Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Æthelweard

The church of St Candida and Holy Cross lies in the village of Whitchurch Canonicorum. Alfred the Great founded a church on the site in the 9th century named Hwitan Cyrican ("White Church" or "Whitchurch") and bequeathed it in 899 to his son Æthelweard. In the 11th century William the Conqueror gave ownership to the monks of St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy. They began a major reconstruction and expansion of the building. In 1190 the monks sold or gave the church and benefice to the Bishop of Salisbury and in the early 13th century it was handed over to Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, in return for an annual fee. De Mandeville made further renovations and a shrine containing the remains of St Wite was erected. In the mid-13th century de Mandeville presented ownership of the church to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. However, the Bishop of Salisbury was unwilling to relinquish his annual payment and a compromise was reached whereby the tithes would be divided between the two canons. It was at this time that the Latin affix Canonicorum (of the canons) was added to Whitchurch. The shrine and its relic's reputed healing powers made the church a busy and prosperous centre of pilgrimage. However, this was abruptly halted by the 16th century Reformation which prohibited the veneration of saints. The church is a mixture of architectural styles. It is an example of Early English architecture but incorporates some Norman features and significant Perpendicular additions. The church's shrine contains the relics of St Wite (in Latin St Candida). It is one of only two shrines with relics in an English parish church and the only shrine and relics in the country to survive the Reformation besides Edward the Confessor's in Westminster Abbey and St Eanswythe in Folkestone. The shrine is a plain 13th century limestone altar tomb. Pilgrims believed the relics to have healing powers and these openings enabled them to place personal belongings or diseased body parts into the shrine in hope of a cure.

The church of St Candida and Holy Cross lies in the village of Whitchurch Canonicorum. Alfred the Great founded a church on the site in the 9th century named Hwitan Cyrican ("White Church" or "Whitchurch") and bequeathed it in 899 to his son Æthelweard. In the 11th century William the Conqueror gave ownership to the monks of St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy. They began a major reconstruction and expansion of the building. In 1190 the monks sold or gave the church and benefice to the Bishop of Salisbury and in the early 13th century it was handed over to Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, in return for an annual fee. De Mandeville made further renovations and a shrine containing the remains of St Wite was erected. In the mid-13th century de Mandeville presented ownership of the church to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. However, the Bishop of Salisbury was unwilling to relinquish his annual payment and a compromise was reached whereby the tithes would be divided between the two canons. It was at this time that the Latin affix Canonicorum (of the canons) was added to Whitchurch. The shrine and its relic's reputed healing powers made the church a busy and prosperous centre of pilgrimage. However, this was abruptly halted by the 16th century Reformation which prohibited the veneration of saints. The church is a mixture of architectural styles. It is an example of Early English architecture but incorporates some Norman features and significant Perpendicular additions. The baptismal font is a Norman/Romanesque stone bowl decorated with overlapping arches.

The church of St Candida and Holy Cross lies in the village of Whitchurch Canonicorum. Alfred the Great founded a church on the site in the 9th century named Hwitan Cyrican ("White Church" or "Whitchurch") and bequeathed it in 899 to his son Æthelweard. In the 11th century William the Conqueror gave ownership to the monks of St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy. They began a major reconstruction and expansion of the building. In 1190 the monks sold or gave the church and benefice to the Bishop of Salisbury and in the early 13th century it was handed over to Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, in return for an annual fee. De Mandeville made further renovations and a shrine containing the remains of St Wite was erected. In the mid-13th century de Mandeville presented ownership of the church to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. However, the Bishop of Salisbury was unwilling to relinquish his annual payment and a compromise was reached whereby the tithes would be divided between the two canons. It was at this time that the Latin affix Canonicorum (of the canons) was added to Whitchurch. The shrine and its relic's reputed healing powers made the church a busy and prosperous centre of pilgrimage. However, this was abruptly halted by the 16th century Reformation which prohibited the veneration of saints. The church is a mixture of architectural styles. It is an example of Early English architecture but incorporates some Norman features and significant Perpendicular additions.

The church of St Candida and Holy Cross lies in the village of Whitchurch Canonicorum. Alfred the Great founded a church on the site in the 9th century named Hwitan Cyrican ("White Church" or "Whitchurch") and bequeathed it in 899 to his son Æthelweard. In the 11th century William the Conqueror gave ownership to the monks of St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy. They began a major reconstruction and expansion of the building. In 1190 the monks sold or gave the church and benefice to the Bishop of Salisbury and in the early 13th century it was handed over to Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, in return for an annual fee. De Mandeville made further renovations and a shrine containing the remains of St Wite was erected. In the mid-13th century de Mandeville presented ownership of the church to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. However, the Bishop of Salisbury was unwilling to relinquish his annual payment and a compromise was reached whereby the tithes would be divided between the two canons. It was at this time that the Latin affix Canonicorum (of the canons) was added to Whitchurch. The shrine and its relic's reputed healing powers made the church a busy and prosperous centre of pilgrimage. However, this was abruptly halted by the 16th century Reformation which prohibited the veneration of saints.

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral.

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. I had already seen some baptismal fonts in England that resembled the "Tournai Fonts". This one, dated 1130/40 is a Tournai font. These fonts were made from blue black limestone during the 12th and early 13th centuries in and around the Belgian town of Tournai by local masons. The friezes on this font depict the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and Adam being shown how to dig and various animals, birds and dragons on the south and west faces. Adam is shown how to use a shovel by an angel, while Eve can already spin.

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. I had already seen some baptismal fonts in England that resembled the "Tournai Fonts". This one, dated 1130/40 is a Tournai font. These fonts were made from blue black limestone during the 12th and early 13th centuries in and around the Belgian town of Tournai by local masons. The friezes on this font depict the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and Adam being shown how to dig and various animals, birds and dragons on the south and west faces. The explusion

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. I had already seen some baptismal fonts in England that resembled the "Tournai Fonts". This one, dated 1130/40 is a Tournai font. These fonts were made from blue black limestone during the 12th and early 13th centuries in and around the Belgian town of Tournai by local masons. The friezes on this font depict the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and Adam being shown how to dig and various animals, birds and dragons on the south and west faces. The temptation

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. I had already seen some baptismal fonts in England that resembled the "Tournai Fonts". This one, dated 1130/40 is a Tournai font. These fonts were made from blue black limestone during the 12th and early 13th centuries in and around the Belgian town of Tournai by local masons. The friezes on this font depict the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and Adam being shown how to dig and various animals, birds and dragons on the south and west faces. The creation of Eve

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. I had already seen some baptismal fonts in England that resembled the "Tournai Fonts". This one, dated 1130/40 is a Tournai font. These fonts were made from blue black limestone during the 12th and early 13th centuries in and around the Belgian town of Tournai by local masons. The friezes on this font depict the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and Adam being shown how to dig and various animals, birds and dragons on the south and west faces.

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. I had already seen some baptismal fonts in England that resembled the "Tournai Fonts". This one, dated 1130/40 is a Tournai font. These fonts were made from blue black limestone during the 12th and early 13th centuries in and around the Belgian town of Tournai by local masons. The friezes on this font depict the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and Adam being shown how to dig and various animals, birds and dragons on the south and west faces.

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral. The church is lying so tight to a hill that there was no room for a north aisle to be built.

East Meon was part of a Royal Manor belonging first to King Alfred the Great who left it in his will to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922). The Domesday Book of 1086 shows that the Manor then belonged to William the Conqueror. There is uncertainty as to when building work on the church commenced, one source gives a date between 1130 and 1140,while the parish history gives 1080. The church was probably built on a site where there was a pre-existing Anglo-Saxon structure. The original church was in the shape of a cross, 110 feet long and 62 feet wide, and is easily identified by the Romanesque arches. The tower is of c. 1150, although the lead-covered broach spire is probably 1230, The decoration – scallops and zigzag – is similar to that found on Winchester Cathedral.