of granite".

"It is a wonderful thing for visitors to come and have a look at - a fine piece of art," she added.

But the Reverend Kevin Davies told Today that the curse should be taken seriously.

"This stone invokes evil on people and as such we should not take it lightly," he said.

The curse, which has never been revoked, is "a violent piece of spiritual language", according to Mr. Davies.

"Words are powerful things," he told the programme.

"Words can affect reality for good or ill and become even more powerful when they are written down," Mr. Davies concluded.

~~~~~~~~~~

Witch warns of Curse Stone power

Tuesday, 8 March, 2005, 11:37 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/4328259.stm

 Mr. Carlyon is high priest of the British White Witches

A white witch has warned against removing a city centre sculpture inscribed with a Scottish curse.

Since the Cursing Stone was placed in Carlisle, the city has suffered floods, foot-and-mouth disease, job losses and a goal famine for the football team.

Now the city council is considering destroying the stone, to try to bring the run of bad luck to an end.

But Kevin Carlyon, high priest of the British White Witches, says that would only increase belief in its power.

He said: "A curse can only work if people believe in it. I think at the moment the sculpture is a nice piece of history, but if the council destroys it, they would be showing their belief in the curse.

"Most of us have some kind of superstition, and I think that destroying the stone would be very bad for Carlisle because it would feed that power.

"The council could make things a lot worse for the city."

The 14-tonne stone is inscribed with a 1,069-word 16th Century curse which was first invoked by the Archbishop of Glasgow against cross-border families, known as the "reivers", blamed for stealing cattle, rape and pillage.

It was designed by artist Gordon Young whose own ancestors were Reivers, and who believes recent events have nothing to do with the stone.

He said: "I think there are enough rational people on the council to make sure there's no chance of it being destroyed, but the fact that they are considering that is truly amazing.

"Having been brought up in Carlisle, I can remember factories catching fire, flooding, unemployment, and consecutive relegations by Carlisle United. It just doesn't stack up for one second."

The council is meeting on Tuesday evening do discuss the fate of the Cursing Stone, which would cost the council about £7,500 to remove.

TOP

Nottinghamshire

October 11, 2005 

I HEAR THE WORD ERIN ----LAWLEWWNESS-----HIGHWAYMEN 

Erin – goddess of love and sexuality-----the triple MOTHER goddess of Erin, a shapeshifter and goddess of SOVEREIGNTY OF THE LAND
 

This area is known for lawlessness.  The county has even had to ask for help from other counties with law enforcement. 

We went to the largest war memorial I have seen in this country.  It had a very large beautiful garden behind it with a large monument to queen Victoria.  It sat right on the river and there was a line directly from the river through the gates of the war memorial through a huge water area with fountain to the monument of Queen Victoria.  The queen of heaven connected to Jezebel was so evident here.  It was a place of meeting for homosexuals as well as occultic activity.  We did much warfare here as well as worship to the Most High God.  One of the young men with us had a war drum which he played very loudly which caused all around to wonder what we were all about.  Commanded the voice of the blood to be silenced by the blood of Jesus as we applied the victory of the cross there.  The freemason hall was again one of many in the county, but very strong.  We had two with us who had been born in Nottingham along with those who lived there.  One was a daughter of a coal miner and told how hopeless the people became when the mines were closed.  She broke the power of all this in the night meeting.  Called life and hope back into this county. Many things have been hijacked in this area – like the Apostle anointing (William Booth) and the healing anointing which the largest pharmacy in the nation started here, but taken over by pharmacia. 

Hosea – pagan idols – spirit of whoredoms 5:4 ---idolatry, fornication, can figuratively apply to business dealings. 

Introduction

The old Celtic name for Nottingham, according to Asser (King Alfred’s biographer), was Tig Guocobauc or, in Latin, Speluncarum Domus, meaning “house of caves”[1].   To this day, the city stands above a complex of man-made caves hollowed out from the soft sandstone.  This underground aspect of the city is reflected throughout the county, since coal mining has been one of her traditional industries.  All this suggests a hidden aspect to Nottingham.  

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire have always been regarded as sibling counties and were once under a common jurisdiction.  The evidence of witchcraft found in the Derbyshire research may also be relevant for Nottinghamshire, although I believe it is more hidden.  That is not to say it is completely hidden, since there is some information on local witchcraft on a BBC website.[2]   

Nottingham castle

The castle is generally believed to have been first built by the Normans and in the words of the seventeenth century historian, William Camden, was intended to “bridle the English”.  It is also claimed that some kind of stronghold had stood on this site earlier in the eighth century.[3]   

The physical presence of a castle on a high place in Nottingham may reflect, if not entrench, something of a spiritual stronghold.  The Normans imposed an extreme form of feudalism on the nation as well as introducing an extremer type of Roman Catholicism.  I would define the Norman spirit as being colonizing[4], oppressive, hierarchical, controlling, murderous, treacherous and religious.  These traits are, historically, also seen to characterize the English.[5]

I believe the Empire spirit, in particular, was - at least - reinforced by the Norman invasion of England.  

The position of the castle safeguarded the crossing of the River Trent and protected the South of England against incursions from the North. It may be a plausible conjecture that the castle was the base from which the Norman army set off to carry out the calculated massacre and scorched-earth policy, called “the harrying of the North”,[6]  in response to Northern resistance to William the Conqueror.

Historically, the River Trent, which runs through Nottingham, has been regarded as the dividing line between the North and South of England[7] - once described as “this side Trent” and “yon side Trent”.[8]  Nottingham, thus, straddles the North and South of England.  It is not just a midland city, but one with both “Southern” and “Northern” aspects to it.  Consequently, the castle may be seen as watchtower that guards a psychic frontier between the North and South of England. [9]    

It was certainly the base from which the English contingent set off to join the Third Crusade, led by Richard the Lionhearted, which ended as another massacre.  There is a pub by the castle rock named “Ye old trip to Jerusalem”, trip meaning a resting place on a journey,[10] and thus honours the Third Crusade.  

William Booth: a rejected apostle

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was born in Sneinton, now in the city, in 1829.  His ministry was to the poor and the “unchurched”, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit were clearly evident at the meetings.   The motto of the Salvation Army was “Blood and Fire” to emphasise the works of the Son and the Spirit of God.  The very name Salvation Army reflects its key focus spiritual warfare.  William Booth was rejected by the Church in Nottingham and ultimately established his main work in London.   

The Pilgrim Fathers

Long before William Booth, North Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire together were home to the Christians, who later became known as the Pilgrim Fathers.  

“.. they were called Separatists and believed in greater freedom of worship and religious tolerance.  However, their views fell foul of the Crown to such an extent that their lives were in danger.”[11]

It is of interest that the church that their leader, William Brewster, “failed to attend regularly” was named in honour of Wilfrid[12] and was in the diocese of York, both pointing to the false apostolic.   

The spirit of appeasement

I cannot verify or document the following is, but I include it as something I was told by a friend whose father was in the Nottinghamshire Police during World War Two.   He said that then Chief Constable of the Nottinghamshire Police was a Nazi-sympathiser and that, in the event of a successful German invasion of the South of the England and their prospective advance North, this officer had intended to meet the invading army at Trent bridge in order welcome it into the city.    

I mention this as it bears a remarkable similarity to something that concerns another Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire, the present one, that is in the public domain.

“A Chief Constable is asking his 4,000 officers to wear green ribbons, the traditional colour of Islam, to show solidarity with Muslims after the London bomb attacks.

Steve Green, of Nottinghamshire police, also wants the public to adopt the ribbon to support Muslims "being held hostage by fear"[13]

I feel the spirit of appeasement at work in Nottingham is also in the Church.  

Lord Byron and D.H. Lawrence

The two most famous Nottinghamshire writers are the poet, Lord Byron, and the novelist D.H. Lawrence.  They each opened a door that allowed a darkness to enter English literature and life. 

Of Byron, it was said that he was “mad, bad and dangerous to know.”  An article by Lezlie Kinyon,  using this description in its title, makes the following claims. 

“Not only has Byron influenced the modern vampire (genre), he became, himself, the archetype of poet. Byron is also important as a seminal figure in the Romantic movement within literature, a movement whose influence is felt in our day in the conventions of the gothic novel and in modern fantasy literature -- be it Tolkienesque or dark phantasmagoria.” [my insert] 

And, 

“Byron was, most famously, the third in the aforementioned celebrated historic literary ménage à trois with Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelly in that moment when what has been the most enduring of Gothic novels, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, was first conceived.” [14] 

Regarding the second writer, D. H. Lawrence,

“What is often forgotten amongst the claims of Lawrence as a pornographer is the fact that he was extremely religious. He was tired of the stifling Christianity of Europe and wished to rejuvenate it with earlier, tribal religions. This search for a primeval religious consciousness was part of the reason for his 'savage pilgrimage'. He was also inspired by contemporary 'process philosophy': for example works by Nietzsche, Henri Bergson and others, as well as by the works of Freud, most notably in Sons and Lovers which was also his most autobiographical work. He wished to free himself from the sexual restrictions of the past so that he could examine their place in religion but he would have been perhaps horrified if he realised his role in the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s.” [15] 

A popular view is that the final publication in 1960 of his sexually explicit novel, “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” opened the floodgates to what formerly could never be published.  

Robin Hood: crime and double-mindedness

Anywhere in the world, the mention of Nottinghamshire provokes questions about Robin Hood.  The life of Robin Hood is more legend than history and cannot be exclusively tied - if at all - to this county.[16]  The city, however, holds on to Robin Hood as a reality and has made him her own.  Nottinghamshire is even subtitled “The Robin Hood County” on the sign posts by the approach roads leading in it.  

As for the reality of Robin Hood, the clearest historical evidence is this name was used as an alias by law-breakers and there is some evidence that it was also a common nickname for criminals.[17]  Whether legendary or not, the character of Robin Hood is cast as an outlaw, while the reality for Nottinghamshire, which styles itself as the Robin Hood County, is that it has a serious crime problem.[18]   The local Chief Constable recently made the national news, because he has stated his force is unable to cope with the volume of murder investigations and has asked for outside help.[19]   

The promotion of the Robin Hood legend by the local council is undoubtedly motivated by some desire to bring tourist income into the county. Nottingham’s growing reputation as a place of gun crime is now, ironically, beginning to have the opposite effect.[20] 

Robin Hood’s well-known mission statement was “to rob from the rich and to give to the poor.”   The first part of this is bad and the second part good, reflecting a double-mindedness.  There also appears to be something of a double-mindedness in the Church in Nottingham, a desire to move forward and yet a tolerance of Jezebel.[21]   

The Queen of Heaven

The town hall for Nottingham is called the Council House.  Inside, positioned in a prominent place, there is a Queen of Heaven statue called the “lady of welcome” that has been sculpted wearing Nottingham lace.[22]    It commissioned by Sir Julian Cahn - who also paid for the demonic lion statues outside “guarding” the Council House - and was modelled on the image of his wife.  He was not just a major benefactor, but according to one source, an agent for the Rothschilds and one of the founders of the Royal Institute of International Affairs[23], the British counterpart of the Council for Foreign Relations.  The city is also called the “Queen of the Midlands”.[24] 

St Ann’s

The St Ann’s area of Nottingham is particularly notorious for crime.  It was once supposed to have had a well, named Robin Hood’s Well.  This was later changed in face of local opposition to the “St Anne’s Well”, which has given the area its name.  “St Anne” is said to be a “christianised” version of the Celtic fertility goddess, Anu.[25]   Picking up on this theme of idolatry, Deering, the early historian of Nottinghamshire, wrote,

“BY a custom, time beyond memory, the mayor and aldermen of Nottingham, with their wives, have been accustomed on Monday in Easter week, morning prayer ended, to march from the town to St. Anne’s Well, anciently called Robin Hood’s Well, having the town waits to play before them, and attended by all the clothing, i.e., such as have been sheriffs, and ever after wear scarlet gowns, together with the officers of the town and many other burgesses and gentlemen, such as wish well to the woodward--this meeting being instituted, and since continued for his benefit.” [26] 

The stronghold of alcohol  

Nottingham is a centre for binge-drinking, which is a social magnet that draws in people not only from the wider locality but from the surrounding counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire.  Furthermore,

“Nottingham is renowned for having more bars per square mile than any other town in Britain ..”[27]and

“The square mile in the city now boasts a total of 356 bars.” [28] 

What is a possible origin of this?   In “The legend and history of Britain’s oldest inn”[29],  it says:

“The original castle of Nottingham was established on the rock in the year 1068 by William Peverill, for the king, William the Conqueror.  William Peverill caused the course of the River Leen to be altered to pass by the foot of the castle rock, partly as a moated defence, and partly as a water supply.  Since water for drinking was notoriously bad in those days, ale was brewed and drunk: for the brewing purpose, as well as creating alcohol, also served to sterilise the drink.  Consequently, after the erection of the castle, one of the first additions would have been the brewhouse.” 

Apart from being a major consumer of alcohol, the city was also once a significant producer of beer until this local industry was taken over by Burton-on-Trent.

“The water at Burton was found to be richer in gypsum than was Nottingham water, and consequently Burton beer was more palatable than Nottingham beer, and so Burton gradually rose to be the metropolis of brewing, and Nottingham’s trade declined.” [30] 

Drug addiction

Nottingham has a serious drug problem and gang rivalry in the drugs trade is the source of local gun crime.  Apart from the national roots of this problem probably being in Britain’s earlier opium trade, there may be a local root relating to the fact that one of Nottingham’s major industries was cigarette production under the John Player company.   This has now become international as the Imperial Tobacco company, which today maintains manufacturing sites at Liverpool, Bristol and Nottingham.[31] 

Homosexuality

According to the 2001 national census, Nottingham is ranked the seventh most homosexual city in England and Wales.[32] Homosexual importuning appears to be an uninhibited activity in the city.  The building that housed the Methodist chapel, where William Booth gave his life to the Lord[33], is today the Broadway Cinema, a cinema-café complex, which frequently screens “gay film festivals” and is a meeting place for homosexuals.    

Child abuse

Broxtowe is a district just to the West of Nottingham.  In 1989 the Broxtowe Case made the international news.

“..10 men and women were charged with 53 offenses of incest, indecent assault and cruelty against 21 children. There was medical evidence that the children were sexually abused, physically abused, and given alcohol. Close cooperation between the police and Social Services personnel resulted in successful convictions.”

Later,

“The children's foster parents were asked to record in diaries anything that the children said about their alleged abuse. It was the contents of the diaries that suggested that the children had been subjected to more than incest. Allegations surfaced of Satanic Ritual Abuse including "witch parties", murder of infants, animal killings, additional abuse by strangers, videotaping of abuse, etc.” [34]

While the police had led a successful prosecution, for whatever reason, they failed to give credit to the statements that were later made by the children that pointed to the ritual and satanic nature of the abuse.    

In 1988, Nick Davies wrote the book, “Dark Heart”, subtitled “The shocking truth about hidden Britain”, which is a work of investigative journalism  The first of the four main sections, “The children of the forest”, concerns child prostitution in Nottingham.  

Medicine

Nottingham has a research hospital of international repute, the Queen’s Medical Centre, which is part of the University of Nottingham.  Nearby is Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan stately home that belonged to the Middleton family.  The family emblem is a crowned owl, which can be identified as Stolas or Solas.

“In demonology Stolas is a Great Prince of Hell, commands twenty-six legions of demons (twenty-five to other authors), and teaches astronomy and the knowledge of poisonous plants, herbs and precious stones.”[35] 

The English word pharmacy comes from the Greek word pharmakeia, meaning witchcraft.   In 1841, Charles Mackay in Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds wrote: “The witch-doctor alluded to is better known by the name of the cunning man, and has a large practice in the counties of Lincoln and Nottingham.” 

On a positive note, a local Christian man, Jesse Boot, started a business that provided herbal remedies and medicines at a low price so that the poor would also be able to afford 

Nottinghamshire

Notts is more than a place of coalmines to me it always has and always will be a place where I can crush the coal in peoples’ lives – the coal of inequity and bring forth diamonds.  

You have heard of the saying “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” ? Well, in Notts it is still important to deal with the girl who wants the diamonds more than the man. (my thoughts - In other words the girl – the greed and jezebel that encourage people to put money first before Jesus…? Actually the greed is mammon – the other 2 are around but key is mammon) 

There will be no more knotting in Nottinghamshire. I am coming to straighten out the knots and even cut them out if I have to. The knots I talk about are the blockages caused by my church in Notts not merely the knots set up by the enemy of your souls and the devil himself. 

It is time for the people of Derby to recognise that Nottingham is just as good as itself that they are no longer to be like Siamese twins joined at the hip and if Derby does something Nottingham even Notts county follows. What a sorry state of affairs – how can I come with my life when it is getting squashed out in this way and by much in-fighting in my body?  

Dear Lord, you say Dear Lord – don’t you mean dear Lord this is what I want today and provide me with a shopping list when you are missing my heartbeat come on deal with your inequity so I can unleash my power and splendour into your houses and make Nottingham a place where people come to see clearly about fashion and patterns from all over the country and world once again. Can’t you see even as the land still provides a platform for the lonely and the foreigner in Nottingham – if Robin Hood came into the church today he’d be questioned and ostracised for wearing a hat and for stealing from the governor of the land not held up as a hero for robbing the rich to give to the poor. Even this is a shift from my ways - the fullness is me enabling the rich to give to the poor through you and the strategies I give you to employ, work on and release. Business enterprise is a key in this county for reform again in the churches around here and so many more in your communities can be touched… 

Church stop singing songs of remembrance and get on now as those who you sing about did.