AT sunset on December 29, 1170, four knights dressed in armour and with drawn swords burst into Canterbury Cathedral. They came as self-appointed agents of Henry II’s rage towards the Archbishop of Canterbury—once the King’s friend—Thomas Becket. ‘Where is the traitor?’ they shouted. With the noise of their arrival, all activity in the great church, where vespers had been in progress, came to an end. It was with a large crowd of onlookers, therefore, that they confronted the Archbishop near the Lady Chapel. No fewer than five contemporary eye-witness accounts of the ensuing drama, which must have taken place in lamp-lit darkness at about 4.30pm, survive.
‘Here I am,’ returned the defiant Archbishop. ‘No traitor to the King, but a priest of God. What do you want?’ After an exchange of insults, the knights attempted to drag him away. He responded by clinging to a pillar and, when one of them tried to detach him, the Archbishop mocked him as a ‘pimp’. Enraged and fearful that the growing crowd might intervene, one knight swung his sword and sliced off the top of Becket’s head. All but one of the Archbishop’s followers had already scattered. This remaining figure, Edward Grim, tried to shield his patron from the blow and almost lost his arm.
Denne historien er fra December 30, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra December 30, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
