One final church

I seem to have given you a lot of information about the churches I visited in Nottingham and Northampton. I think I have reserved the best for the last because the last one I visited is definitely the oldest one. I went into. This happened on my last visit to Northampton, where we actually went into a church that is very, very old. Saint Botolph’s church in the parish of Brampton, Northamptonshire, dates back to the 12th century AD, but maybe even older because of Norman and Saxon roots. The amazing thing about the church is that it is still active and open to visitors and the faithful almost all the time. The church itself is surrounded by graves and monuments dating back to the 18th century and perhaps before. Over the years, the changing weather patterns have all but erased the inscriptions, but there can be no doubt regarding the age of some of the monuments.

Before I visited this particular church, I did not know that a Saint with that name existed. After some research, I found out that Botolph lived in seventh century, England. Incidentally, he had a brother named Adolf. According to the legend, Saint Botolph was deep into the Benedictine creed. There are hundreds of churches, dedicated to this particular Saint, and he was popularly known as the patron saint of travellers and wayfarers. Apparently, it was considered dangerous to travel beyond the confines of one’s Shire, and therefore churches to this particular Saint were to be found on the outskirts of cities, towns, and villages. It was considered auspicious to say a prayer before going on a journey. Perhaps that is why there are so many churches dedicated to Botolph.

I do not know if there are other churches bearing the same name in other countries. Perhaps, dear reader, you know more than me, and could even educate me further.

The church in Brampton shows signs of antiquity. The insides are comfortable and warm enough, though I suspect there are not too many parishioners or even visitors there. The structure itself is surrounded by graves, most of them unidentifiable. It was a learning experience for me and probably the last church that I will visit here in England. Next Friday, I will be back in India and will continue my ramblings from there.

Until then, take care, be safe and keep reading