Church Hare

Notes the website of the English village of Stow Bardolph:

Stow Bardolph centres around the site of Stow Hall, a stately mansion constructed by Nicholas Hare, Esq., Master of the Rolls and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal in 1589. Nicholas Hare also constructed Hare Chapel – a large annexed dormitory for the internment of himself and family adjoining the Church, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

Since that time, the Hare family have played a significant role in the village’s history. In 1622, Sir Ralph Hare built six almshouses, and provided them with 86 acres of land for division among the inmates. Later, in 1744, Sarah Hare committed the “sin” of sowing on a Sunday. Whilst doing so, she pricked her finger and, shortly afterwards, died of blood poisoining.In her will, she requested that six poor men from the parish act as her pallbearers, and they each receive five shillings for their services.

She also bequeathed two shillings and sixpence to each of the poor residents of Alms Row, and requested that an effigy of her face and hands be made and placed in a Mahogany case, close to where she was buried. The effigy still remains in the Hare Chapel of Stow Bardolph’s Holy Trinity Church, acting as a warning to Sabbath breakers. It is the only funerary effigy of it’s kind outside of Westminster Abbey.

One pub remains in the centre of the village – the Hare Arms. The original building was erected during the Napoleonic wars (at a time when Nelson travelled through the village en route to his ship in London) and the transformation of the house into an inn took place when Captain Thomas Hare offered it to three soldiers.

Opening image: All Saints Church, Stow Bardolph, Norfolk, United Kingdom. (Photo: G. Butler)
Images 2 and 3: Photographers unknown.

A Summer Blessing

Blessed are you, summer
season of long days and short nights,
you pour forth light from your golden orb,
energizing the earth and calling forth growth.

Blessed are you, summer,
with your generous gift of heat.
Your warm breath animates creation,
encouraging all growing things to stretch toward the sun.

Blessed are you, summer,
you call us into playfulness,
encouraging us to pause from work.
You renew our spirits.

Blessed are you, gracious season of summer,
you surprise us with a variety of gifts from the earth.
We, too, gaze into the earth ourselves,
beholding gifts waiting to be honored.

Blessed are you, nurturing season of summer,
your fruits and vegetables appear on our tables,
changing them into altars.
Tasting of your life, we are made strong.

Blessed are you, summer,
host of a star that shines with passion.
Sun-soaked, we reach for your energy
that drives us upward and onward.

Blessed are you, sacrament of summer,
nature’s green season, sweet echo of spring.
You speak to us in living color as you renew the earth
with symbols of life for our bodies and souls.

Blessed are you, summer,
season of roots that reach for water.
Even through the cracks in the sidewalk
the song of your seed can be heard.

Blessed are you, summer,
season rooted in reality.
Even as the perspiration collects on our brow,
we experience your earthy joy.

Blessed are you, summer,
with your firefly evenings
you minister to the child in us.
You feed our hunger for beauty.

– Joyce Rupp
Excerpted from The Circle of Life:
The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons

Related Off-site Links:
Summer Solstice 2023 Marks Longest Day in the Northern Hemisphere as Earth’s Seasons Change – Daisy Dobrijevic (Space, June 21, 2023).
“Excessive” Weather Events Mark Summer Solstice in the U.S. – Madison Roberts (NPR News, June 21, 2023).
Nine Ways People Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World – Kristen Pope (Smithsonian Magazine, June 20, 2023). Ten Temples, Tombs and Monuments That Align With the Summer Solstice – Jamie Carter (Live Science, June 20, 2023). Thousands Gather at Stonehenge for Annual Ritual Marking the Summer Solstice – Pan Pylas (AP News, June 20, 2023).

See also the previous posts:
• Welcoming the Summer Solstice
• Hare in Summer Field
• Summer Hare (2017)
• Summer Hare (2021)
• Summer Boy
• Boys of Summer (2021)
• Boys of Summer (2022)

Image: Photographer unknown.

Headwear

Hats | Caps | Helmets | Headdresses

See also the previous posts:
• Headwear – January 30, 2023
• Headwear – April 30, 2022
• Headwear – February 21, 2021
• Headwear – September 8, 2020
• Mon Bel Ami – January 22, 2015
• Bel Homme – May 20, 2012

Images: Subjects and photographers unknown.

Among Spring Blooms

See also the previous posts:
• Among Spring Blooms (2017)
• The Return
• Hare and Meadow Flowers
• Crown of Blooms
• Enchanted Night
• Among Flowers
• Hare and Hedgerow
• The Art of Travis Chantar

Image: Artist unknown.