Henry VIII – Page 4 – SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR)

Henry VIII: St Alban’s the Martyr Church (Cheam) – Constructed from a Nonsuch Royal Stable! (14.5.2023)

14/05/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

The wood used for the roof (and support beams) dates to about 1550 CE – and was originally a very large royal stable used by King Henry VIII and I am told – his daughter – Queen Elizabeth I! It was dismantled from its original site (adjacent to Nonsuch Palace) by Shipwrights – and brought to what was once a remote area of Cheam – and reassembled (with added contemporary brickwork) to form a very large Church! The wood would have been part of a royal forest cultivated in the area – grown to make ships, buildings and other required ‘royal’ structures! Therefore, the wood itself will be far older than the 1550 CE date the barn is believed to have been originally constructed! The beams are held together entirely by wooden-pegs – just as they were originally designned to be – with no ‘modern’ nails or connecting materials! Indeed, Shipwrights reconstructed this building as if they were building a wooden ship!

The US Bucket List! (10.4.2023)

10/04/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

The routine ownership of fire-arms is ‘banned’ in most Western Europe countries! What is interesting is that the rebelling American government in the 1770s attempted to ‘militarise’ it’s British population against its rightful (elected) London government by overturning King Henry VIII’s (16th century) general ban on private weapon ownership. The King had dissolved the ownership of private armies as part of the dismantling of the feudal system and as a security against his fellow nobles launching an armed coup against his leadership! From that time onwards, the only military force allowed in the UK has been the British Army controlled by the Crown – and then after Cromwell (in the 17th century) Parliament. However, during the 18th century the British government was afraid of invasion by the French and for a time a law was in effect which allowed Local Militias to be formed – manned by the good and the well-off who could afford to pay for their own uniforms, pistols, muskets and training, etc. Interestingly, this law was active during the American War of Independence and it could be that the American rebels got the idea of arming their population from the British policy of preparing it’s homeland population to meet the threat of Napoleon.

Why ‘GPs’ Are Not ‘Doctors’ in the UK! (7.1.2023)

07/01/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

Of course, it gets a little complicated if a PhD (or similar) is held by a GP and/or a Surgeon – but this does not alter the fact that a ‘GP’ is technically not a ‘Doctor’. A ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ (PhD) is not a ‘Medical Doctor’ qualification but is rather an academic rank (of which there are many versions such as in ‘Law’, ‘Literature’ and ‘Music’, etc). In theory, a ‘PhD’ (or similar) could well involve advanced medical research, but even so, the holder of this distinction would still be an ‘Academic Doctor’ who has diversified and specialised in a medical subject – pushing the theoretical boundaries of knowledge further back – whilst adding new and original thinking to existing understanding!

Monument: Water-Trough and Cross – William Francis Gamul Farmer (1812- 1860) – BellGate Entrance – (East) Nonsuch Park [Cheam] (11.8.2022)

11/08/2022 Adrian (釋大道)

Willian Francis Gamul Farmer married one ‘Matilda Farmer (nee ‘Wilkinson’) [1815-1889] and produced eleven children with here – seven boys and four girls. The names of his children were William Robert Gamul Farmer, Thomas Allix Farmer, Matilda Frances Farmer, George Lancelot McLean Farmer, Margaret Anna Farmer, Emily Mary Farmer, Charles Edward Farmer, Revd. James Edmund Gamul Farmer, Henry Lowth Farmer, Catherine Augusta Farmer and Francis Colebrooke Farmer. He inherited from his grandfather when aged 26 years old (in 1838) and again from his father – William Meeke Farmer (1778-1840) – when he was 28 years old in 1840! This is why he lived the care-free life associated with the landed gentry. Willian Francis Gamul Farmer was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey before reaching the Office of High Sheriff of the County of Surrey – when he received his appointment in 1849 (when he was around 37 years old). Indeed, so important a person was he – that an oil painting was commissioned to record this important event – which seems to show him around 37 years old (although I cannot find any verification for the date or the name of the artist, etc).

Toby – Resident Sheepdog – ABBEY MILLS: MERTON PRIORY CHAPTER HOUSE – 900 YEAR OLD WOODEN ARCH! PART 4 (7.8.2022)

08/08/2022 Adrian (釋大道)

Anyone who interacted, stroked, played with or threw a stick for ‘Toby’ – the resident sheepdog – was presented with a beautiful postcard of this well-behaved and genteel Sheepdog! He appears to be the pet of resident archaeologist – Mr John Hawks – the Curator of Chapter House, as he was the person who presented the postcard and seemed to know ‘Toby’ the best! Mr John Hawks has been featured in a number of articles about this very important ‘dig’ which has received a boost recently with the Priory ‘arched’ wooden gate being added to the already amply exhibition! There is much to see – such as the UK’s oldest Parliament and Lord Nelson’s Chest!

Video Footage – ABBEY MILLS: MERTON PRIORY CHAPTER HOUSE – 900 YEAR OLD WOODEN ARCH! PART 2! (7.8.2022)

07/08/2022 Adrian (釋大道)

Hopefully, these random videos will assist people all over the UK (and the world) to understand and appreciate this wonderful exhibition of 12th century British history! Furthermore, we want to assist the elderly, the vulnerable and people with disabilities and difficulties to experience this exhibition ‘remotely’ – so that they are not excluded from the sharing of British history – which belongs to us all! After teaching Chinese martial arts this morning, we drove from Sutton to South Wimbledon (a distance of 3.9 miles) which took about 30 minutes to achieve! We then walked a slightly longer way around the supermarket and along the river until we reached ‘Chapter House’ – a place we did not know exactly where it was! However, the day was sunny, we were happy and time was on our side!

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