Day 12 Lotta Miles in London
Our feet are tired but our hearts are happy and content with the day today. We had some amazing experiences in London, mostly related to family history, but a couple of beautiful moments that were unique and separate from family history.
We headed out around 10 am this morning, after doing some extra research on public transportation in London, just to be a little more confident with how to get around. We walked about 1.1 miles to get to our first item on the list.
So we've been following in the footsteps of our ancestor, Nicholas Lanier, starting in Rouen, France, where he was born in 1544. Around 1561 he and his family left France and arrived in London as Huguenots. (which I think means religious refugees basically) He set up camp in the parish of St. Olave Parish on Hart Street, where he lived for about 10 years. So this was our first stop.
Only - on the way we also saw The Crutched Friar, which used to be property owned by Nicholas' son, Clement Lanier, (our 12th great grandfather), but is now a thriving Pub called by that name, which is also the name of the street.
Back to St. Olave Parish. We walk in, and there is this beautiful piano music playing. I look around, and there is a man playing the piano. So I start the video going, because it was just so perfect and welcoming to our first family history site. Soon after he was done playing, I started up a conversation with him. Turns out his name is James and he is homeless. He says he doesn't "play", but instead - he "prays". (through his music) He was so smart and kind and it was a treasure to visit with him for a bit. I offered him some money, and at first he refused, but I insisted. He said, "Well then you ought to choose one of my poems. Any one you want." And he pulls out his notebook filled with poetry that he's written. So we pick out one that seems very thoughtful and interesting to us. He offered to play a bit more while we wandered around the church. As he did so, and as I slowly walked around taking pictures and soaking it all in, I got really emotional and started to cry a little. Here I was - in London - visiting a church that was in the neighborhood of my 13th great grandfather about 450 years ago, and it was just so beautiful and peaceful and soothing to listen to him play on the piano in that moment. I was so grateful for his gifts and talents, and I will pray for him that he will be blessed and know that he is loved.
Next up, we went one block over to Mark Lane, the street where Nicholas Lanier's in-laws lived and worked. The Bassano Brothers. They made a variety of musical instruments and even wrote music as well, and were very famous for their quality of work, even selling instruments internationally. So on Mark Lane, we wanted to take a peek. It's a very short block, so we walked the entire length on both sides. The pictures that you'll see where the skyscrapers are super tall and modern - those are all on Mark Lane. This area reminded me of what Wall Street would feel like in NYC. It was very posh and high end, with everyone dressed in suits walking by. So very interesting to see the mix of ancient with ultra-modern.
Next up, we went to see Minories Street. This has changed a lot since the 1600s. The reason we chose to see this area, is because our Jones line came from this area. There is an immigration document stating that John Jones (age 15), our 9th great grandfather, came to the U.S. in 1623 with his older brother, Charles Jones (age 21), who was FROM the Little Minories Parish in London. This tells me that he lived in that area before they immigrated. So I followed my curiosity and started researching the Minories Parish and eventually it led to us being on that street today. It was only a street or two over from Hart St. and Mark Lane with all the Lanier family history!! This street is pretty industrial looking now, since it has a railway station. But the area is named for what it used to be in the past.
Next up, we went and found the old church where Nicholas Lanier was married to Lucreece Bassano. It's called All Hallows. It's actually the oldest church in London. We toured the inside, scouring for any clue or plaque that might pertain to our family names. And I FOUND ONE!! There is a plaque that mentions Margaret Bassano - wife of Arthur Bassano - who is buried underneath the church. Arthur Bassano is a brother to Lucreece Bassano - my 13th great grandmother. So there you go. There will be a quiz later, so I hope you are getting all of this!
We took a break and ate some lunch in the adjacent cafe, and that was a nice break to talk about all that we had seen and done so far. And then we made the trek to the Tower Gateway Station, where we hopped on the light rail and made our way over to Greenwich, which is across the River Thames.
We found our next stop, which was St. Alphege Church, in Greenwich, London. This is where both Nicholas and Lucreece are buried. If you look up St. Alphege Church on Google, on the search results page, it even lists Nicholas Lanier as being buried here. We could not find a plaque or anything specific, but I do have sources that indicate he is buried here. The problem is that when it's THAT long ago, they used to use wooden markers, unless there was some status where they could afford cement coffins. I'm not sure about Nicholas or Lucreece, but we do know that he had plenty of wealth. But it was sure great to BE there.
So our circle is complete. We visited Rouen where he was born. We visited the Parish that he lived within when he arrived in London. We visited the church where he was married. And we visited the church where he was buried. Today was very special and I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be here.
We wrapped up the day by shopping in Greenwich Market. And THEN - and THEN!! - we found a cool thing by accident. We walked over to see the Cutty Sark (a railway stop, but ALSO a huge clipper ship you an tour). We took a couple pictures of the River Thames, and then Charmaine found this interesting circular building near the River. She discovered that there is an underground tunnel that you can WALK underneath the River Thames over to the other side!! So WE DID!!. LOTS of bicyclists and walkers use this apparently. What a novel idea!!
And then we rode the train back to the Tower, stopped at the grocery store, got some items for dinner and here we are.
Our last stop tonight will be to go see the Tower Bridge at night, on our last night here. I will include some pictures of that as well.
Tomorrow, we are heading down to our final area - Kent. Specifically, Tenterden, Kent. This is going to be SO GREAT. TONS of family history discovery is about to go down. What a great way to wrap up this entire 2 week adventure.
Link to our photos of London:
Love ya,
Michele
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