Church History
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In the footsteps of St Cuthbert
Although we hadn’t intended it, a holiday Sheila and I enjoyed at the end of May and the beginning of June turned into something of pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Cuthbert. But we didn’t do it in the right...
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What was the bishop doing in Ilfracombe?
Lord William Cecil was the second son of the former Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury. His time at Oxford, which he enjoyed, suggested that he may not have inherited his father’s brains since he only managed a third class degree in...
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Sights that dazzle
When John Ernest Bode’s daughter and two sons were confirmed in 1866 he wanted the service to include a memorable hymn. Presumably because he couldn’t find one which was quite good enough, he decided to write his own. The...
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The preacher who surprised the people of Ilfracombe
In the entire history of the Church of England there has only been one father and son who have both become Archbishops of Canterbury – Frederick and William Temple. Although Frederick was born in Santa Maura, in 1821 when...
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Saint Guénolé and the unbroken thread
On a recent visit to France, Sheila and I visited the ancient Abbey of Landévennec, south-east of Brest. The abbey was founded late in the 5th century by Saint Guénolé who, like us, also came from Britain. He was...
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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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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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George Muller on how to live a happy life
120 years ago, in 1895, when he was 90 years of age, George Muller preached this sermon in Bristol. He gave it the title “How to live a happy life”. When he speaks of being happy for seventy years...
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George Martin and Dodman Point cross, Cornwall
On Friday, 24 July 2015, Sheila and I walked from Treveague Farm, Gorran Haven, in Cornwall to Dodman Point. Dominating the scene is a large, granite cross erected in 1896 by Rev George Martin. The National Trust...
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When CS Lewis, John Stott and Billy Graham met
In 1952, John led a CICCU mission at the University of Cambridge. Crowds at this, the first of many university missions he was to lead, were so great that stewards brought extra chairs into the side-aisles of Great St...
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