The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Glastonbury
11:31 Dec 26 2005
Times Read: 566

Glastonbury, a small town about 125 miles or 220 km west of London, is full of myth and legend. In ancient times, Glastonbury lay in a triangle with the enormous stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury - between them they formed a world energy-point. Great circle lines go from Glastonbury to many sacred centres worldwide.

Glastonbury has long been a pilgrimage place, attracting travellers from far and wide. It was a pilgrimage place in Druidic times (2,000-2,500 years ago) and further back in Megalithic times, 4,000 years ago.



A prominent site in town is the Glastonbury Tor (tor means rocky hill or peak). The Tor has many legends connected to it. One says that it was the location of King Arthur's stronghold. Another legend says that it is the home of the Faery King and that the top of the Tor was a place of fairy visions and magic. A Celtic legend says that the hill is hollow and that the top guards the entrance to the Underworld, as well as being the home of the Lord of the Underworld, Gwyn ap Nudd.

Glastonbury is also believed to be the place known in Authurian lore as the Isle of Avalon. According to the legend, Arthur, after being mortally wounded by Mordred, was taken by a sacred boat to Avalon. And it is in Avalon that Arthur awaits the day when Britain requires his services as the "once and future king".







Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, England. The Abbey was founded in 700 AD and is said to be the resting-place of King Arthur. Henry VIII destroyed the Abbey in 1539 after the Dissolution. The monks claimed that this was Avalon.

But did the monks find Arthur's bones in 1191? Although it is possible that Arthur was buried here, his burial might have been a fraud constructed by the monks at Glastonbury Abbey and King Henry II. Arthur's burial place is not described in local legends and William of Malmesbury wrote in 1125 that his tomb was not known. Because the grave was unknown, the Celtic Breton's, Welsh and Cornish believed that he was not dead and Arthur would return to help them overthrow the Norman kings who had conquered them. Henry II encouraged the monks at Glastonbury to look for Arthur's grave. It was to Henry's advantage to show that Arthur was indeed dead in order to deflate the rebellious Welsh.



A fire had destroyed the `old church' of St. Joseph along with its valuable relics. Relics were important sources of income for medieval churches as pilgrims paid to view them. Henry II and Glastonbury Abbey may have solved both of their problems by finding the burial of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere near the Lady Chapel. The monks claimed to have recovered a leaden cross above the grave that was inscribed with the words: "Here lies buried the renowed King Arthur with Guinevere his second wife, in the Isle of Avalon". The bodies were reburied in the ruins of the Cathedral but the lead cross was lost in the 18th century.



Archaeological evidence indicates that there probably was a church at Glastonbury Abbey in the early Dark Ages. There is evidence that the monks did excavate at the Abbey and possibly found burials near the Lady Chapel. These may have been royal bones, as many early English kings were buried there. Archaeolgical excavations at Glastonbury Tor indicate that the site was occupied in the 5th century AD and was probably a fortified site. One version of the legend has Guinevere being abducted to Glastonbury Tor, which was then a fortification, held by King Melwas.

Stonehenge
11:21 Dec 24 2005
Times Read: 569






Who Built Stonehenge?

The question of who built Stonehenge is largely unanswered, even today. The monument's construction has been attributed to many ancient peoples throughout the years, but the most captivating and enduring attribution has been to the Druids. This erroneous connection was first made around 3 centuries ago by the antiquary, John Aubrey. Julius Caesar and other Roman writers told of a Celtic priesthood who flourished around the time of their first conquest (55 BC). By this time, though, the stones had been standing for 2,000 years, and were, perhaps, already in a ruined condition. Besides, the Druids worshipped in forest temples and had no need for stone structures.





Thomas Wharton

"Thou noblest monument of Albion's isle,

Whether by Merlin's aid, from Scythia's shore

To Amber's fatal plain, Pendragon bore,

Huge frame of giant hands the mighty pile,

T'entomb his Britons, slain by Hengist's guile:

Or Druid priests, sprinkled with human gore,

Taught 'mid thy massy maze their mystic lore:

Or Danish chiefs, enrich'd with savage spoil,

To Victory's idol vast, an unhewn shrine

Rear'd the rude heap; or, in thy hallow'd round

Repose the kings of Brutus' genuine line;

Or here those kings in solemn state were crown'd:

Studious to trace thy pond'rous origin,

We muse on many an ancient tale renown'd."







Present Day Stonehenge

Situated in a vast plain, surrounded by hundreds of round barrows, or burial mounds, the Stonehenge site is truly impressive, and all the more so, the closer you approach. It is a place where much human effort was expended for a purpose we can only guess at. Some people see it as a place steeped in magic and mystery, some as a place where their imaginations of the past can be fired and others hold it to be a sacred place. But whatever viewpoint is brought to it and whatever its original purpose was, it should be treated as the ancients treated it, as a place of honor .

History of Billericay
18:38 Dec 06 2005
Times Read: 581

The early years – before the Norman Conquest



Billericay is a town of historical interest. Burial mounds still exist in Norsey Woods evidencing its occupation in the Bronze and Iron Ages, with the town being born at the time of the Roman Invasion in 55 BC and 54 BC. Roman historians note that Essex was inhabited by a people known as the Trinovantes when the final wave of the Roman invasion took place in A.D.43. The Trinovantes joined with Queen Boudicca (Boadicea) in the revolt against Roman occupation and after the conquest a force of Caesar's Roman soldiers encamped on the high ground off Billericay High Street, with later fortified additions near Tye Common.



Several excavations in Billericay have revealed Roman remains. When ground was prepared for building between School Road and Billericay School Roman burials were unearthed and some of the finds have been displayed in Billericay School. The road that was built over this area was appropriately named Roman Way.



In an area known as Blunts Wall to the West of modern Billericay evidence of the Roman fortified post was discovered. Roman coins (A.D.69 to A.D.383), potters kilns, lamps, brooches and urns have also been found in the town. When the Romans were recalled to Rome in AD 410 the area was invaded by and came under Saxon rule.



The Saxons eventually settled, not in the area of Billericay High Street but two miles south at great Burstead, which in the late tenth century was known as 'Burgestede', a Saxon name signifying a fortified place. This was a fortified settlement with a market and its own civil administration and became one of the most important villages in the area.



Prior to the Norman conquest 'Burgestede' belonged to Ingvar and what we now know as Little Burstead was part of Earl Godwin's estates. He was the father of King Harold.



The importance of Great Burstead lasted until the 19th century when Billericay, which was originally in the parish of Great Burstead, grew and became the commercial centre. Between AD 527 and 839 there were twenty-one Kings of the East Saxons. King Sæberht ruled AD 604 to 616 and is rumoured to be buried in Great Burstead churchyard (among other places).