English Villages | Page 4

squire what he was thinking
so deeply about, replied, "Mostly naught." To remove the pall of
ignorance that darkens the rustic mind, to quicken his understanding
and awaken his interest, are certainly desirable objects; although his
ignorance is very often shared by his betters, who frequently hazard
very strange theories and manifest many curious ideas with regard to
village antiquities.
We will walk together through the main roads of the village, and
observe some of its many points of interest. Indeed, it is no small thing
to live in such a "city of memories" as every village is, when at every
turn and corner we meet with something that reminds us of the past,
and recalls the pleasing associations of old village life. To those who
have lived amid the din and turmoil of a large town, where everybody
is in a hurry, and there is nothing but noise, confusion, and bustle, the
delicious calm and quietude of an old English village, undisturbed by
the world's rude noise, is most grateful. But to live in memory of what
has gone before, of the lives and customs of our forefathers, of the

strange events that have happened on the very ground upon which we
are standing, all this will make us love our village homes and delight in
them exceedingly. In most of our large towns the old features are fast
disappearing; historical houses have been pulled down to make room
for buildings more adapted to present needs, and everything is being
modernised; but in the country everything remains the same, and it is
not so difficult to let one's thoughts wander into the past, and picture to
one's self the old features of village life in bygone times.
Most of our villages have the usual common features, and it is not
difficult to describe a typical example, though the details vary very
much, and the histories of no two villages are identical. We see arising
above the trees the church, the centre of the old village life, both
religious, secular, and social. It stands upon a site which has been
consecrated to the service of God for many centuries. There is possibly
in or near the churchyard a tumulus, or burial mound, which shows that
the spot was set apart for some religious observances even before
Christianity reached our shores. Here the early Saxon missionary
planted his cross and preached in the open air to the gathered villagers.
Here a Saxon thane built a rude timber church which was supplanted by
an early Norman structure of stone with round arches and curiously
carved ornamentation. This building has been added to at various times,
and now shows, writ in stone, its strange and varied history. The old
time-worn registers, kept in the parish chest in the vestry, breathe the
atmosphere of bygone times, and tell the stories and romances of the
"rude forefathers of the hamlet." The tombs and monuments of knights
and ancient heroes tell many a tale of valour and old-world prowess, of
families that have entirely died out, of others that still happily remain
amongst us, and record the names and virtues of many an illustrious
house. The windows, brasses, bells, and inscriptions, have all some
interesting story to relate, which we hope presently to examine more
minutely.
Nestling amid the trees we see the manor-house, standing probably on
the site of a much older edifice; and this building carries our thoughts
back to the Saxon and early Norman times, when the lord of the manor
had vassals and serfs under him, held his manorial court, and reigned as

a king in his own small domain. The history of the old English manor is
a very important one, concerning which much has been written, many
questions disputed, and some points still remain to be decided.
Then we notice an old farmhouse which has doubtless seen better days,
for there are the remains of an ancient moat around it, as if some family
of importance once lived there, and wished to guard themselves and
their possessions from troublesome visitors. This moat tells of the times
of war and lawlessness, of wild and fierce animals roaming the
countryside; and if the walls of the old house could speak how many
stories could they tell of the strange customs of our ancestors, of bread
riots, of civil wars, and disturbances which once destroyed the
tranquillity of our peaceful villages!
We shall endeavour to discover the earliest inhabitants of our villages
who left their traces behind in the curious stone and bronze weapons of
war or domestic implements, and who lived in far remote periods
before the dawn of history. The barrows, or tumuli, which contain their
dead bodies tell us much about them; and also the caves and lake
dwellings help us to