Fathers represent another way of looking at life – the possibility of an alternative dialogue.
Louise J. Kaplan, (Oneness and Separateness: From Infant to Individual, 1978)
8 Comments CherryPie on Jun 20th 2010
Those of you who followed my weekend in York closely will recall my personal thoughts on Bridlington. The town does however does have some interesting history which is described briefly on Wiki:
The origins of the habitation of Bridlington are unknown but can be traced back to ancient times. The nearby Dane’s Dyke on Flamborough Head, a 2.5-mile (4 km) long man made dyke dates back to the Bronze Age.[4] Some writers believe that Bridlington was the site of a Roman station. A Roman road can be traced into the town and Roman coins have been found in the town.[5]
The earliest written evidence of Bridlington is located in the Domesday Book. It records that “Bretlinton” was the head of the Huntow Hundred and was held by Earl Morcar before it passed into the hands of William the Conqueror by the forfeiture.[5] The survey also records the effect of the Harrying of the North as the annual value of the land had decreased from £32 in the time of Edward the Confessor to eight shillings at the time of the survey and comprised:
“two villeins, and one socman with one and a half Carucate. The rest is waste.”[5]
The land was given to Gilbert de Gant, nephew of King Stephen, in 1027.[5] His eldest son, Walter de Gant, later founded an Augustinian priory on the land in 1133 which was confirmed by King Henry I in a Charter.[6] Several succeeding kings confirmed and extended Walter de Gaunt’s gift: King Stephen granting in addition the right to have a port; King John granted the prior permission to hold a weekly market and an annual fair in 1200. Henry VI granted permission for three annual fairs on the Nativity of Mary, and Deposition of and the Translation of Saint John of Bridlington in 1446.[5] In 1415 Henry V visited the priory to give thanks for victory at the Battle of Agincourt.[7] The town began to be developed around the site of the priory as it grew in importance and size.
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the manor remained with the crown until 1624 when Charles I granted it to Sir John Ramsey, who had recently been created the Earl of Holderness.[5] In 1633, Sir George Ramsey sold the manor to 13 inhabitants of the town on behalf of all the tenants of the manor. In May 1636, a deed was drawn up empowering the 13 men as Lords Feoffees or trust holders of the Manor of Bridlington.
In 1643 Queen Henrietta Maria landed at Bridlington with troops to support the Royalist cause in the English Civil War before going on to York, which then became her headquarters.
Even more detail can be found on Genuki, or you could just enjoy the photographs 
10 Comments CherryPie on Jun 19th 2010
30 Comments CherryPie on Jun 18th 2010
Yesterday we had our first PCS regional meeting for about three months. What with the general election and the campaign to save the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) we hadn’t found time to get together before now.
For some reason I got rather confused and caught the train an hour earlier than I needed to. I am not sure if I was in my other meeting mode which starts an hour earlier or if I was in my breakfast before meeting mode (we do that sometimes) or if I was just being ditsy.
It was rather odd to see Birmingham when it was quiet and not completely open for business. However some of it was open and instead of stopping for that cup of tea I had promised myself, I got sidetracked by the shops and dresses and shoes… I blame my colleagues for not travelling with me because they were at a different meeting elsewhere, they would have whisked my straight past the shops. Or perhaps because we would have arranged to meet on the train I would have been on the right train in the first place with no time for browsing around.
In other news; around two weeks ago the CSCS case was taken back to court because PCS and the new government couldn’t reach an agreement on the way forward. Today the high court judge has delivered his ruling:
Mr Justice Sales confirmed today, PCS was right to challenge the way the terms of the civil service compensation scheme, which governs redundancy payments, were slashed.
The decision quashes an amendment to the scheme that the previous government had claimed was effective from 1 April, and requires the new government to enter negotiations with PCS if it wants to change the scheme in future.
While the judge quashed the detrimental changes to the scheme, he retained elements – relating to protection against age discrimination – that provide improvements. The union says this shows it was not opposed to change on principle, but that any alterations had to be fair and agreed.
6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 18th 2010
This was the rather nice garden just outside the room I stayed in. It was rather nice to have a personal garden
6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 17th 2010
I wasn’t really ready to be on my way home, so I was a little bit sad to be booking out…
But ever one for an opportunity despite the forecast for rain, I detoured to visit Hardwick Hall on the journey home. This property came highly recommended by my brother when we discussing National Trust properties a few weeks ago. There are two halls; an old ruin and a fully maintained and furnished hall. The former is managed by English Heritage and the latter by the National Trust.
On arrival it was misty which created a rather ethereal atmosphere ideal for visiting the Old Hall first, especially because it wasn’t raining and the hall is open to the elements. The hall was fascinating and there are some spectacular views from the higher levels. It would have been lovely to see it fully intact in it’s heyday but it was equally as interesting to see it in it’s current state.
After the visit it was time for a quick bite to eat in the National Trust cafe which was waitress service and you had to wait to be seated. Despite the rather large sign stating this it was quite amazing how many people just sat down in the nearest place and wondered why they hadn’t been served!! Hmm… let me see… that would be because the staff didn’t know you had arrived! Anyway, the service was quick and the food was delicious 
After lunch the sun had come out to treat us which meant the garden was the first port of call before visiting the new hall. Once I was inside the hall the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour, which miraculously stopped as soon as I stepped outside again to go to the car.
So that was the end of a lovely weekend away, except I had sneakily booked a couple of extra days leave to chill out at home
I hope you enjoyed the virtual journey and still to come is a bit of history on some of the places I visited.
4 Comments CherryPie on Jun 16th 2010
