The Henson Journals
Fri 15 August 1930
Volume 50, Pages 218 to 219
[218]
Friday, August 15th, 1930.
We had much interesting conversation at breakfast, and parted in high good humour. Peers and I left Rock Hall about 9:30 a.m. and motored to Warkworth Castle, which I had never yet seen. This is a north pile of the 14th and 15th centuries, & makes a grand feature of the landscape. We went on to Chesters where we inspected the Roman Camp, and the museum. Then we lunched at Hexham, and visited the Priory Church. We satisfied ourselves that the rib arrangement of the Anglo–Saxon Crypt, which we had observed in Ripon was to be found also in Hexham. The verger, a young & self–confident man, gifted with the omniscience that belongs to his class, showed us the many interesting features of this magnificent church. The apse of Wilfrid's church, and a tomb which, without any obvious reason, was alleged to be Acca's, was especially noteworthy. We agreed that the Bishop's Chair may be reasonably regarded as Wilfrid's own. We motored back to Auckland, & arrived to find Ella "cumbered with much serving".
[219]
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The newspapers give great prominence to the Encyclical & Resolutions of the Lambeth Conference, most of them print these documents almost in extenso. There seems to have been little harm done during my absence, and the numbers voting for and against the Birth–Control Resolution are recorded. One Bishop, Walter Carey, of Bloemfontein, "clears his conscience" by making public his vehement dissent from that Resolution. Probably, we shall have some other disclaimers.
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Lazenby writes to inform me that there is trouble brewing in Pelton. A numerously–signed petition of the parishioners has been addressed to the Chancellor asking for a faculty to order the removal of a series of illegal ornaments which Merryweather has illegally introduced into the parish church. The Chancellor suggests that I might possibly induce M. to remove items of his own accord. I might as well invite the treat Tower of Durham to afternoon tea. The man is an ignorant bigot, and, I do verily suspect, not quite sound in his head.