January! Sick and tired of you hanging on me…14th Jan 2005 Stop Press! Check out this month's essay The Master of Controlled Imagination in TEKH'S Journal. A Small World! It is indeed a small world. At the inauguration of this website almost fourteen months ago, I never suspected for one minute how it would evolve into a duel-carriageway of communication. Apart from receiving emails, both enquiring and informative on all aspects ‘Lethbridgian’, it has also become a conduit of communication for Doggen, Kevlar and myself from people from our pasts who we had lost contact with for one reason or another. But this ain’t bin no ‘friends re-united’ trip – no siree! Unlike ‘friends re-united', where everyone from your old milk-monitor through to your school-bully gets back in touch - just to say ‘hi!’, the Lethbridge site has dredged up many rock ‘n’ roll acquaintances from our pasts. For me, it has been an interesting experience catching up with these old friends and acquaintances and hearing their ‘life stories’ and perceiving a different perspective on events that took place, some over twenty-five years ago. In fact one contact in particular has exposed a cassette tape of my first band rehearsing in my dad’s garage back in 1976! Stories often become elaborated on over the course of time and it is fascinating to hear the tales re-counted from an impartial source after years of seperation. T.C. Lethbridge knew the power of the oral tradition, for like my own memories of events twenty-five years ago, he understood that the main gist of any story would remain intact, even though the barnacles of time may well of disfigured its initial presentation. We should always be aware that history is not necessarily written as ‘truths’, but is an interpretation of many perspectives and interpretations. When my old acquaintance Malcolm Jenson arrived on my doorstep last week he declared, “Sorry, I am twenty five years and ten minutes late!” It was an unusual utterance to connect these two measurements of time adjacently, and it made me focus on the fact that time is indeed an abstract phenomenon. We are fortunate, that we have reached an age where we have visual records of our presence. The utilisation of photos, films and video tapes, provides us with proof and memories of our existence, but it is difficult to comprehend how these memories would have been stored without such visual aids. One can only imagine that this human need to immortalise was a constant dilemma for ancient peoples. Without evidence, our memories, like time-itself becomes totally compressed and therefore totally abstract. Malcolm’s correlation of two diverse measurements of time, highlight this absurdity. Hood-winked at the Haxey Hood Game On the way over to the village of Haxey, I once again paid a visit to Beacon Mound at Gringley-on-the-Hill – a significant site in the Vale of Trent. From this ancient mound, the visitor is positioned at the southern end of the Isle of Axeholme and is able to observe, not only the many hills(1) within the Trent flood plain, but the entirety of the Lincoln Edge from the cathedral at the Lincoln Gap, to as far north as Julian Bower, where the Trent meets the Ouse to form the mighty Humber. On a clear day, the view from Gringley is a truly magnificent sight. An ancient beacon lit upon the mound would have acted as a lifeline to those who navigated the flood plain and who sought sanctuary on the higher ground on the Isle of Axeholme. We know ancient inhabitants once utilised these ‘island’ hills in the vale, for aerial photography has revealed evidence of a ploughed out henge-site near the small hamlet of Beltoft(2). I have visited the location, and like at nearby West Ashby(3) near Horncastle, there is little that remains at ground level. However, the importance of ‘being there’ enables the visitor to perceive the intentions of the ancient shrine builders. One thing that intrigues me about returning to annual pageants and events like The Haxey Hood Game is that I bump into people that I only see once a year. I always consider it amazing, that each and every one of us charts and navigates our own course through the year - avoiding pitfalls, encountering and solving problems and experiencing all kinds of dilemmas. We greet each other with words like, “I can’t believe that a year has passed since last year” and words to such effect. Once again, the hub of time and place enable us to focus on the passage of time and reflect on the year passed and the year ahead. I guess the Neolithic communities that met at seasonal epochs at our stone circles would have utilised similar events to put into perspective their own personal years and in turn, put these personal recollections in perspective with the wider communities. The winner of this year’s Haxey Hood Game was the north-westerly wind that blew across the Isle of Axeholme. After three hours of observing this annual pageant, I was forced from the fray before the game had reached its finale. It is customary for ‘The Fool’ to make his declamation, whilst being ‘smoked’ at 2.30pm, but, as it is his prerogative, he didn’t arrive in his position until way-past 3.00pm. By then the restless crowd was chilled to the bone as we made our way to the top field for the fun and games. By 5.30pm, the game was still in progress and ‘the sway’ had moved little more than ten yards from its place of inauguration. In previous years, the event has been blessed with clear skies and after sunset, moonlight supplanted the brilliant afternoon light. But this year, the game continued after sunset - in complete darkness! During my vigil, I struck up a conversation with a burly, man whose persuasions lay with The Kings Arms at Haxey. I enquired why he and his friends appeared reluctant to join in. He explained to me that many years ago, when many of the competitors where employees of the local council, they thought nothing of getting ‘stuck-in’ to the sway. But nowadays, he and many of his fellows were self-employed, and although in the past the consequences of a few sprains, bruisings and broken ribs would, at worst would result in a few weeks or months off of work on fully-paid sick-leave, the reality of their current circumstances, simply meant injuries would leave them without income - hence the caution! I am certain that all such games, be they ancient or modern, will evoke a spirit of initiation that is in its self, metaphorical of the apprenticeship of life. The Haxey man informed me that the ‘enthusiasm’ of the younger participants resulted in the scrum becoming a ‘running sway’ and because of this gusto, the pack frequently collapsed – hence the slow progress. However, once the sway had reached the road, it was the cue for him and his friends to join in. The arrival of the hard surface underfoot, always resulted in a more cautious approach being adopted by the participants. Consequently, the sway becomes more controlled and less erratic and it is here where the elders demonstrate their nous and experience. As I previously mentioned, I was forced to leave the field by the extreme cold at about 5.30pm, but I must add there was little more to observe on that dark night. For those who should have chanced upon the sway by accident, would have been forgiven for thinking some great beast was at large in the top field. In the darkness, grunts and groans were accompanied by the smell of stale sweat and ale, omitting from the murky mire. For the record, it was informed that it was The Locomotive public house in Haxey that secured this years’ Hood, and there it will remain until next year’s capers. Walking with a bear behind! Last weekend, I attended The Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival and once again, like at Haxey, the event was dominated by the high wind that cut across the fen. The wind was so dangerous, that my annual observance over the fenlands from the tower of St. Mary’s church was justifiably prohibited for health and safety reasons. When compiling this ‘News’ bulletin, I thought it might be a challenge to somehow link this Cambridgeshire, fenland town with T.C. Lethbridge, a man who was not unfamiliar with this ‘neck-of-the-woods’. Whittlesey’s most famous son was Sir Harry Smith, who was born in the town in 1787. Smith is most famous for his leadership of British troops, who strode to victory over the Sikh forces at Aliwal in 1846 during the First Sikh War. A community college in the town is named after Smith and it is here, in the grounds of this establishment, where the Straw Bear is ritually burnt each year. ‘The Hero of Aliwal’ - a pub in the town, is also a commemoration of Smith’s endeavours in South Africa. As interesting as this may be, it has nothing whatsoever to do with T.C. Lethbridge. Forgive me then if I appear to be clutching at straws (pardon the pun), but it did occur to me that a venue for one of the Straw Bear Festival activities over the weekend was called ‘Childers’ and this rang a bell in the Lethbridge archive. In his un-published autobiography ‘The Ivory Tower’, Lethbridge makes it known that his colleague, the Zoologist, who he refers to, rather formerly as H.H. Brindley, was indeed a good friend of the author and politician Erskine Childers who also studied at Cambridge. I am not sure whether the Childers Club in Whittlesey was named after Erskine Childers or not, but please, in true Lethbridgian style, allow me to continue my indulgence with this tenuous link! Childers, like Brindley and Lethbridge was fascinated by boats and the ocean and he spent many of his holidays sailing the North Sea, the English Channel and exploring the German, Dutch and Danish coasts. Brindley’s own interest in the sea resulted in his fascination with anchors, especially ones of the ancient stone variety known as ‘Killicks’. Lethbridge never met Childers, but once heard, what he believed to be, a dubious rumour that H.H. Brindley had been the inspiration behind ‘Davies’, Childers hero in his only novel ‘The Riddle of the Sands’(1903). After studying at Trinity College in Cambridge, Childers became a Clerk in the House of Commons 1895 – 1910. As well as his novel, his works included two books exposing the antiquated use of cavalry against modern armaments. However, Childers is most famous for his belief in Irish home rule, his gun-running for Irish rebels and his allegiance with the IRA. It was this association that eventually led to his execution in 1922, after he was charged with being in possession of a revolver given to him by Michael Collins. It is certain that Lethbridge’s association with men of such diverse interests fuelled and ignited his latent curiosity of the world around him. We know for a fact, that watching the vessels in the harbour near to his childhood home, inspired in him a love of boats and the ocean. But it is from his associations at Cambridge that have led to me writing the first of a series of articles on Lethbridge’s friends and colleagues who appear to have inspired him in his vocation. The first of these essays The Master of Controlled Imagination can be found in this month’s posting in ‘Tekh’s Journal. That’s all folks…. welbourn TEKH – ‘Linden – the people of the pool’ – January 2005 Notes: The title of this month's 'News' posting is cribbed from a line of Pilot's 1975, No. 1 hit 'January' c/w 'Never Give Up' - released on EMI and produced by Alan Parsons. 1. At the village of Crowle, the most northern of the hills that rise out of the Trent Flood Plain, a carved, runic stone exists in the church of St. Oswald. It is known as The Crowle Stone and is situated in the nave of the church, but was once utilised as a lintel in the fabric of the building. The stone measures 6'11" (2.11m) in height 16" (400mm) thick and 8.5" (215mm) wide. An illustration depicting the stone's carvings can be found at: http://www.owletthall.com/crowlestn.htm, although the Christian interpretation of the images is, in my opinion, dubious. 2. P.L. Everson (1981) “Recent Results From Aerial reconnaissance” Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, A.J. White. p.77 Cambridge University Collection, photo numbers BCG 82-4 and BIN 014 3. Field F.N. (1981) “West Ashby Henge Monument” Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, A.J. White. p.76 |
 Latest News Showing 1-50 of 58 items » |