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The Neville Crest at Newport Minster

DAY FOUR: The Minster Church of St Thomas Newport: This was our second visit to this church; we had previously arrived in the freezing cold, when the the church was closed and the snow had covered all around in a white shroud, so it was welcoming to see the church in a different ‘LIGHT’. St Thomas Church is a very vibrant church full of energy and life which emanates from the folks in charge, namely The Revd Kevin Arkell and his wife. So it was well worth the wait and also for the very warm and freindly welcome afforded to us. The church is slap bang in the middle of the town in a very surburban setting and ironically (or not) just outside and across the road from a Craft building of another kind…

 

The original late 12th-century church was dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury known as Thomas Becket (1118–1170). Later, under the rule of King Henry V111 of England, (1509–1547), when Becket was declared to have been a traitor, the Canterbury part of the name was dropped. Its name and the ambiguous dedication to St Thomas was thereafter, over time, assumed by many to refer to Thomas the Apostle. From the 18th century its deterioration made any renovation futile, and funds were raised for a new church on its site. The new church was built over the years 1854 and 1855 to a design by the architect S. W. Dawkes of Cheltenam. Reflecting the building’s history, but arguably unusual, the new church was dedicated on the feast of Thomas the Apostle to both him and St Thomas of Canterbury. The tower contains a ring of 12 bells.

Inside the church is a wealth of history and information and the church is actively setting up its own achive and history corner and can boast some amazing and historic artifacts; there is also a wealth of old photographs which are posted here. Revd. Kevin and his wife have an enthusiastic team around them who have some good projects on the go and ideas to draw in the community, children and all; so the very best of luck to them.

 

Sarrui Sarru: St Thomas’s Church has a great deal of history attached to it; it has some amazing stained glass windows that also show a wealth of past history; from the civil war, the war of the roses, the Neville line and of course the Fluer de Lys, towards the top of the window. Looking to the top we see the cross, a symbol representitive of, or a reminder that there is no such a thing as a ‘king on earth’ or ‘Sarrui Sarru’ from the ancient Sumerian meaning ‘King of Kings’; ‘The Jesus’. A reminder then that throughout all the battles of the civil wars etc, the end result/the end game would alwayd be ‘The Jesus’….

Merkabah: One of the most detailed stained-glass windows in St Thomas’s, Newport is the second window below which shows six triskellian; three to  the left and three to the right, masked in gilted gold but right at the top of the window and clearly shown, is the Merkabah, the original symbol of christianity, re-inforcing the fact that the cross is a new addition; the Merkabah was/is the symbol used for aeons before the modern-day cross, a new addition to the christian faith, took its hold upon history and also the minds of people. If we go back to grass roots, what people think of as ‘The Star of David’, the Merkabah, is in actual fact the true representation of christianty and for very good reasons too.

 

Window one is representitive of the civil war, the war of the roses, the Neville line, the Fluer de Lys and the Sarrui Sarru. Window two shows the Merkabah, the original symbol of christianity

Museum Section: Within this section of the church are some very beautiful and ancient artifacts; a few of which can be seen here including some amazing archive photos which we were giver permision to photograph. There are also some beautiful old bibles, ancient wooden chests and a wonderful wooden carved depiction of the last supper.

 

 

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The Pulpit: The pulpit is from the old church and is carved in wood and thought to be carved by Flemish craftsmen.  It is original and displays some very intricate carvings around its sides, some of which i managed to get some close ups of. It is unique insomuch that the figures carved on it are not biblical at all but are relating to the sciences and philosophies of the time. Also round the top of the pulpit is reference to the ‘trumpet’, as mentioned in the Book of Revelations; some of which have already occured….

 

The Font: There are two fonts here; the later one is shown here with carvings all around that we have become so familiar with over the course of these quests; the older of the two is to the right of the altar. When the church was rebuilt the original font was not returned with the pulpit etc, so the new font was built at the south door. Then someone came knocking on the door to say that the old font had been found in a garden in Newport and had been used as a bird bath for many years! So the church now boasts two fonts; the new one being used for major baptisms.

 

The newer font with its very symbolic and familiar carvings, the descriptions of which can be found on other quests… <click to enlarge>

Taize Service: In the evening of our daytime visit we were most fortunate to be invited back by Revd. Kevin, to a candlelit evening of chanting and meditation, a taize service, something that i had not encountered before. It sounded so lovely that we immedietly said yes. Although it was a taize servive for the christian lent, one can easily adapt it, in one’s own mind, to suit ones own path or spirituality or even to just enjoy the experience and chanting as a whole. It was a small intimate gathering; there was a small choir from the church’s own choristers attending, dressed in formal long red robes and every participant attending was invited to hold a lighted candle throughout the service.

We can all relate to the words below taken from the introduction to the taize service, whatever our faith. In The Priory, in Templarism, we do have an understanding of G-D. but from a different perspective to the christian understanding and we do not actually worship any higher being, yet have an acknowlegement of such. So a perfect end to a perfect day…

“Many trivial things in our lives shift our focus away from God. This evening we worship in the style of Taize style, clear your mind and let the music, prayers and readings help you to focus on God. We ask God to calm our hearts and clear our minds of life’s many distractions as we come to worship”

 

 

….and finally more of the artworks from around St Thomas Church including the Neville Sheild in situ over the entrance just below the organ, more beautiful stained-glass windows, carvings from around the altar, the Ford connection and a glimpe of the wonderful ceiling <please click to enlarge>

You can see more of and read about the history of this church in the links below:-

The Bloodline Connection is:

  • John Thomas Neville 1878 – 1953: directly connected to the church, Great Grandson of Edward King 1878 -1953 amd Great Grand Uncle of our lead researcher)

All Saints Church, Calbourne: A possitive change in the weather bought us to the little church of All Saints in Calbourne, although extensive roof repairs are being carried out we were still able to wander around inside. The church is set atop a ‘hill’ amidst picturesque rolling countryside. The church is medieval with the tower being rebuilt in 1752; its churchyard contains the commonwealth war graves of two British soldiers of World War 1. The church is built with Isle of Wight stone rubble with some flintwork and tiled roofs. The church is grouped with Holy Spirit Church, Newtown.

 

In the middle part of the church extensive roof repairs are being carried out and thus there was scaffolding up inside and out, yet we were still able to gain good access and take some unusual as well as general shots and a good video too.

 

You can hear much more about the church and its metaphysical and Craft connected history and further facts that relate to mythology by linking to our video below…

St Thomas Newport & All Saints Calbourne

 

 

Further shots that relate to the windows, the ‘spinning wheel’ and an unusual plaque tucked on a window ledge to the left of the altar and of course the Neville shield…

 

We were not able to gain access to the graveyard due to the health and safety reasons of the scaffolding being up but one can see an alternative view of the spinning wheel from the outside  <please click on all images to enlarge>

The Bloodline Connection is:

  • A full Neville connection with McAndrew
  • A full connection to Robert McAndrew 1829 – 1879 (3 x Great Uncle to our head researcher) born in Elgin and died at Calbourne

Read more about the building and its construction here:

 

Holy Trinity Church, Cowes: This church at the popular seaside resort of Cowes has a very commanding position directly overlooking the sea but sadly on this occasion the church was well and truly closed to us, so a quick wander around its perimeter to take some quick shots for the record was all we could muster.

 

The church is situated on the north-east side of the Isle of Wight; the town of Cowes is world famous for its yachting and other sea-side related activities. Holy Trinity Church was conscecrated on midsumers day in 1832 by Bishop Sumner, the Bishop of Winchester as a ‘place of worship on Cowes foreshore for the sailors and seafarers’. The church was built in distintive yellow Isle of Wight brick in the Gothic style. The building was designed by Mr William Bramble of Portsmouth. In 1862 the church was enlarged by the addition of a Chancel and Sanctury. One of the penalties of being so close to the sea is that the land underneath the building tends to move. During the past year extensive works have been carried out to stabilise the buliding.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Cowes

The Bloodline Connection is:

  • Maurice Neville: 1915 – 1990 (2 x cousin, twice removed to our head researcher)

 

 

Our intrepid researchers chilling out on the sea-front in Cowes; and yes after all that snow and ice it really was that glorious!

St Mildred’s Church Whippingham: It had turned into a stunningly gorgeous and sunny day when we arrived at Whippingham; who could have guessed that two days earlier the island had been covererd in a blanket of snow and ice and at one point we had to have assistance to get our vehicle up an icy slope! As we drove up to the church it looked a picture in the glorious sunshine set amidst its beautiful grounds.

 

The village of Whippingham and the church are best known for their connection with Queen Victoria. Whippingham was the centre of a royal estate supporting Osborne House and Barton Manor. Queen Victoria always took  close interest in ‘her people’ at Whippingham. This fact is reflected in the many memorials in St Mildred’s Church which commemorate members of the royal family and household. The chancel of the church was built in 1854/55 by the architect Albert Jenkins Humbert, although Prince Albert is thought to have had a guiding hand. The remainder of the church was constructed in 1861/62; a side chapel is dedicated to the Battenberg/Mountbatten family. Inside the church are some brilliant ‘rose’ windows and a large octagonal lantern in the centre. There are a number of memorials in the church including in the chancel, a Queen Victoria Reredos presnted by King Edward 7th. There are also some other interesting tombs, burials and memorials both inside and out commemorating Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg and Albert the Prince Consort. Sadly the church was shut, so we could not view them and no interior shots either, but you can discover more in the links below:

However we did manage to see some rather interesting carvings and windows from the outside of the church, indicating very strongly the Craft connection here. The carvings around the entrance porch were particularily fascinating as they point towards an Enochian connection (the root/route of Craft), the windows depict the ten pillars and above the archway a square and compass is very evident, showing ‘one point still in darkness’ telling a tale of masonic and Templar connections to this church.

 

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The Bloodine Connection here is:

  • Robert Neville: 1907 – 1969 (2 x cousin twice removed to our lead researcher)

 

 

At the end of a very busy and revealing day; time to unwind with the sun and the views and all that St Mildred’s Church and the beautiful Isle of Wight has to offer

DAY FIVE: All Saints Church Ryde and homeward bound…  So our last day on the beautiful Isle of Wight had arrived all too quickly and yet just one final destination before we ventured forth on the ferry and over the seas back to England. All Saints Church is a parish church located in Ryde; not very far away from where we were staying. The building is a landmark of the island; the spire being visable from many points around the island and indeed even from the mainland itself, projecting beyond the very skyline.

 

Although the church has lost a lot of its sacred energies it does still contain some beautiful carvings and artworks, all of which are well worth a look at. The church, which is often referred to as the ‘Cathedral of the Island‘ is a grade two listed building. It was built between 1868 and 1872 by the architect George Gilbert Scott; the spire was an addition in 1881/82 and is climbed early on the Feast of Ascension to sing an Ascension hymn. There are some lovely stained-glass windows here including one dedicated to the memory of Samuel Poole, in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, but many windows were destroyed in the second world war.

 

The carvings around the font show a merkabah, the original symbol of christianity, a simple carved cross also utilises the merkabah and one can see other artworks here too:

Bloodline Connection is:

  • Alfred Neville (1904 – 1997) 2nd cousin 2 x removed to our head researcher)

 

 

The Isle of Wight proved to be an island of revelations and surprises and provided us with many more dots to connect on our quests for the true bloodlines, but what does that actually means and why….?

Please stay connected with us for our next quest to Ireland, Quest 25, going back to the start….

 

The Keeper of Scrolls March 2018: email me for further info ‘moon.willow@ntlworld.com’

 

“A perfumed tree, how sweet the smell… But a fruitful tree is far from wells,

Doth carry the roseline  from land to air, then once to the four winds as all do stare”

 

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