The greatest trip, ever (5)
Meredith Taylor, in LewTrenchard, Devon:
We then went on to the Church of St. Peter in Lew Trenchard just next door, which is small and lovely.
W.S. Baring-Gould, grandson of SBG, compiled the first annotation of the complete Holmes that I ever owned. On his account I took a picture of the memorial plaque to another William B-G. In the old and peaceful churchyard the Baring-Gould couple is buried, with two daughters nearby and a grave marker or possibly a memorial stone commemorating a third.
The staff ladies had not known Margaret (aka Daisy) B-G painted the pictures in the Virtues “sitting room.” Another considerate soul, the warden in the church, told me Daisy painted the rood screen pictures. Not a one of these ladies knew about the MOOR and they were very interested; the church warden wrote it down carefully.
At this point I would have accounted my May trip as a resounding success if everything else had gone pear-shaped, as one niece has taught me to say. We went on our way with repeated thanks for our guides. Amusingly enough, we females collectively got so excited that I headed out of the hotel without paying for tea and had to go back.
If I had it all to do over again, here’s what I’d do: per my fellow investigators, there is a resident historian, and I’d make an appointment with him. I’d bring flowers for the graves. I would take more pictures (and more slowly and evenly). My true preference would be to stay as a party of four or more hard-core Russellians. My word, what a good time we would have.
In our Dartmoor voyage we also hit Postbridge and Widdecombe. As our final flourish we made it to the Hound Tor. I was impressed with myself that I climbed up the entire Hound Tor except the very top rocky bit. By request, Dave did his impression of The Man on the Tor. The views were spectacular and so was the wind.
Fortunately after all this I had a day or so to rest up. So much for the Hounds, on to London for the Lords!
I’ve been off the site for a week or so, and have now enjoyed catching up with the travel log.
I know Eversholt (mentioned on day 1) well.
Recently I came across a book that had been read to both me & my mother as a child, it was inscribed “to Elizabeth Farrar, Wesleyan Sunday school Eversholt 1896” (from memory). I contacted the parish council and have given them the book to be kept in the village.
Meredith, oh, a gathering of the Faithful at Lew, wouldn’t that be wonderful? That is SO going on my bucket list!
I felt very privileged to stand at Baring-Gould’s grave and to see that amazing church. Alice and I were much taken by the plaque inside, which listed the Rectors back to the 14th century and then apologized for having lost the names of those further back. Pretty impressive to an American!
It looks as if you had better weather on the moor than we did – when we were up there, it was about as miserable as it is when Holmes and Russell make their first excursion in MOOR.