St Thomas of Brentwood Town Pilgrimage Children's Version

Welcome to your very own pilgrimage.

Brentwood’s church is named after St Thomas of Canterbury. St Thomas was made a Saint after he was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. Christians look up to St Thomas as a very holy and good person. After his death more than 800 years ago, Christians used to walk to Canterbury in his honour. They were called pilgrims.

The pilgrims used to stop in Brentwood on their way. To help them, a chapel was built in Brentwood 800 years ago. You can still see the ruins in front of the Baytree centre.

You can walk your own pilgrimage around Brentwood this summer. Look out for the stops on the way and learn more about towns on the route between York and Canterbury. Mark your journey on the map and see how far the pilgrims had to walk by adding up all the numbers on the location signs. Don’t worry, our pilgrimage is much shorter!

Start at A - York York is halfway between London and Edinburgh in Yorkshire. It has a beautiful Cathedral, called York Minister, built more than 1000 years ago.

1. Edinburgh is the capital city of which country? 2. The choristers at York Ministers wear red robes. What colour robes do the choristers at St Thomas’ wear? If you go to Brentwood Cathedral, what colour robes do they wear? Stop B - Selby Selby has an Abbey which was built more than 900 years ago. Monks, who devoted their life to serving God, used to live in the monastery at the Abbey. The Abbey has a famous window called the Washington window in memory of John Washington who was related to George Washington, the first President of the USA. 3. Can you see parts of the USA’s flag in the Washington Window? 4. What is the USA’s flag often called?

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 2 Stop C - Gainsborough More than 1000 years ago, Gainsburgh was the capital of and Denmark. It didn’t last long – after five weeks, the King died and his son moved somewhere else.

5. What city is the capital of England today? 6. What is the name of the river that flows through it? 7. What is the name of the castle by Tower Bridge?

Stop D - Lincoln The Cathedral at Lincoln was the tallest building in the world for over 200 years (1300–1549) but the central spire fell down in the sixteenth century and was not rebuilt. Lincoln is known for its cloth and wool, and Lincoln weavers produced Lincoln Cloth that was dyed "scarlet" and "green".

8. Can you think of someone who used to wear clothes of ‘Lincoln green’? 9. Who was his religious friend?

Lincoln City Football team are nicknamed the Imps after a carved stone figures inside Lincoln Cathedral.

Stop E - Grantham Grantham is a market and industrial town in Lincolnshire, also on the river Witham.

St Wulfram's Church, Grantham, is a parish church in the Church of England in Grantham and its chief feature is the slender spire which stands 282.5 feet (86.1 m) high. The spire is the sixth highest in the country.

10. Isaac Newton went to school in Grantham. Which fruit is linked to his discovery of Gravity?

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 3 Stop F - Stamford The name Stamford means "stony ford". Stamford has been an important town since Roman times and it was the Romans who built Ermine Street, which crossed the River Welland to the west of the town, and runs as far as Lincoln.

William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey started the annual Bull run after he had seen two bulls fighting in the meadow beneath his castle. One of the bulls escaped from the meadow and the Earl rode after it to catch it. He enjoyed this so much that he started the annual Bull Run which ran for over 600 years

11. A bull is male. What is the name of the female of the same species? 12. What item of ‘jewellery’ does a Bull often wears through its nose? Stop G - Peterborough Peterborough is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea 30 miles (48 km) to the north-east of the town.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the three high gables of the West Front, was founded as a monastery in AD 655 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238.

Two Queens are buried at Peterborough Cathedral: Catherine of Aragon and Mary, Queen of Scots.

13. Who was Catherine of Aragon married to and which of his 6 wives was she? 14. What happened to her?

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 4 Stop H - Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, chartered by King John in 1205. The name means "The huntsman's hill" or possibly "Hunta's hill". It was a well- known stop for coaches in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the George Hotel. The George Hotel was named after Saint George of England in 1574 and a famous highwayman is said to have been a customer.

15. Do you know the name of the highwayman? 16. Do you know what the name of his horse was?

Stop I - Cambridge Cambridge is a university city and the county town of Cambridgeshire, on the River Cam. The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 by Oxford students fleeing from hostility. The oldest existing college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284. The buildings of the university include King's College Chapel, Cavendish Laboratory, and the Cambridge University Library

The River Cam running through the city centre is used for boating and the University and its colleges are well known for rowing.

17. Who takes part in the famous annual Boat Race? 18. What are members of the crews traditionally called? Hint: it is a colour.

Don't forget to add up how many miles the pilgrims walked... You will need the total to claim your treat at St Thomas' Church

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Stop J - Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in north . People have lived in the area from the Stone Age period. After the Norman invasion of 1066, a stone church and castle were built. Walden Castle dates from about 1140. St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden was built at the end of the 15th century. It is now the largest parish church in Essex.

The town is best known for the saffron crocus that was widely grown locally. The stigmas of the flower were used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an expensive coloured dye called Saffron.

19. Saffron makes a dye. Do you know what colour it makes?

Stop K - Chelmsford There has always been a settlement in and around Chelmsford since ancient times. In AD 60, a Roman fort was built and a civilian town grew up around it. The town was given the name of Caesaromagus (Caesar's field or Caesar's marketplace).

Chelmsford is known as the birthplace of radio. In 1899, Guglielmo Marconi opened the world's first "wireless" factory under the name 'The Marconi Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company. In June 1920 the factory was the location of the first official publicised sound broadcast in the featuring Dame Nellie Melba, using two 450- foot (140-metre) radio broadcasting masts.

The church of St Mary the Virgin was probably first built along with the town around 1200. It became a cathedral when the Anglican Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914 and is the seat of the Bishop of Chelmsford. It is officially the second smallest Cathedral in England behind Derby Cathedral.

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20. Chelmsford has a prison for men. A popular TV comedy series filmed a special episode there. Do you know what the TV series was called? Hint: You might eat this cereal for breakfast, especially during the Winter. 21. What is the river called that goes through Chelmsford?

Stop L - Brentwood Brent was middle English for “burnt”. This area was covered by a large forest and a major occupation was charcoal burning. The town was on a crossroads where the Roman road from Colchester to London crossed the route the pilgrims took over the River Thames to Canterbury.

Thomas Becket, (also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket), was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170 in Canterbury Cathedral by followers of the King. A chapel was built in Brentwood on or around 1221 and became a popular stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

Pilgrims Hatch, or 'Pilgrims' gate', was probably named from pilgrims who crossed through on their way to the chapel.

22. Do you know where you can find a statue of Thomas Becket with a sword through his head? Stop M - Tilbury is a town in Essex on the north bank of the river Thames. It has a 16th-century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry which was important to the early Pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. Today, Tilbury is the principal port for London. Huge ships holding lots of containers dock there. The largest container ships carry as much as a freight train 44 miles long! 23. There is a seaside resort where the River Thames flows out to the sea. Do you know what it is called?

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 7 Stop N - Gravesend Gravesend lies north of the Roman road (now called Watling Street) connecting London with the Kent coast. John Rolfe married Pocahontas, daughter of the local Native American leader Powhatan in 1614. A year earlier Pocahontas had converted to Christianity and she was renamed "Rebecca" when she was baptised.

John Rolfe and his wife Rebecca (Pocahontas) travelled to England and were preparing to return to Virginia. They boarded a ship in London but it had only sailed as far as Gravesend before Rebecca fell ill. She died shortly after she was taken ashore. She is buried at the parish church of St George, Gravesend. There is a statute of Pocahontas in the grounds of the church, a replica of one in Virginia USA. 24. The early Pilgrims had to cross the Thames in a small ferry boat. How do we cross the Thames now? Stop O - Rochester Rochester is a historic town in Kent on the banks of the River Medway. The current cathedral was built in the medieval period together with two castles. Rochester Castle was built to guard the river crossing, close to the Cathedral. The city was a favourite place of Charles Dickens.

25. These pictures are from a famous Charles Dicken’s book. Can you name the first two characters?

26. Do you know the name of the boy in the third picture?

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 8 Stop P - Canterbury - our final destination

Canterbury Cathedral is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of Canterbury. It is our final destination. Thomas Becket was the son of a rich London merchant and he grew up to be a very powerful man. Henry II and Becket became good friends. When Archbishop Theobald died in 1162, Henry chose Becket as his new archbishop of Canterbury. In this role he became the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England. This was an unpopular decision as Becket had never been a priest and people feared he would not be a good leader of the church.

Becket proved everyone wrong. He became very caring and invited the poor into his home. He fed them and gave them money. He stopped wearing expensive clothes and began wearing monk’s robes. He slept on a stone floor instead of in a bed.

Becket also took the side of the church in several disputes with Henry. When Henry spoke out against Becket, four of the king’s knights misunderstood him. They murdered Thomas Becket on the Altar steps in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. The Christian world was shocked by Becket’s murder. In 1173, the Pope made him a saint of the Roman Catholic church. Canterbury became one of the most notable towns in Europe and a focus for pilgrimages from all parts of the world.

27.What is the name of the current Archbishop of Canterbury? His initials are JW. 28.How many schools in Brentwood are named after St Thomas?

Well done, you have finished the pilgrimage . We hope you enjoyed the walk and learning more about places on the way.

Add up the miles that the pilgrims walked and claim a treat from St Thomas' church when the church is open to visitors.

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 9 Your Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Page 10 Counting the miles the pilgrims walked.

York to Selby Selby to Gainsborough Gainsborough to Lincoln Lincoln to Grantham Grantham to Stamford Stamford to Peterborough Peterborough to Huntingdon Huntingdon to Cambridge Cambridge to Saffron Walden Saffron Waldon to Chelmsford Chelmsford to Brentwood Brentwood to Tilbury Tilbury to Gravesend Gravesend to Rochester TOTAL

@StThomasBrentwood www.st-thomas.org.uk. 01277 201094 Use #pilgrimstrailstthomas to share your journey on Social media Pilgrimage has always been an important part of Christian faith. Getting to know God is often described as a journey and going on pilgrimage is a way of letting the journey give us time to think about the the journeys of our hearts and minds.

Summer 2021