Back in time.

We didn't go very far today, just an hour along the way. We stopped in the middle of no where again after travelling through the narrows before Fenny Compton and the tunnel that isn't a tunnel anymore. It is funny how people react when there isn't much room. We were lucky at the water point as there was one boat taking water and we just slid on to the second tap. The boat that was astern of us also pulled over and bustled about questioning us about water etc. They then rigged their hose almost before we had fixed ours. They were not going anywhere special so I wonder what the hurry was. It didn't get them water any faster at all. After lunch we went for a walk. Opposite our berth was the site of the medieval village of Wormleighton so we decided to explore a little.

Helen walking down the village street. In 1334 there were 26 houses here and a large manor house. There was also a series of fishponds that can be still made out that were fed by a spring up the hill that is still there. You can see the banks of the houses to either side of the path.

The village is first seen in 956 and in 15th Century was owned by Sir Simon Mountfort but he was beheaded for treason and Henry VII gave it to William Cope who was Cofferer to the King. Through marriage and sales the Manor was owned by a John Spencer. He decided he need a new manor house and built it up on the hill between 1516 and 1519. At the same time he had a new Manor house built at is other land holdings, Althorp. Yes, that Spencer Family. The family of Lady Diana Spenser (Princess Di). The main house was here at Wormleighton and they held 4960 acres and ran about 20000 sheep making the family great wealth. It was about this time that the old village was lost with about 60 folk getting displaced.

The new manor house was a very grand affair and actually had a gatehouse that still exist. There is a clock but no face so it is just the striking bells that tell you what time it is. The gate house has the date of 1613 on it. In 1603 Baron Spencer was said to be the richest man in Britain other than the King.

The manor house was built as an open sided quadrangle form. The castellated part in the photo is the surviving north wing of the original building. In the Civil War the Gatehouse was manned by Royalist troops from about the time of the Battle of Edgehill in 1642. In 1645 the Royalist from Banbury burned the manor house down to stop it falling into Parliamentary hands. From this time the Spencer family made Althorp their main residence. There is also a connection with George Washington of USA fame through marriage. Who would have believed it from a little place like this.

St Peter's Church is largely medieval and also still has pews from the 13th Century.

This carving is on the Rood Screen in the church. It is thought that the screen came from another church where it was removed in about 1642 so that the Cromwell Parliament and puritans did not destroy it. It isn't known when it was erected in St. Peter's but the above carving shows a figure wearing glasses and it seems it is the earliest carving of somebody wearing specs with side frames in the UK. Side frame glasses came to the UK in 1719. So it seems that the screen was erected, or at least re-carved at around this time.

On the north side of the rood screen, the partition that separates the chancel of the church from the nave or the main body of the church, all the carved faces are happy and grinning.

On the south side the faces are glum and gloomy. They all seem to be faces of kings with crowns so I wonder if it something to do with the changes from Catholic to Protestant and back again at some time.

We walked through the small village and over the hills down to the canal. and then walked back to the boat via the tow path. I had to ensure that there was a TV picture as tonight is the start of the 'Great British Bake Off' and this is on Helen's list of must see programmes, mercifully short, but including 'Master Chef'. I prefer 'Bake Off' as Helen does do some baking that I can sample. I got the aerial up and a confirmed picture before the few showers that fell around tea time

From near Wormleighton the view across the valley to Napton Hill and you can just make out the windmill.