Plume of Feathers ...

I got to wondering about a Plume of Feathers and its history as an item of regalia, which I’d connoted to the Royal Family, from the pub/hotel we’d encountered in Minehead towards the end of my West Country tour.

The Queen wears a Plume of Feathers
on her velvet hat - the standard
heraldic wear for the Order
of the Garter ceremony

How do these things come about … and why?  I am always intrigued ... which ties in nicely to my interview over at Karen Lange’s blog … so please pop by to say hello to Karen … and perhaps to learn a little more about me and my inquiring mind.

Back to feathering our brains … The Prince of Wales’s feathers is the heraldic badge of the Prince … consisting of three white ostrich feathers emerging from a gold coronet.  The ribbon below bears the motto Ich Dien (German for “I serve”) – why?  I ask!

The Prince of Wales's Feathers

This emblem dates back to Edward, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376) … and it is likely that the Black Prince inherited the badge from his mother, Philippa of Hainault … from where the Bohemian (German) Ich Dien would have come from.

Heraldry is quite another matter … and one I don’t think I will ever understand … though I’d love to have a better knowledge about it … learning the colours of heraldry is tricky enough …

Henry of Grosmont, Earl of Lancaster
wearing his Garter robes as depicted
in the Bruges Garter Book: here
you can see some of the early
heraldic coats of arms

But from the Monarchy’s website I glean that the rules of heraldry (told you it wasn’t easy!) allow limited variations in the depiction of the badge …

… the spines or quills of the feathers can be gold, instead of white or silver, and the coronet usually studied with emeralds and rubies, can also feature small sapphires … and so it goes …

The pub sign ...

But the pub I can understand!  The Plume of Feathers at Greenwich has a very interesting historical write up …

The Plume of Feathers pub - with an
interesting history

One pub

13 Monarchs

23 Known Landlords

Built in the year 1691, with a timeline of known landlords …

Now that’s simple … but add in a servant to the landlord in 1911 and we see how the governance of England helps – the Census throws us this gem.

Looking north from
Greenwich Observatory

In 1691 the pub, at that stage an inn – with livestock probably: cows and sheep - sat on the busy Dover Road as travellers left Greenwich – a toll would have been paid at the Gate House of the Queen’s House – now part of historical Greenwich.

Due to an increase in traffic the Park Ranger, Lord Romney, decided this Dover coach road was not big enough and in 1699 built a new one about 100 metres nearer the river.  So today the pub has the advantage to the locals of being nicely tucked away in the park.

Spring Flower borders

From the pub website you can read through the history it has encountered from William III and Mary II being on the throne in 1689 at the time when the pub was first built a couple of years later.

Orchards at Queen Anne's house - heritage site

History always returns … here we have Greenwich, an impoverished fishing village, about to turn itself slowly into the suburb it is today … firstly " with higgledy-piggledy timber-fronted houses tumbling into mean streets and around odd little inlets and courts” …

… to today when the pub sits on the edge of the UNESCO Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site …

Steak at the Plume of Feathers ... that would defeat me!

I now need to sit down … before I venture out to Karen’s blog to reply to your comments there and here … a Sunday Roast sounds good – still it’s six days away …

… perhaps some Cajun Whitebait and with lemon and lime aioli to start with …. then a roasted fillet of Salmon, butterbean mash, French beans and pink pepper corn sauce – they sound good to me …

This looks good enough to eat - the
biscuit Plume of Feathers graces the dessert

 … but there’s plenty of choice on the drop down menu – starters/sharing platters, mains … meat, fish or vegetarian … and no doubt a very good dessert – but I couldn’t find a menu … to tempt you sweet-toothers … I’ve no idea what it is – but the plume biscuit stands out … looks chocolatey and gooey too …

Plume of Feathers Hotel in
Minehead, before demolition in 1965

So that’s my history of the Plume of Feathers … there’s more … and this building is still standing, not like the Minehead ‘Plume of Feathers’ pub … demolished with its history in 1965. 

Daniel Defoe (1659 - 1731)

Daniel Defoe who stayed at this coaching inn in Minehead – looks like he should have had a plume of feathers in his periwig …

A big thank you to Karen at her Write Now blog for having me over and bearing with my interviewing skills … not always easy – I slip out of line too often …

Links:  British Monarchy, the Prince of Wales and his Emblems

The Plume of Feathers in Greenwich - the pub's history

Greenwich - more of its history, and some incredible Olympic food ... one of my 2012 posts ...

St Alfege Church, Greenwich ... I explain here how the manor of Greenwich changed from being ruled from Flanders, to being handed to Edward III (1312 - 1377), the Black Prince's father, ... on persuasion by the people.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

West Country Tour – Wrap up and Summary … part 23 …

The wrap up … some things I forgot … and some reminders of things we came across …

 

Emily in 1920

… the most important person is Emily Hobhouse (1860 – 1926) who inspired her great niece, Jenny, to want to travel some of the routes that Emily would have trod, or more likely ridden.

Emily - aged about 5 on the left
With her sister Maud

From this journey … we have seen a little of Emily’s work – her early life in north Cornwall, then her brief visit to America, her involvement with the Boer War in South Africa …

… then the way she endeavoured to bring peace in World War One, a founding influencer of The Save the Children Fund and her final years, including that recognition by the peoples of South Africa for all she had done – yet was still unacknowledged by the British Government …

This my 'famous' map for you all!

 Jenny set the route … I fixed various hotels – so we encountered a very interesting set of nightly accommodations … definitely not your basic square box … one or two definitely ‘odd’ – and one or two wonderful, especially with friends and family.

A stylised representation of the Spanish Armada -
'our' Admirals, explorers and navigators encountered
in the fishing harbours of the west country, almost certainly
travelled the ocean ways

Through the series' posts I’ve introduced you to many a subject … covering social history, geology, history, people (writers, poets, artists), myths and legends, customs and traditions, trade routes, local peoples – fishermen, pirates, explorers and navigators, lots of visitors from Princes to Admirals, and now walkers or tourists galore …

Bodmin Moor

Devon fields in the snow

Each part covers a different aspect of our journey … landscape, food, friends and family, stories and history … the surroundings and coastline set the scene …

Badgworthy Water,  Malmsmead - a pack horse
bridge alongside a ford

… tiny inlets, rough misty Moors, bubbling rushing streams, hanging valleys, ancient churches, even older Neolithic settlements, tracks and paths establishing routes in all directions across the fragile countryside and fracturing coasts …

Drizzlecombe Menhir

Two things that spring to mind from the comments are your love of menhirs or dolmen, or standing stones … 

... and the range of the tides … which we take so much for granted here … but I reassure you – you are in good company … our tidal range, two thousand years ago, stumped Julius Caesar for a while … til he once again came, saw and conquered … and here we all are today …

… oh yes and food, glorious food!

The icing sugar model

So to start with … the icing sugar model of HMS Rhododendron in Liskeard Museum (part 7) – Mel from A Heron’s View gave me the low-down:

… she was built by Harland & Wolfe finished in 1940  then HMS RHODODENDRON Paid-off after VJapan Day and was placed in Reserve after de-storing. The ship was placed on the Disposal List and sold in 1950 to a shipping company. She traded under the name MAJ FINKE and was sold for demolition in South Africa in 1968.

The welcoming site of the Old Inn, Drewsteignton

I am a savoury-loving ‘lady’ … so the two dishes I forgot to post from our first night at the Old Inn Drewsteignton were:

Saffron Lasagne

Saffron Lasagne of crab and red peppers, served with a roasted shellfish veloute

The Sea Bass

Grilled fillet of sea bass with scallops, caramelised endive and vanilla sauce

Shelley’s Bridal Song … I’d snapped the original in the bar at the Rising Sun Hotel, Lynmouth … but didn’t post because I wanted to put up the poem itself:

The golden gates of Sleep unbar
Where Strength and Beauty, met together,
Kindle their image like a star
In a sea of glassy weather!

Shelley's Bridal Song

Night, with all thy stars look down,--
Darkness, weep thy holiest dew,--
Never smiled the inconstant moon
On a pair so true.
Let eyes not see their own delight;--
Haste, swift Hour, and thy flight
Oft renew.

Fairies, sprites, and angels, keep her!
Holy stars, permit no wrong!
And return to wake the sleeper,
Dawn,—ere it be long!
O joy! O fear! what will be done
In the absence of the sun!
Come along! 

Lover of Words at Castlepinesnorth Blogspot directs us to art … but inadvertently took us, via the Wyeth family, to an explanation of tides …

Andrew Wyeth’s quote: “I’m not interested in quiet, placid landscapes. Nature is not lyrical and nice.  In Maine I’d lie on my belly for an hour watching the tide rising, creeping slowly over everything … Nothing can stop it – amazing – sad.”

On the way to the Downs - looking over the low tide
at Eastbourne ... see link below

We here in England, when the tide is never far away, are ruled by it … if we want to experience our coast … it rushes in changing, over time, the shape of Britain … 

... or just gently, but inexorably, always appears every six hours or so … fairly clearly explained in my T for Tides, Trades of the tide, Tourism … of our A-Z in 2014.

The Sailor’s Prayer is to be found in Minehead at St Peter’s Mission Chapel at the Quay …

at St Peter's Mission Chapel

Pray God, Lead us

Pray God, speed us,

From all evil defend us,

Well to fish and well to haul

And what he pleases to give us all

A fine night to land our nets

And may we do well with all we gets,

Pray God, keep us from sand and shoal

And grant that each may have fair dole.

Pray God, hear our prayer.

So to finish this last post on our tour around the West Country – which opened so many doors of interest … I give you our guide with a final dessert … Jenny and one of her Knickerbockerglory desserts …

Some links: 

T is for Tides, Trades of the Tide, Tourism from the A-Z in April 2014

Z is for Tidal Zones from the A-Z in April 2014

West Country Tour part 3: Drewsteignton - the Old Inn

West Country Tour part 7: - Liskeard

Emily's Story - my post on her life: 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

West Country Tour … Whistling Ghost, ‘Obby ‘Horse, South West Coastal Path at Minehead … part 19 …

So much for trying to sneak out of Minehead … I need to post one more here … and let you know about a couple of other interesting points ... prompted by Mel of A Heron’s View …

Quay Town and the harbour, under the lea of
North Hill, Minehead - on a windy day

… the village of Dunster is beautiful and is an easy two mile walk from Minehead … found on the edge of Exmoor, while the Luttrell family had a huge influence on medieval Minehead.  Having had a brief look via my computer screen! – I’d say Dunster would be well worth a visit and a layover if time permits.

Dunster Yarn Market - the castle is
in the background

The southern entrance to Dunster is the Gallox Bridge – a stone packhorse bridge … important for the transporting of wool and other goods into the village market in the early 1200s. 

Gallox Bridge

It was called Gallocksbrigge – but derives from the gallows, reminding us of gruesome times – it crosses the River Avill close to Dunster Working Watermill, at the foot of Castle Hill, and provides access to Dunster Castle’s Deer Park.

Mel’s next suggestion is the West Somerset Railway - now owned by a charitable trust … it was closed by British Rail in 1971 and reopened as a heritage line in 1976.

The heritage line near Watchet

This runs from Minehead along the coast to Watchet before turning inland to Bishops Lydiard … it looks stunning – and for railway fans – would be a perfect day trip.

Daniel Defoe came back in 1724 to search for fossils at Watchet, which I gather is rich in reptile remains, with ammonites being common – fossil casts of giant ammonites can be seen on the foreshore.

Ammonite split in half

Now back to Minehead … there’s considerably more than I can write up here … the long pier, accommodating the many tourist steamers, was built in the 1900s and has a fascinating history – until it was demolished during WW2 as it was in the way of the gun site facing into the Bristol Channel.   When the gun was test-fired … it dramatically rocked the harbour foundations and was deemed too risky to be used!

Quirke's Almshouses in the 1900s and 1930s - they have
been refurbished for the 21st C now - but retaining the
ambience (fortunately not demolished in the 1980s)

In the 1630s a master mariner, Robert Quirke, was caught in a storm, so serious it was that … he and his crew vowed to sell the ship and cargo and benefit the poor and needy in Minehead should they return safely.

Some almshouses were built, and over the years have been refurbished, or reconstructed! due to their state of disrepair … they have been maintained over the centuries from the leased income of two cellars on the quay.

The Mission Chapel is down stairs through the
dark door ... the Old Ship Aground is to the left and behind.
This is on the quayside - the Lifeboat station is at the back.

In 1910 the cellars, originally a 17^th century warehouse, became St Peter’s Mission Chapel, which we saw, as the Chapel is next to the Old Ship Aground,  but were unable to visit as we were too late or too early leaving.

A painting by an unknown artist of about 1620 -
a Hobby Horse at Richmond, Surrey

The ‘Obby ‘Orse … is custom purported to go back to Viking Days (800 – 1066 AD) … when an error of judgement caused a Viking warrior to be chased through Minehead until he was caught and then ‘bootied’ by the locals.  The ‘Orse charged the marauding Danes, who hastily retreated and put to sea in flight.

I can’t find out what ‘bootied’ means – but a “Boot” (courtesy of my “Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable” was an instrument of torture … and you all thought they were comfortable walking footwear for various functions?!

The Victorian Hobby Horse Hotel on the front

Always associated with Quay Town is the Hobby Horse, a genuine remnant of early eras – now the brightly coloured ‘horse’ with its long tail is used to encourage donations … ‘it’ is accompanied by a group of musicians … with the tradition established to start on May 1^st and last for four days, which may well reference the ancient May Games.

The Hobby Horse hostelry – I thought would be a small pub – but no ... it is a Victorian grandiose building on the seafront … with an incredibly elegant ballroom … reminding us of times gone by.

The Bootie … ‘parade’ goes through the town stopping over to collect donations, which go towards Mental Health, and the Lifeboat Institution in the town.

Today's version - outside the Old Ship Aground
and the Chapel on the quay

A fun day for one and all … lots of entertainment at that magnificent Hobby Horse Hotel and at the Old Ship Aground Inn – which seems to be a folk musicians paradise ... situated as it is on the quay.

What Whistles up a Storm? – why the whistling ghost of Old Mother Leakey … there were several inns amongst the old fishermen’s cottages: the Queen’s Head, opposite the Old Ship Aground, and then The Mermaid … all on Quay Street.

View from harbour across to the cottages

These old buildings which altered their business according to the times … a warehouse, a ship’s chandlers, a 19^th C department store, then a demolishment, an inn, or a tea room.

There is more to Mother Leakey than
whistling up a storm on the seas
(see link at end)

But Old Mother Leakey caused a stir during her lifetime and after her death in 1634 became notorious as the whistling ghost – whenever one of her son’s ships neared port she whistled up the next storm.

The townsfolk were haunted by her tauntings … and called in the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who presided over a commission to inquire into the matter: it was confirmed that such an apparition did not exist … but some inhabitants were not quite so convinced!  Her ‘influence’ waned in the coming years … but the folklore is part of Minehead’s history.

Now should you wish to return along the South West Coast Path back down the north Devon coast, into Cornwall and round the peninsula, crossing back into Devon on the south coast and walking on until you reach Dorset … you would be welcome … but don’t put those ’booties’ on!

The sculpture at the start of the
South West Coast Path - reading
an ordinance survey map, which
intrepid walkers would carry for
reference purposes

It covers 630 miles, twice the distance of the Pennine Way, and will take you six to eight weeks … if you have that spare?!  But is a unique journey, as it was based on a working footpath …

… the ‘first’ path to be controlled every day in pursuit of revenue protection against smuggling.  A whole series of coastguard cottages were built at convenient intervals (lighthouse to lighthouse; or with the creation of a hamlet around a church with an enormous spire, which the sailors could see from afar) and most of these stand in rows along the path today – reminding us of how the path originally came about.

The reverse of the sculpture -
sculpted by Owen Cunningham
from Belper, Derbyshire

The coastguards had to be able to see into every cove and inlet on the coast – giving us the magnificent views that we get today: but rarely the most direct path between two points.

Their children used to use the path to get to school, while their wives used them to get from one fishing hamlet to the next … giving us their considerable history of usage.

To find out more … artists, craftspeople, writers and musicians … films and tv series … please see the BBC Somerset site … but note their “Nota Bene” at the end … the time frame required to walk round!

Minehead - the tiny harbour in Quay Town
The Old Ship Aground is just up the slipway
behind us

I’m showing some links – if you wish to find out more … but I shall be moving on along the Vale of Taunton to our last stop – which was with near-relatives ...

… there will be two or three more posts, together with a summary post – things I’ve picked up along the way … and then a post on Emily Hobhouse herself, as this trip was to follow in some of her footsteps, while giving Jenny a chance to see some parts of the country she wanted to return to, or to see again.

Watchet:A sculpture celebrating
Coleridge and his poem
"The Ancient Mariner"

Minehead a Short History … this is very informative

BBC – Somerset – Coast … stage 4 covers my recent posts

The Hobby Horse – an old tradition of Minehead

An article from Warwick University re Peter Marshall’s book onMother Leakey and the Bishop – there is more to this story as you’ll find out here.

The Religious History of Minehead … may interest some of you

Fossil Collecting in Somerset

Now before I write any more … I’m jumping in my car (well we did pack up and moved on!) and finding my way to our next destination …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories