| The Blackden Trust |
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| 'A special and a different place' |
We provide facilities for research into Blackden and its surroundings
and our courses Visitors have access to primary evidence
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What's next
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Pilgrimage and Protection Tutor: Tom Hughes Going on a journey to a sacred place to worship, achieve spiritual grace or gain protection is an ancient rite that echoes in some of the superstitions we still observe today - throwing coins in wells and giving brides cardboard horse shoes are just two of the most common. There are many examples of this practice amongst artefacts found at Blackden. For instance, we have a 14th century pilgrim's ampulla for carrying holy water back from the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Using illustrations from the period and artefacts we shall examine the concept of the medieval pilgrimage, exploring reasons why people went, what they found at the shrines and what they brought back. In the afternoon we shall examine the various ways the site and the houses built on it were protected. We shall take a tour of the Old Medicine House to see markings carved in beams and examine apotropaic objects from Blackden including hidden shoes, a dried cat and foundation burials. We shall consider the survival of these traditions, which continued in parallel to worship in the Christian church.
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Archaeological dig Friday 21st - Thursday 27th August Participants: 16 and over   More details are available for this event. |
| There are more courses and visits planned than are shown above. Please go to our events page which contains a summary of all events. |
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| Home page | About us ▼ | News and events ▼ | Work in progress ▼ | Education | Resources | Support us ▼ | Links | Search | Contact us | Site map |
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© The Blackden Trust 2008 Updated: 04/07/2009 |
The Blackden Trust is a registered charity no. 1115818 |