Settlement Association

[EbbwJunction1]

St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet is an Anglican church which contains stained-glass panels by Clayton and Bell. Another example of their work is in another St John the Evangelist Church, this one in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.

 

[Calthrop]

Knotty Ash is probably familiar to more people, than for any other reason -- for the late Ken Dodd's having latched onto it as a vehicle for much comical nonsense spouted by him. Another settlement used in a not dissimilar way, by entertainers of a different stripe: is Yetminster, Dorset (near Sherborne). Namely, the in my opinion excellent folk-music group the Yetties, who hailed from thereabouts (hence the name) -- I seem not to have heard anything of them, for decades -- in further wordplay, this group's members, being rather corpulent chaps: described themselves as "abdominal showmen".

 

[DerekC]

Yetminster is built on the Middle Jurassic "Cornbrash" formation, which occurs in a band across England. The furthest north it appears on the surface seems to be at Horbling, Lincolnshire.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Old Malton in North Yorkshire is another settlement chosen in which to erect a priory for the Gilbertine Order of Canons Regular in the early Middle Ages.

 

[Calthrop]

There was also a World War II prisoner-of-war camp at Markethill, Co. Armagh. (The former camp at Old Malton, is now the Eden Camp Museum of matters on the general P.O.W. camp theme.)

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Another settlement used in a not dissimilar way, by entertainers of a different stripe: is Yetminster, Dorset (near Sherborne). Namely, the in my opinion excellent folk-music group the Yetties, who hailed from thereabouts (hence the name) -- I seem not to have heard anything of them, for decades -- in further wordplay, this group's members, being rather corpulent chaps: described themselves as "abdominal showmen".

Mr W Pedia tells me that they retired in 2011, and two of the members (Pete Shutler, 2014 and Mac McCulloch, 2021) have since died.

Markethill Swifts FC play at Kilcluney, Markethill and are members of the Intermediate B Division of the Mid-Ulster Football League. Broomhedge Maghaberry FC are members of the same league, and play at Grey College Park in Broomhedge.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Scarva in County Down also has a church that is dedicated to St Matthew.

 

[John Griffiths]

The ' No Surrender Club' is an associated club of the Apprentice Boys of Derry; it has 46 branches, including one in Broomhedge and another in Falkirk.

 

[Calthrop]

Scarva in County Down also has a church that is dedicated to St Matthew.

Scarva has an annual tradition, of the Protestant variety: the "Sham Fight" which takes place on July 13th (not 12th) -- a symbolic re-enactment of the Battle of the Boyne, with the principal figures of that episode, on horseback. Those who are connoisseurs of this kind of stuff, tend to reckon the Sham Fight a better show -- greater talent "across the board" in those who take part -- than the larger-scale proceedings in N.I. the day before. Another picturesque annual event in the Province -- this one without politico-religious content -- is the Lammas Fair at Ballycastle, Co. Antrim: taking place in late August; specialising inter alia, in strange kinds of snack.

 

[Calthrop]

Mr W Pedia tells me that they retired in 2011, and two of the members (Pete Shutler, 2014 and Mac McCulloch, 2021) have since died.

Thanks -- sad, but I suppose unsurprising.

 

[D6130]

For several years in the 1990s and early 2000s, Ballycastle was linked by a Summer seasonal car and passenger ferry service to Campbeltown in Argyll & Bute, Scotland.

 

[Calthrop]

Relatively close to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: Campbeltown has a namesake settlement (well, almost -- the Australian location has two "l" 's). Penrith, Cumbria, has another such.

 

[D6130]

Penrith Castle - built in the late 14th century and now in ruins - was a key element in the defence of Cumberland, as it was then, against frequent incursions from the Scots. Another important castle in the chain - also now in ruins - was at Brough in Westmorland (now Cumbria).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Clonakilty in County Cork also hosts an agricultural show.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Clonakilty won the overall Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1999. The latest overall winners (for 2022) was Trim, County Meath; Clonakilty won the Small Towns part of the competition in 2022.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Drogheda in County Louth also lies on the line of the River Boyne.

 

[Calthrop]

Drogheda in County Louth also lies on the line of the River Boyne.

You just beat me to it, following on from Trim !

Another Irish settlement offering something of a potential pronunciational poser, is Ballymena, Co. Antrim (Drogheda, or Droida? Ballymeena, or Ballymenna?).

Clonakilty won the overall Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1999. The latest overall winners (for 2022) was Trim, County Meath; Clonakilty won the Small Towns part of the competition in 2022.

It does seem extremely fitting that a winner of a Tidy Towns Competition, should be called Trim .

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Ballymena United FC play in the Northern Ireland Football League Premiership, and are based at the Ballymena Showgrounds. Glenavon FC play in the same league and play at Mourneview Park, Lurgan.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Aghagallon in County Antrim was also once under the jurisdiction of the Lurgan Poor Law Union.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Let me give you the Story of the Three Pronged Revolver ....

An incident that took place in Aghagallon in 1790 became known as "The Battle of Annaghdroghal Bridge". A group of Protestant men from the nearby village of Waringstown, accompanied by flute and drum and under the command of Colonel Sharp, marched from Waringstown at the request of Lord Waring to plough and prepare a field in Aghagallon for a friend and fellow English landowner and Orangeman. Their journey from Waringstown to Aghagallon was a controversial one, with several incidents occurring along the way in the town of Lurgan.

As Colonel Sharp and his men reached the Annaghdroghal Bridge just east of Aghagallon they were met by local men who refused them passage. A fight occurred and the Battle of Annaghdroghal began. Colonel Sharp led his men in the first attack and was fatally wounded by "The Darkie" McStravick, receiving a chest wound from a three-pronged muck fork. McStravick fled the scene and dumped the fork ("The Three Pronged Revolver") down a dry well at Derryclone. According to rumour, Darkie Mcstravick had lived in Derryclone, which is why he fled there to dispose of the "Three Pronged Revolver". The fork was retrieved around 1890 from the well and was presented to a local museum by Phelim McStravick in 2008.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Corbet in County Down was also part of the Lower Half division of the Barony of Iveagh Upper.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Corbet is on the A50 road, as is Katebridge.

 

[D6130]

Corbet is on the A50 road, as is Katebridge.

Sorry to be a pedantic party pooper, but that should be Katesbridge.

Portadown in Co Armagh also lies on the River Bann.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Sorry to be a pedantic party pooper, but that should be Katesbridge.

Portadown in Co Armagh also lies on the River Bann.

Quite correct, my apologies!

The former British athlete Lady Mary Peters, best known for the pentathlon and shotput was born in Halewood, Lancashire on 6th July 1939, but relocated at the age of 11 to Portadown and was educated at Portadown College.

 

[D6130]

Halewood is the site of one of the Ford Motor Company's main British factories. Another is at Dagenham, Essex.

 

[Calthrop]

Dagenham has a pub called the Roundhouse: I gather, long a place of great significance on the popular-culture-and-music scene (not one with which I am well-acquainted). Runcorn, Cheshire, has a pub of the same name.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Birkenhead also lies on the line of the River Mersey.

 

[Calthrop]

Birkenhead; and Chelmsford, Essex; share the slightly odd situation by which they lie on or near watercourses with similar name to town: but where the nomenclature is back-to-front -- town not called after the river or stream, but by a process of "back-formation", the watercourse is called after the town (whose name derived otherwise). Thus at Birkenhead, the very small River Birket flows into the Mersey between the city, and Seacombe. Chelmsford's River Chelmer flows through the town, then eastward to join the River Blackwater estuary.

 

[341o2]

Going to be rather un-PC here -- Winwick at any rate used to be the location of the mental hospital for its "catchment area": hence the local expression applied to a mentally disturbed person, " 'e's gone clean winnuck". Similarly, concerning north London, and the area of Friern Barnet (London Borough of Barnet) -- vulgar expression with similar significance, " 'e belongs Friern Barnet."

The church of my childhood, confirmation, and yes, there was a "loony bin" next door.
Never ask a question while giving a sermon, because it will be answered.
There was the White Lady because she painted everything white. The attempt regarding the cat must have been either an urban legend or one performance only.
She believed Jesus was always with her, when travelling by bus always bought two tickets, and refused to let anyone sit on the apparently empty seat

 

[John Griffiths]

Artist Grayson Perry was born in Chelmsford in 1960; before going into higher education he did an art foundation course at Braintree College of Further Education.