Devon
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The genius of Henry Francis Lyte
Last month I wrote that Devon hasn’t produced many well-known hymn writers. But one of the greatest arrived in Devon from Hampshire early in 1822 at the age of 29 and, with his family, moved to Bramble Torr, a...
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The Devon hymn-writer who prepared a lantern for Christ
Next month sees the Ilfracombe Victorian Celebration from 13-17 June, with Victorian Songs of Praise at Pip and Jim’s on Sunday 17 June. Devon hasn’t produced many well-known hymn writers but Sabine Baring-Gould was an interesting and remarkable exception...
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The secret of George Müller’s happiness
When I was young we used to sing a quaint hymn which began, ‘With harps and with viols there stand a great throng in the presence of Jesus, and sing this new song …’ It had a catchy tune...
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Boniface and the story of the Christmas tree
St Boniface, who was born in or near Crediton around the year 675, went on to play a central role in the conversion to Christianity of what we now call Germany. But he is also important as we think about...
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Richard Hooker and the Anglican way to worship
Heavitree, when I grew up there, had been for many years a suburb of Exeter. But when Richard Hooker (1554-1600) was born there, Heavitree was separated from Devon’s county town by fields and meadows. Richard Hooker proved to be an...
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From Berrynarbor to Salisbury
John Jewel was born in Bowden Farmhouse, just south of the village of Berrynarbor, on 24 May 1522. He attended Barnstaple Grammar School before going on to study at Merton and Corpus Christi Colleges in Oxford becoming a Fellow...
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From Devon to Canterbury
In the entire history of the Church of England there has only been one father and son who have both become Archbishop of Canterbury – and they have a strong Devon connection. The father was Frederick Temple, one of whose...
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Winter sun shines on Colleton Crescent, Exeter
I took this picture of my home town of Exeter on 22 January this year. You will see the sun shining on Colleton Crescent, perhaps the finest group of late Georgian houses in Exeter. It was built above the...
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When Cathering of Aragon stayed in Exeter
My wife Sheila (not shown in photo) has a meeting this morning at the Old Deanery in Exeter. I have reminded her that when the 16 year old Catherine of Aragon (shown in picture) was enroute from Spain...
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Where England’s oldest canal begins
The Exeter canal was begun in 1564 - 200 years before the main era of canal building in England. Here it was last Saturday at the point where it begins with the river Exe to the right and the...
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