Wilstone

Both of us awoke early and were up by 6am.  The water in the junction has again frozen over trapping us in a sheet of solid ice.  Filling the water tank yesterday was obviously a good decision!  It was still rather dark at 6am but I attempted to take a photo.  We don’t have a tripod for the camera and the first photo was blurred.  The second was taken with me bracing the lens against the pram cover.

The original photo makes the scene look lighter than it actually was.  Then I manipulated the same photo with the software on the laptop.

Not too bad for a scene which was actually taken when still dark.  After dawn the full extent of the ice could be seen.

It looks like we might be still here for a few more days.  Mid morning we wandered down the towpath on the Aylesbury Arm to Wilstone Village where Jaq (nb Valerie) had advised there was a small community shop.

The village pub looked rather interesting with a bludging front wall and crooked main door.

The Half Moon

I sometimes wonder how old buildings like this continue to stand.  Unfortunately it was too early to enter and have a look at the interior.

The cottage opposite looked rather attractive.

Wilstone Village has an interesting history of wizards and witches.  In 1751 John and Ruth Osborne were begging in the vicinity of the village and when a farmer refused their request Ruth was heard by the farmer to mutter a curse.  The farmer then suffered some ill which resulted in Johan and Ruth being accused of witchcraft.  This led to a public notice being issued advising two persons would be ducked by neighbours consent.  Such a punishment had been made illegal some 16 years earlier. 

A crowd of some 4000 broke into the workhouse where the couple was being held and they were seized, tied up, wrapped in a sheet and taken to a local stream to be ducked.  Ruth was subsequently taken to the Half Moon pub in Wilstone where she was declared dead.

A Tring chimneysweeper, one Thomas Colley had taken an active part in the ducking and was subsequently seen collecting money from the crowd “for the enjoyment the ducking had provided”.  This was the last reported ducking in England.

Thomas Colley was subsequently tried at Hertford and condemned to hang in chains on Wilstone Green.

We went into the village community shop where Jan purchased a few items.

Our mistake error was not realising there is also a Wilstone Farm Shop on the far side of the village.  Oh well…… perhaps another day!