Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Monday 24 May 2021

Out Lady in the Wall at Boston


Another later medieval Lincolnshire place of devotion appears to have been a statue of the Virgin and Child built into the walls of Boston. There appears to be little recorded about it, but it may be significant that the Guild of St Mary was that of the urban patriarchate in the town. Their Guildhall survives and there is an account of its history at Boston Guildhall

Such a situation would be similar to Coventry, with popular devotion focussed on the Guild of Corpus Christi and extending beyond the town, and, of course, their annual play cycle.

Boston was well before the late fourteenth century when the Guild was incorporated one of the largest towns in the country and a major port, particularly for the Hanse and the trade with Norway and Denmark. In such matters the patronage of Our Lady was doubtless sought before and after voyages.

Our Lady of Boston Pray for us


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