Amazing story in my local paper this week - local CofE school had 2 very impressive unexpected visitors...

[WendyWeber]

Archbishops of Canterbury & York

I bet it crossed the head's mind to wonder if they were real or not (Archbishopograms perhaps )

What a lovely story though

We used to worship at the same church as Terry Waite
Am a big fan of both bishops, all the more so as our local one was recently lampooned in a charity pub crawl by Ship of Fools. Yes, we have Bishop Tom

Hey Marina, Its what he does

Oh, please, don't Mary
Is it Very Wrong of me to pray hard that he is minorly indisposed and we get Christopher instead for our forthcoming Confirmation? I just cannot take Bishop Tom seriously, I'm sorry

Whalley! The Lancashire Witches, anyone?

It was a very difficult book to read, full of written dialect.

Apparently, I'm related to one of the witches in that case. The very famous one, whose name now evades me

Demdike? Alice Nutter?

It'll be the Nutter, yes? Lots of Nutters round here

Of the Rough Lee - top book, Wendy
Is there Mist Over Pendle tonight?

Dunno, Marina - it's dark you know

(I can actually see Pendle from this chair when it isn't dark)

Wendy, I think it was Alice, but it wasn't Nutter

I'll have to read the book again .. (shit).

My grandmother told me when I seven, and she told me again when she was 92 (just before she died).

She was rather adamant, so I ought to do some family history.

Marina, we're losing our decent Bishop +John, he's been promoted to Worcester. I'm gutted. He was suffragan of Huntingdon. We've been left with a fuddy duddy (I'm probably being very unfair to him, never met the guy, but I've met +John about 5 times in 18 months and he's always impressed me). At least yours is interesting...

Pick one, Desi

You see, Wendy. I knew I liked you

Any how, it's bed time for me. The monastery at Whalley was badly served during the reign of Henry VIII as well, wasn't it? Am I dreaming it, or did the Pilgrimage of Grace start from there?

Yes, it was Alizon Device.

Funny thing is that Grandma was not a reader, as such. She would never have read Harrison Ainsworth's book.

Well there isn't a lot of it left (it's called Whalley Abbey, I assume that's the monastery?) so you are probably right about 'Enery.

Dunno about the Pilgrimage of Grace though.

(There is some interesting history round here, I should check it out)

I love you too darling

Rotten luck Mary, a good bishop really makes a difference. Rather like +Christopher having met him once.
We lost Jeffrey John as a local parish priest here, in the hopes of greater things, and look what happened to his career But we live in hope still
We had also hoped to get +Rowan for Southwark, but of course it was family hold-back as they were clearly looking to Canterbury.
C of E gossip and the most notorious witch trial in British history entwined on the same thread, aahh, I love Mumsnet

Oh it's fab, isn't it!

I am tickled by your little + signs for your bishops, Marina (like a Masons' secret handshake )

Oh no!!!! They know about the secret handshakes!!!

Anyway, surely its ++Rowan?

No, it's Rowan mwah mwah mwah
I am his number one fan, Flight of the Conchords style
But yes Wendy, Mary reminded me it's a typographical mark of respect, hence my subconscious but very correct omission of it when referring to our own ranty little guy (not that I am counting the days until he retires, presumably to throw toys out of a caravan somewhere on the south coast)

Just read the news story and am fascinated - I just can't picture this. Do they often just wander round together, dropping in on random strangers when they feel like it? Aren't Archbishops quite busy people?

Lovely story, though.

Very cool I think John Semantu is fab. Rowan has his moments, but sometimes he is quite sensible.
My Christian claim to fame is that I was confirmed at Durham Cathedral a couple of years ago by Tom Wright, Archbishop of Durham - he was lovely, really nice and approachable.

I did think that, welliemum

Whalley is near Blackburn, which has a bish, amazingly - maybe ++Rowan had been in York and he and ++John were on their way to visit +Alan (which was the bish's name last time I was aware of him, may be someone else now) because I think round here belongs to York (as it were)

There are a lot of good CofE schools en route but Whalley is outstanding so maybe that was why. I bet the Archbishes loved it as much as the school did

(Did I get the little +s right, did I, Marina?)

(and there is Mist over Pendle this morning )

LOL at "Archbishopograms"

Apropos of nothing, I was married by 2 bishops (FIL is v well connected Catholically, and grew up with one of them anyway) and they both wore the MOST gorgeous robes. Almost outshined the bride