From the Rector – Purdy v. Morris
As schools return we think of fresh starts and new
life with perhaps a fleeting backward glimpse of
happy, if not altogether dry, holidays. But to beat
editorial deadlines I write on the feast day of St.
Oswald, King and Martyr (5th August) which
was the dedication of one of my former parishes in
Cleveland. It also happens to be the day before the
funeral of the famous Harry Patch whose passing severs
our physical link with the Great War. One among many
memorial acts has been that offered by ‘Radiohead’
a pop group who have taken Harry’s warnings about
war seriously enough to set some of his final thoughts
to music aptly coinciding with the same day’s
commemoration of, and lessons emerging from, Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. August 6th is also the
Christian Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord
offering us the scope to hope for the transformations
from death to glory about which we constantly dream in
our private and public lives.
These deaths by martyrdom, bombing and old age are in
a sense completed by yet another common cause of
death, the succumbing to long-term illness which
finally drew a former renowned Rector of Havant,
Father Derek Brown to God’s mercy seat. His requiem
mass took place on 7th August.
This coincidental cluster commemorates deaths which
could be regarded as having taken place ‘at the
hand of God’ by which we mean not under our own
control.
As such they may help our community reflect deeply on
the proposals that are emerging about possible changes
in the law on suicide recently triggered by Debbie
Purdy’s success in causing the Law Lord’s to ask the
director of Public Prosecutions to provide guidance to
those contemplating aiding the suicide of another
person.
One of the key issues seems to be about the degree of
control our society may now be expecting when it comes
to the timing and the conditions that surround our
physical end. David Morris may not be as celebrated
as Debbie Purdy but he does share with her the
prospect of a life dominated by a struggle against the
progressive impairment that disease or severe
disability can inflict. But from the confines of his
own wheelchair David does not share Debbie’s legal
aims or right to choices about death. Like Debbie he
doesn’t know whether or when his disability will
render life unbearable. But faced with admittedly
different but comparable pain and inconvenience to him
and to his carers for the rest of his life he is
evidently committed to evaluating the challenges ahead
by trusting that whatever life holds for him in future
it is worth approaching without the control that
suicide provides. On the other hand Debbie is about
securing for her partner and for herself a future
which has a built-in guarantee about when and how she
dies. These two courageous people are facing the
inevitability of death in diametrically opposed ways.
The arguments they each deployed on television
(notably very powerfully, compassionately and
courteously) represent the positions of the opposing
camps in this serious matter. Whilst we can quite
easily opt out of political debate it would seem that
by the very nature of the issues in this matter we are
obliged to take a view.
When legislators become especially nervous they
inevitably advance their call for a public debate! In
this case we must have a debate which is not reduced
to a snap opinion poll that cynically exploits
widespread and increasing inability to cope with
natural processes of death and dying at precisely the
moment in our history when we have the ability and the
huge resources (if we so choose) to develop means of
controlling ever increasing kinds of pain. At the
same time there is a very real need for the churches,
among others, to challenge society’s aversion to death
and dying.
Whatever the outcome of the particular legal and moral
debates from most spiritual perspectives the art of
dying and confronting death itself are stages in life
to be prepared for very thoroughly as they confront us
and those around us, paradoxically, with questions
about the very meaning of life before death. Our
dying is as much a gift to us as life itself. It can
also be argued that it can also be a gift to those who
have the responsibility to help us die with dignity.
Debbie Purdy and others similarly convinced that this
dignity is best secured through ‘Dignitas’ are
at least equalled by the David Morrises of this world
who see dignity lying elsewhere.
When the church upholds the argument that it believes
that assisted suicide does not fall within the purpose
that God has for our lives as human beings it must
take the opportunity to facilitate as well as
contribute to the debate. It is vital that a
widespread and deeply reflective debate must precede
legislation. This is particularly important as much
current legislation is based on concepts of
‘rights’, ‘choices’ and ‘quality of
life’ that almost inevitably suffer from the value
deficiencies of our particularly fearful, consumerist
and individualistic society.
St. Oswald, like a plethora of other Christian saints
committed his life and death to God and is celebrated
for having done so. Harry Patch emerged from the
trenches relatively physically unscathed but was a
self-confessed victim of mental and emotional pain.
He chose to live with the torment, controlling when
and to whom he did and didn’t divulge his thoughts and
feelings: he was apparently content to leave the
‘how much’ and ‘for how long’ to powers
beyond himself. Derek Brown offered his last days to
God and to those who cared for and visited him no
doubt hoping that in death as much as in life the
purpose of the gospel of Christ might be served.
What we might gain by wresting that control of death
unto ourselves is by no means certain to say the very
least. When St. Paul, himself martyred, says: ‘For
to me, living is Christ and dying is gain’ he well
understood that it is to ‘the giver of life’
that we offer control over both life and death. Faced
too with the prospect of the most unjust of deaths
Jesus saw the wresting of control at that point as the
very opposite of what God required of him. For
Christians, at least, this should indicate from where
exactly we might begin the argument.
Peter Jones
The Peace
Geoff Porter sent in this little ditty “Reflections
on Diocesan Recommendations regarding the Swine Flu
and Passing the Peace”:
You pat me and I'll pat you,
And then we shan't do wrong.
Pat yourself and neighbour too,
And pass the pat along.
Flattery each one adores
This is a maxim sound,
You pat my back and I'll pat your back
And then we'll smile all round.
By George Dance (1901) as used in the musical comedy,
"A Chinese Honeymoon"
South Korean Peace Camp
The South Koreans have always been very grateful to
the 30 or so members of the United Nations who in 1950
committed forces to expel the Communists from their
country during the Korean War. Second only to United
States the British Commonwealth lost 1,263 killed
whilst the South Koreans themselves suffered at least
a million killed. The Republic of Korea Government
recently invited 20 grandchildren each from the
British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and
Colombian Korean Veterans Associations to attend a
Teenager Peace Camp with all expenses paid from 1st
to 7th July. Esther Thomas, the daughter
of Rod Thomas, the missionary in Sendai which St
Faith's supports was selected from the 80 British
applicants. This is her account of the memorable
event.
The 1st Peace Camp for Youth - Celebrating
59 years of Friendship since the Korean War
On the 1st July this year 115 youths from
the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Thailand, Korea,
Australia, Canada and Colombia gathered in Busan for
the opening of the 1st Peace Camp for
Youth. We were greeted at the airport by a very
friendly member of the South Korean Ministry of
Patriots and Veterans Affairs who bought us a very
expensive meal in the airport and then escorted us to
our buses which took us to the hostel. The hostel in
which we stayed seemed more like a 4 star hotel to me
and the food offered was very interesting but also
very delicious. On our first morning in Busan we had
an orientation ceremony in the Nurimaru APEC house.
We listened to a very touching speech by the Minister
of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in
which he said, regarding our grandparents, "Their
efforts, blood, sweat and tears laid the foundation
for modern-day Korea. Their bravery and commitment
bore out in the extreme dangers of terrible war. They
risked their lives. I would like to ask all of you to
remember the legacy your ancestors have handed down
through their blood: freedom is not free." It was
with this impacting realisation that we started the
Camp. Most of us now looked upon the Camp as an
opportunity to learn more about the sacrifices our
grandparents had made rather than just a chance to
have fun.
After lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant we
travelled to the UN Memorial Cemetery and took part in
the laying of a wreath donated by the Ministry of
Patriots and Veteran Affairs. After the ceremony we
were free to walk around the cemetery and pay our
respects to loved ones or family members who had died
in the war. I took this opportunity to lay a wreath
of poppies at the Wall of Remembrance on which were
inscribed the names of Royal Marines who gave their
lives during the Korean War but whose graves are
unknown. The wreath was sent to me by my Grandfather,
Peter Thomas, who was a Royal Marine Lieutenant in the
Korean War.
The wreath bears the motto “Per Mare Per Terrain”
- By Sea By Land.
The wording on the message card affixed to the wreath
reads: IN MEMORY OF THE 31 ROYAL NAVY AND ROYAL
MARINES OF 41 INDEPENDENT COMMANDO WHO WERE KILLED IN
ACTION, DIED OF WOUNDS OR IN CAPTIVITY.
I found this experience incredibly moving and I
thought it an honour to lay a wreath in remembrance of
these courageous men who willingly sacrificed their
lives on behalf of South Korea.
After leaving the cemetery we were transported back to
our hostel where we listened to a lecture on the
Korean War and its historical meaning by the Professor
of the Military Academy. It was interesting to learn
about the different tactics used in the war and about
where the division between North and South Korea was
drawn. Later on in the camp we went to the POW camps,
to the national cemetery and also to the Demilitarized
Zone. The tour of the Demilitarized Zone was
particularly interesting because they showed us one
out of 4 tunnels they have found that was dug by the
North Koreans and led into South Korea. It was a
little unnerving to find out that there were 40 more
suspected tunnels. During our stay in South Korea, we
were taken to cultural restaurants and performances
and we even learned how to make Korean good-luck
charms. My experience in Korea was exhilarating
because I had the opportunity to experience a
completely new culture in which you could see the
stark contrast between new and old. We were all
incredibly well looked-after, with incredible meals
and sights to see. The main thing that I have gained
from this Peace Camp is a deeper understanding of the
sacrifices made by my grandfather and his family and
countless others and their families.
Esther Thomas
|
“The Greatest Show on Earth!”
was held at the Portsmouth Cathedral 23-26 July. It
was a festival of flowers depicting themes from the
circus. Four of our flower arrangers, Anne Buckley,
Vanessa Davies, Joyce Harvey and Jeanne Morgan
contributed a “swags” theme. It was amazing
all the creative talents and the colourful flower
arrangements that were on display.
Canon Derek Brown who was Rector of St.
Faith’s from 1969 until 2000 passed away peacefully at
the Springfield Nursing Home in Emsworth on 22 July
2009. A Requiem Mass was held at St. Joseph’s
Catholic Church in Havant on 7 August 2009 and was
attended by many parishioners, including Fr. Peter.
Eulogies were given by Canon Brown’s nephew – Derek
Brown – and by Penny Moss a former Mayor of Havant.
Canon Brown on his retirement lived in the bungalow at
Christ Church Centre until moving into Springfield’s
in 2008. An interview Fr Brown gave to Jacki Gould in
2003 for the magazine Anglican Society for the Welfare
of Animals for a story of a man who has always been
accompanied by a dog – not from choice in one case! -
is published as a tribute to a man who loved dogs. It
was first published with Father Brown’s permission in
the July 2006 edition of “Faith Matters”.
Colin Carter
Bell Ringers Tribute to Canon Brown
A quarter peal was rung on 7 August when 1260 plain
bob triples were rung half muffled to the memory of
Canon Derek Brown, aged 81, whose funeral took place
at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Canon Brown was a
good friend to the ringers at St. Faith’s where he was
for 31 years Rector until October 2000.
The Reverend Canon Derek Frederick Brown RIP
The contribution to St Faith’s of Father Brown in the 20th
Century was remarkable by any standards. We have very
few facts about his early life and I can only assemble
an outline of it from the various anecdotes he told me
over the years.
The facts are that he was born and brought up in Dover
with his mother and elder brother. He told me once that
his mother had been a governess at Buckingham Palace and
that King Edward VIII had visited her in Dover before
going to Portsmouth to board the destroyer which took
him to exile in France. Father remained a staunch
royalist all his life. He started work during the
Second World War at the age of 15 as a clerk employed in
Whitehall by the Egyptian Government. Although
underage, he joined the Home Guard and used to take his
rifle back each night to his lodgings in London
In about 1945, he was called up and joined the RAF at
Padgate, near Warrington, where I also started my
national service in 1952. He met a girl who invited the
young recruit to her home for dinner. To his horror, he
discovered that her father was an Air Commodore who very
kindly drove him back to Padgate in his RAF car which
flew a pennant. As they drove through the gates, the
sentries saluted the car with the raw young recruit sat
sheepishly in the back! To make matters worse, the girl
had taken some of his laundry home and this was duly
delivered to Padgate. Perhaps the only recruit to have
had his laundry done at an Air Commodore’s home!
After recruit training, Father was sent to India where
he was appalled at the poverty. He joined a church on
the RAF camp and was involved in helping the young
families in the vicinity. At the end of the war, he
studied for the priesthood in Canterbury and was
accepted as a Bush Brother to serve in the outback of
Australia which required him to take a vow not to
marry. Although some Bush Brethren allowed this vow to
lapse, Father kept his vow throughout his remarkable
life. His adventures in the outback were legendary and
he became a national figure in Australia. He once told
the story of how Field Marshal Sir William Slim, Hero of
Burma in the Second World War, opened a camp in the
outback which Father Brown had raised money to build to
give holidays for the children of poor city families.
Slim was a bluff character and when a microphone was put
in front of him, he pushed it away, bellowing out “I
don’t need that thing!”
Father Brown’s return to England attracted radio and
newspaper headlines in Australia because his brother and
sister-in-law in England had committed suicide leaving a
young son, also named Derek. Father returned to take
care of his nephew and became Rector of Deptford in a
tough part of East London. He soon became a force in
the district, winning the respect of the local criminals
and setting up one of the first hostels for young drug
addicts. He also set up a refuge in the crypt of St
Paul’s Deptford which was formally opened by Princess
Margaret. She paid several visits and to Father’s
amusement a famous Fleet Street diarist, Nigel Dempsey,
suggested in his column that there was a romantic link
between them. (I think Father was quite flattered!) At
this time, Father served on a Home Office Committee
looking at drug addiction in the East End. Two young
priests he trained at Deptford were Father Owen Beament
and Father Dudley Gummer who remained his lifelong
friends and admirers.
In 1969, Father Brown came to St Faith’s to succeed
Canon Ralph Bassett as Rector. Father set about with
great energy changing things, mostly for the good. He
quickly established an excellent boy’s choir and a most
successful church youth club. He ran a one man
“meals on wheels” service in Havant, delivering
light meals which he had prepared for elderly
parishioners. He organised an annual Havant Festival in
the Park, the forerunner of our present Town Fair. He
reordered Church House with the help of an enthusiastic
Building Committee and then turned a virtual garage into
what we now know as Coach House. He went to see Edna
Gomersall and asked her to open a church shop in the new
premises which she did with admirable skill and
dedication raising over £300,000 in the next thirty
years. Father loved dogs and one named Sam was a
particular favourite. He would walk Sam through Havant
and be constantly stopped by people and children who
would make a fuss of the dog. His last dog was
originally called Bob but because he followed Father
everywhere, he would say “Me and my Shadow!” so
Shadow became his name. Sadly he died some while ago.
Father became a patron, along with Sir Alec and Dorothy
Lady Rose, of the RSPCA Ark at Stubbington to whom he
asked donations to be sent rather than flowers for his
funeral.
One of Father’s greatest achievements was to build
Christ Church Centre and Bungalow in the 1970s which are
still valued assets to St Faith’s to this day. He
established St Faith’s Church in the community with the
annual Remembrance Day and Civic Sunday services. His
great friend, Father Tom Grufferty of St Joseph’s once
said at a Remembrance Day service, “I cannot imagine
Havant without Father Brown.” There is no need
because he will live on in our hearts and minds. A
remarkable man of steadfast courage, conviction and
Faith. We will seldom see his like again. Our love and
thoughts are with Dominic and Becky James, who Father
helped bring up, and, of course, his nephew Derek, the
boy who brought him back from Australia.
Roger Bryant
Canon Derek Brown - The Priest Who Loves All Creatures
Great and Small and Especially Dogs
When the air raids on London began in the forties the
National Air Raid Precautions for Animals Committee (NARPAC)
was set up to rescue and care for the animal victims
of the Blitz. One of NARPAC’s members was Derek’s
mother who was also in the WVS and responsible for
rehousing and blanket distribution for families who
had been made homeless in Deptford. Derek was 13 when
bereaved pets were brought to his home to be cared for
until they could be rehoused. Having been in the Home
Guard from the age of 14, he joined the RAFVR and
served in the Far East. Whilst in India he befriended
a “pariah” dog and found the cruelty to animals
heartbreaking.
Derek began his training for the priesthood at St.
Augustine’s College and acted as Assistant Scoutmaster
at the King’s School, Canterbury. He got to know
Archbishop Fisher, Hewlett Johnson (the Red Dean) and
also Dorothy Sayers: he took part in “The Man Born
to Be King” which was performed in the Cathedral
and supervised by Miss Sayers. In 1949 he finished
his training at St. Francis College in Brisbane before
joining the Bush Brotherhood of St. Andrew. Father
Brown served in the far outback of Queensland. His
“parish” was 800 miles west of Rockhampton: his
main church was at Winton with a daughter “church”
at Boulia (260 miles west of Winton). He travelled
some 20,000 miles a year to celebrate mass in homes,
cattle stations, cowsheds and wherever needed. Quite
often the tail of his international truck served as
his altar with the “congregation” kneeling on
the desert sand. Four Bush Brothers were supposed to
be in post but, due to shortage, he was on his own.
Father Brown had to fly to Brisbane to collect a new
truck and a family visited him to stay with them for
the night. Their young son Ifan asked if he would go
with him to a dog rescue centre. Whilst there it
transpired that a dog (half dingo) was to be put down
because no one would have him. Ifan said to Father
Brown “You have to take him – if not you’ll be a
murderer, you are his only chance”. Eventually,
after many protests from Father Brown about the
travelling he had to do, Ifan won. “What shall I
call him?” Ifan replied “Ishmael, because he
was an outcast”. So back Father Brown and Ishmael
went to Winton. Ishmael only survived for a year but
he was a great companion and was loved by all. One
day Father Brown found Ishmael in agony under the
altar – some lunatic had put down steaks filled with
ground glass and Ishmael had eaten one. Father Brown
had no choice; he had to shoot him. Ishmael was
buried by the side of the church and even 25 years
later flowers were being placed on his grave. Shortly
afterwards, Father Brown was given a prize kelpie
(sheepdog). He, too, accompanied his “boss”
everywhere. Kelpie took his duties seriously. One
day Father Brown was surprised to find an unusually
large number of children waiting for the service to
begin. He discovered that Kelpie had rounded them up
as they were going to the Roman Catholic and Methodist
churches and pushed them through the gate to “his”
church. During holiday camps at Yeppoon on the
Queensland coast Kelpie was appointed to swim to and
fro at a designated distance from the shore, so that
any boy venturing further out would be quickly
shepherded back by a hefty paw-smack on his
shoulders. There were, of course, boys on a wooden
tower on shark watch. These camps delighted the boys:
“Gee, Father, the water’s salty!” A pineapple
grower then gave land so that a permanent holiday
centre for boys and girls could be built, with the
blessing of the then Governor General Field Marshall
Sir William Slim. Funds were raised and the centre
was built. The Bishop of Rockhampton appointed Father
Brown as his commissioner (this he did not like for he
was too young and was resented by some of the older
clergy). He then joined the Bush Brotherhood in North
Queensland and was Chaplain and Housemaster at All
Soul’s School, Charter Towers. Naturally Kelpie went
with him. All Soul’s School was a Brotherhood
boarding school for boys who came from far and wide,
i.e., Ceylon, New Guinea, Hong Kong and so on. For
most it was the first time that they had left their
Mums and Dads and some understandably became
homesick. Most evenings Kelpie was absent and Father
Brown, when he inspected the dormitories, would see a
bulge under a sheet (and under the mosquito net).
Sometimes a good housemaster has to close his eyes if
it means happiness for a child! Could that happen
now, with Health and Safety Regulations? But it
worked wonders, and when the boy was happily asleep
the dog would return to his quarters. In 1958 Father
Brown had to return to England for family reasons.
Kelpie was adopted by one of his priest friends, who
subsequently became a Bishop. Kelpie had a good
life. Father Brown became Rector of Deptford, where
he adopted “Sam” a black labrador from a rescue
centre. Sam became an excellent friend to all. St.
Paul’s had a large crypt, which had not been used for
100 years. Father Brown converted this into a
community centre having had to remove over 400
coffins; these were placed in two tunnels leading into
the crypt which had been used by grave robbers who
came from the Thames just down the road. One evening
he had a call from his youth leader saying that a gang
of hooligans were in the crypt turning over the
wheelchairs of the young members of the disabled
club. Sam was very fast and raced from the clergy
house (which was in the grounds) to the crypt. He
recognised the hooligans and leaping over the chairs
chased them out before Father Brown or the police
arrived. The culprits climbed over the tall iron
railings but many of them lost bits of their trousers
to Sam’s powerful teeth. Needless to say, they never
returned! In 1969 Father Brown was appointed Rector
of Havant (he retired in 2000). Again Sam proved
himself a friend and protector of all, so much so that
when he died the people of Havant raised some £500 and
a statue of St. Francis was placed in the RSPCA Ark at
Stubbington Hampshire where Sam was buried in their
small animal cemetery. At the dedication the Lord
Mayor of Portsmouth and many other Hampshire mayors
were present. Father Brown adopted Tessa, another
black labrador who died shortly before he retired.
Now “Shadow” a rescue labrador from the Ark
lives with him, so named because he never leaves his
side, and he’s black. Father Brown continues to reach
out to children and animals above and beyond his
pastoral duties. I know that he is loved and visited
by many, now grown men and women, from around the
world. In London he was Vice-Chairman of the London
Youth Committee. In the early sixties he founded the
first hostel in the country for young drug addict
offenders. Later in Havant his Boys’ Choir made a
number of trips to the Continent singing at Roman
Catholic and Lutheran churches. Father Brown pays
great tribute to the late Princess Margaret, whom he
met on many occasions, because of her lifelong
commitment to children’s welfare. During his time in
Havant he has been associated with the Police Liaison
Committee and only retired as Chairman in 2000; he and
his police friends have together helped many people.
As a chaplain in the RNVR and the Royal British Legion
he has officiated at some special occasions, and I
think he is very proud to be an Honorary Canon of St.
Paul’s Cathedral in the Diocese of St. Helena in the
South Atlantic! Let the animals have the last word…
as a patron of Stubbington Ark and an indefatigable
fundraiser for the RSPCA and the Chichester Dog Rescue
Centre. Father Brown hopes Parish Priests will help
those unfortunate animals who have suffered at human
hands by maintaining a collection box for gifts of
food for animal charities in their area. A large
RSPCA “Spaniel” box outside St. Faith’s Havant
has been generously supported for many years and there
has always been a bowl of water for the town dogs.
Dogs were welcome at the services and his own labrador
would be at the altar with him for daily mass and
always present for Matins and Evensong.
Prime of Lifer’s Ladies Group
(St. Alban's, St. Clare's, St. Faith's, St. Francis,
St. John's)
We recently went on a day trip to Bath; there were
seven of us from St. Faith's and the rest of the coach
were filled from the other churches; we had a very
good time, the weather apart from a shower was
lovely.
At a cost of £15 it was good value and good company.
On arrival we split up into small groups, pair’s,
etc., according to what everyone wanted to do. Six
of us decided to find Sally
Lunn's the oldest house
in Bath. I believe dating back to the 1800's;
it is now a cafe and shop where Sally Lunn first made
these buns all that time ago. These buns measure
about eight inches across and half an inch deep and so
due to the size you are served just half each toasted;
these come in a variety of topping's both sweet and
savoury.
So at 11 o’clock we were tucking into these delicious
Sally Lunn's with clotted cream, jam and coffee or
tea, a must on a visit to Bath. Some of us chose to
go on the open top sightseeing buses which did two
tours, some to the famous Baths, Abbey or Museum's.
The day started at 8am and we arrived back at 8pm,
tired but with lots of memories.
As a group we try to arrange about 5 or 6 events a
year and within each church we have two or three
people who
organise
and advertise each event. So far this year we have
had a Burn's Night Supper, a Flower arranging
Demonstration, a day visit to Wintershall for 'The
Life of Christ' and Bath; all these have been well
attended.
On Saturday 10th October we are holding a
Fair-trade
Fashion Show at 7pm in St. Faith's Church Hall for £5
with a ploughman's supper and raffle. Both men and
ladies will model the latest fashions down the catwalk
plus fashion
jewellery;
food and drink to tempt the discerning palate,
children's clothes and handbags to die for. Tickets
will be available from 20th September so
even if you haven’t been to our events before, come
along and bring the gents for a good evening. Just
remember to bring your own drinks. All clothing will
be available to purchase later in the evening. See
Val Rose, Sandra Haggan or Jackie Martin for more info
please.
Another date for your diary is the Craft Day at St.
John's Church Centre, on Saturday 21st
November where we will be making unusual Christmas
decorations. The day will cost £5 to include most
materials - fairy lights are an added extra but look
good. We are including a bowl of soup and roll.
Places for this are limited to 20 on a first come
basis from 17thOctober.
Val Rose
A poem which I have often read and which always stirs my
imagination is, “The Haystack in the Floods” by
William Morris. It begins: “Had she come all the way
for this / To part at last without a kiss?” It
tells of Robert and Jehane fleeing Paris on horseback
making for the Gascon frontier. Then they find that the
way is barred by “that Judas” Godmar and his men
ranged in line behind the pennon of the three red
running lions. Robert and his small band of supporters
are defeated, with Robert captured and bound by Godmar.
Godmar, who lusted after Jehane, said that if Jehane did
not yield to him as his paramour, Robert would be killed
before the rain ceased. Jehane could not yield to
Godmar. Even if he were to take her forcibly, she said
she would find a way to kill him whilst he slept.
Godmar threatened Jehane with “life or death”;
she fell to the ground in a faint, but recovered and
said “I will not”. Godmar took hold of Robert’s
hair, bent back Robert’s head and with his sword struck
off Robert’s head and tossed it to the ground. He
turned to Jehane and said, “Your way lies backward to
the Chatelet”. Jehane stood “gazed at her cold
hands as if this thing had made her mad”.
“That was the parting that they had
Beside the haystack in the floods”.
I feel that there is more behind these lines of verse,
that there is a story – a history – of these three
people. Who was Robert? Who was Jehane? Why were they
fleeing Paris? Why did the people in Paris cry,
“Jehane the brown, give us Jehane to burn or drown”?
Who was Godmar with his pennon of three red running
lions? Finally, why would Jehane, if she had returned
to Paris, been imprisoned in the Chatelet?
Perhaps there is someone among the readers of “Faith
Matters” who could enlighten me on what lies behind
or beyond this poem; or if not, perhaps someone could
make up a story appropriate to the lines about Jehane,
Robert and Godmar.
Meanwhile I shall, from time to time, sit a while,
contemplate on these three intertwined people and dream
up my own scenarios.
John Bradey
From the Registers
2nd August – Baptism of Star Paris
30th August – Baptism of Ruby Susan
Maslin
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