
Montacute church clock thought to date from 1400 refurbished
A church clock thought to date back as far as 1400 is being removed from its tower to be refurbished.The clock at St Catherine's Church, in Montacute, Somerset, still has a number of its original components, including the outer frame.Church representatives knew the clock to be centuries old but research carried out in-house found its construction methods likely date back to the 15th century.It will be removed by a specialist team later before an audience of pupils from All Saints Church of England Primary School.
Churchwarden Nic Laycock said the discovery of the clock's age had made its removal a big community story in Montacute."The belief was it went back as far as the English Reformation - 1539 - when the old priory in the village was dissolved by Henry VIII."But, when experts came and looked at the construction - the quality of the workmanship, or lack thereof because it's of fairly crude construction, they decided it was a good deal older."We've no written provenance of the date, but the style and quality of the work puts it around 1400, we're told, which makes it one of the oldest working clocks in the country."He added: "We've now got the primary school involved in marking this by writing a poetry anthology."
The current clock face was added in 1815 by villager George Baker.Beyond the clock's great age and its removal from the church tower, there are community links that cement its place in local folklore."There's the story of Eric Rogers, who wound the clock every single day from 1914 for 67 years," says Mr Laycock."He'd promised his uncle he would do so until his uncle returned from the First World War, which tragically never happened."Mr Rogers wound the clock daily until the 1980s, when local man Humphrey Hamlin took over.Although Mr Hamlin later electrified the clock, he still monitors its condition in his 90s - just the second person in more than a century to be its keeper.To add to the story, he now lives in the house where George Baker made the clock face in 1815.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners warned to be prepared over popular plant used to make drugs
Sow your opium poppies - used to make medical painkillers including morphine, codeine and oxycodone, as well as illegal narcotic heroin - in autumn or spring for a bumper crop in summer Oriental poppies have begun to bloom in the front garden, bringing with them a riot of colour and drama. Their flamboyant, bright orange-red petals are striking, each flower marked with a dark, almost black blotch at the base, encircling a regal-looking purple centre. Though their display is brief, typically lasting around ten days, their perennial nature makes them a reliable and rewarding addition to a mixed border, returning year after year. These poppies grow on stout, hairy stems that can sometimes flop under the weight of their impressive blooms. A little forward planning can help here — staking the stems early in the season provides much-needed support to keep the flowers upright and looking their best. There's also a wide array of stunning cultivars to explore. 'Royal Wedding', for instance, produces silky white petals with a dramatic purple blotch at the base, while the beloved 'Patty's Plum' is admired for its maroon, ruffled flowers. After flowering, oriental poppies can be cut back to tidy up the plant, though many gardeners choose to leave the ornamental seedheads in place for their sculptural beauty. While these cultivars don't grow true from seed, they can be propagated through root cuttings — a task best tackled in autumn. Simply dig up the plant, snip healthy roots into 4cm lengths, and plant them in cuttings compost. The parent plant can then be returned to the soil to re-establish itself. Among annual poppies, the corn poppy, Papaver rhoeas, is perhaps the most iconic. Also known as the field or Flanders poppy, it has become a powerful symbol of remembrance for those lost in war. Its seeds are remarkably resilient, capable of lying dormant for decades until disturbed. During the First World War, the upheaval of soil on battlefields in France and Belgium caused these poppies to bloom en masse, creating vivid displays that inspired Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae's famous poem: In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row... Another notable species is Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy. Historically associated with the Opium Wars between Britain and China in the 19th century, this species is still cultivated today for medicinal purposes as the natural source of morphine and codeine. In the garden, however, it's prized more for its striking ornamental forms. These hardy annuals are best sown directly into the ground in spring or autumn, as they dislike being transplanted. Varieties such as 'Black Swan', with its finely cut, deeply coloured petals, or the heirloom 'Hungarian Blue', known for its simple, silky purple blooms, make bold, beautiful statements. For gardeners with acidic soil and cooler, damp climates, the elusive Himalayan blue poppy, Meconopsis betonicifolia, might be worth a try. Native to the mountainous regions of Nepal, Tibet, and Myanmar, this rare, short-lived perennial is often considered the 'holy grail' of blue flowers. Though notoriously tricky to grow, it thrives in the cooler, wetter conditions of northern England and Scotland. However, even a brief spell of strong sun in dry weather can quickly damage these delicate, captivating blooms. With their dazzling beauty, fascinating histories, and evocative symbolism, poppies continue to enchant gardeners, poets, and nature lovers alike. Jobs to do in the garden this week Plant out young courgettes, pumpkins, and squashes. If you didn't grow these from seed, there are plenty available in garden centres. Thin out carrot seedlings – remove these thinned seedlings because if they are left about their scent will attract carrot fly. You can cover with horticultural mesh to keep this away. Collect seed from candelabra primulas and sow fresh. Pop a few nasturtium seeds in pots for a late summer vibrant display. Start feeding tomatoes in grow bags with high potash feed to encourage flowers and fruit formation. Tie in climbing and rambling roses – the more you train them horizontally, the more this will encourage side shoots to develop and go on to produce more flowers. Water containers, pots, window boxes and feed them fortnightly. Train sweet peas and start cutting flowers as they appear so you'll get more. Plan for next spring – now's the time to start sowing seeds of Bellis perennis, polyanthus, pansies and wallflowers so they will be in flower (when very little else is) for brightening up the garden in late winter/early spring. Soft fruit such as gooseberries need netting over them before the birds tuck in. Plant of the week: Sambucus 'Black Lace' Elderflowers are producing their distinctive flat heads of scented flowers, and foragers will be gathering these to produce the distinctive cordial. 'Black Lace' is a cultivar with finely cut dark purple leaves and pink flowers. It comes as a large deciduous shrub or small tree, and is good as an ornamental plant for smaller gardens. Grown in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil, the flowers and fruit are valuable to wildlife.


Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Look out for these 5 coins in circulation worth over £3,000
You may not realise you could have a small fortune sitting in your wallet or coin jar. An expert has urged Brits to check their change for five of the rarest UK coins still in circulation. Collectively, these coins could be worth over £3,000 to collectors. When paying with cash, many of us are happy to use up whatever change we've got in our wallets or pockets without a second glance. However, it could be worth double-checking before parting with certain coins due to their potential value. In a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok, an expert who is known online as the Coin Collecting Wizard explained exactly what to look for. 'Most valuable coins you can find in your change revealed,' he said. The first coin he mentioned was a 50 pence piece from 2009. This coin features the image of the iconic pagoda at Kew Gardens on its reverse (tail) side. He said: 'Let's start with a 50 pence coin and of course it is the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p. This coin is so hard to find with only 210,000 ever released and is worth around £140 today.' Another 50p collectors 'want to get their hands on' is known as the Atlantic salmon. This coin is dated 2023. He continued: 'Even less were released than the Kew at 200,000. And if you find one of these in your change, you are looking at around £80.' However, it is only versions of this coin that is missing a tiny mark that is particularly sought after. 'But remember, it's only the one without a privy mark dated 2023 that is rare and valuable,' he said. Far more valuable is a specific £2 coin with an error. The expert said: 'Now, let's move on to a £2 coin and this one is known as the Lord Kitchener.' Minted in 2014 to mark 100 years since the start of the First World War, this piece features the image of Lord Kitchener on its reverse. To be particularly valuable it needs to be missing the words 'two pounds' on its heads side. The expert said this could make it worth more than £1,000. He then moved on to a 2p coin with an incredible value of £2,000. He said: 'This is the 'new pence' two pence coin from 1983 and whilst it is unlikely you would find this in your change, it is possible.' Instead of reading 'two pence' on its reverse side, it says 'new pence'. The Coin Collecting Wizard said: 'This coin from 1983 was in Royal Mint sets and a mistake was made with the words 'new pence' instead of 'two pence'. 'If you find it, keep it because it's valued at around £2,000.' Lastly he revealed that a 20p coin with no date could be valued at £50. He added: 'And finally, let's discuss a 20p coin with no date. If you find a 20 pence which was minted in 2008 but it has no date on the coin, then you have found a rare mule error 20p coin worth around £50.'

Leader Live
5 days ago
- Leader Live
Charity searches for descendants of rioters involved in 1525 uprising
More than 100 men stormed Bayham Abbey, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent, with makeshift weapons, in protest at its closure as part of new religious reforms. Wednesday, June 4 marks the 500th anniversary of the 1525 riot, which is seen by historians as a 'harbinger' of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries a decade later. English Heritage, the charity which looks after the ruins of Bayham Abbey, are now searching for the relatives of the villagers who stormed the Abbey 500 years ago. Michael Carter, English Heritage historian, said: 'The Bayham Abbey uprising is a fascinating precursor to Henry VIII's religious reforms, a harbinger not only of the dissolution of the monasteries just ten years later, but also of the Pilgrimage of Grace. 'This act of rebellion could have cost them their lives and, as we reach the 500th anniversary of the riot, we are keen to remember and celebrate these brave men.' More than a decade before the dissolution of the monasteries, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII's chief adviser at the time, had already begun to suppress many of England's smaller monasteries, to fund new university colleges at Oxford and Ipswich. Cardinal Wolsey's eventual successor, Thomas Cromwell, began the dissolution of every English monastery in 1536, under Henry VIII's instruction. On June 4 1525, more than 100 men with painted faces, armed with longbows, crossbows, swords and clubs, assembled at the abbey to reinstate the evicted canons, the priests living within the abbey. 'Whilst they will undoubtedly have feared the loss of their spiritual leaders, their loss of income would have been of equal concern,' said Mr Carter. They stormed the gatehouse and temporarily restored the canons, until they were removed a week later and 31 men were indicted by the Crown. The rioters were predominantly local tradesmen, including shoemakers, labourers and farmers. English Heritage is searching for the descendants of those men, who are listed on their website.