40 miles Nearer thy God to thee

It has taken me until now (lunchtime on Wednesday) to feel suitably enthusiastic about cycling to write today’s blog entry…… we left Ainsleys at 8:00 and after 40 miles returned home just before 1:00pm. Completely banjaxed the 7 or so miles from Abridge were “a bridge” to far and our choice of exiting the Roding Valley via Monkhams Lane nearly done for me.

But I guess its 40 mile under our belt in preparation for the Sport Relief 50 miler

https://my.sportrelief.com/registration/event/landing

Ainsley had the following to say about Sunday’s Ride:

"Great effort yesterday as Ian, John J, Leigh and I managed 40 miles. Well done to Paul Lucas for his first time out, who managed to go to Epping and back."

Not only was it Paul's first time out but he did it on a borrowed Raleigh racer with the gear selectors in a very strange place….

 Once again we visited All Saints Church, High Laver, Essex. It looks like I'm pissing on Locke’s memorial I wasn't honestly.

I am getting a bit worried by John Ainsley and Leighs interest in the historical and more learned aspects of our rides, the only thing they were interested in was the name of this Essex Farm.

Yes its Faggotters Farm near the Village of Loyters Green. Little things please little minds So…..

Faggoters Farm was part of the manor of Little Laver. The earliest records are from the late 13th when land was held by a John Otes. The medieval manor had been rebuilt as a red brick Tudor mansion, gabled and castellated. In the early 17th it was purchased by members of the William Masham, a Yorkshire born City businessman. Between 1691 and 1704 John Locke the philosopher lived, and died here as a paying guest of Lady Damaris Masham, a ‘blue stocking’. Later Lady Abigail Masham lived here after retiring as a courtier to Queen Anne. A later resident of was Fortunatus Montagu, the black son of Muslim, Edward Wortley Montagu. Later members of the family sold Locke’s books and generally bankrupted the estate. The building was demolished in 182 although some outbuildings remained until 1952. The site is partly moated and a well and some trees remain.

Another spot we passed is the Church at Bobbingworth.

We also spotted a Church Conversion for sale. To be honest I've seen nicer ones

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26564698.html

I have tried to research the history of the Church but as yet I can’t find anything online

But more interestingly slightly before this and on the opposite side of the road is a Burial ground obviously old but no church. A little investigation has revealed that it is the Foster Street Burial Ground. The origins of the site can be traced back to 1677 when William Woodward first established the churchyard then called 'Potter’s Croft'. As non-conformists were not permitted to be buried in Anglican Churchyards this site acted

as a joint burial ground for two churches at Four Street in Old Harlow and the other originally at Little Parndon, which later moved to Potter Street. William Woodward is believed to have set up both the churches. The most famous resident of the burial ground is Sarah Flower Adams, a hymn writer, who died in 1848 aged 43. Sarah wrote the hymn “Nearer thy God to thee” which played as the famous liner the Titantic sank in 1912.