England

Finally, my first restful sleep of the trip so far! Woke up around 8ish, and after a shower, I went downstairs for breakfast. I'm afraid it's not likely I'll try blood pudding. They did have a nice Eggs Benedict. I sat in the front window of the pub and watched all the street activity going on.
Afterward, I walked north of South Parade and made my way to Silver Street. My great great great grandfather, John Atheal (father of Charles), must have been fairly wealthy as he owned a number of properties in The Village, including one on Silver Street that was described as 'houses and gardens' and was perched at the north side of the graveyard at St. Andrew's parish church. He lived in one of these houses with his son, John. There is only one house remaining, but I'm not sure it's his former abode.
I carried on up the road past the Church Hall, crossed a stone bridge over the River Chew, and found a quiet spot to contemplate my surroundings. The sun was shining brightly down on me and the quiet sounds of the birds, insects, and rippling water was very soothing.
I wandered back down to the church and began looking at the tombstone inscriptions, looking for Chiswell's. It wasn't long before I found Thomas (Charles' younger brother) and his wife, Sarah, in what I thought was a prominent location on the east side of the church by the footpath!
The grass was rather long (the Rector had informed me that it hadn't been cut yet), and it made for an unsteady traverse as I occasionally stumbled on a rock or brick that wasn't visible. I had planned to return in the afternoon when I was to meet the Rector, so I didn't search much longer.
I returned to the inn to rest for a bit and had a light snack. I set out again around 2:30 to explore more of the graveyard prior to my 3:30 meeting with Reverend Richard Greatrex. To my delight, there were a couple of gardeners with weed whackers working away on the 10-inch high grass.
I wandered around to the north area, checking the areas that had been trimmed. It wasn't long before I came upon the stone for John Atheal (Charles' eldest brother) and his wife, Elizabeth. Photos of both stones for John and Thomas can be found online on Find A Grave.
It was great meeting Richard. He had a couple of really old volumes of Chew Magna history, I shared the limited printed material I brought with me regarding my Chiswell research, and we had a good chat. He showed me around the building, making sure to point out the more interesting things. We parted with the agreement that I would share my findings with him.
Now I'm lazy again after a big plate of fish and chips. I hope to sleep well again tonight and look forward to tomorrow's adventures.
Fun fact: there's a restored headstone of a fellow who was murdered in the early 19th century. Picture included!Leer más