Aythorpe Roding, Woodlard Ash and Hellman's Cross walk (and the site of the execution of Elizabeth Abbot for witchcraft?)

 

Gill and I went today for a 5 mile circular walk in North Essex, starting at the ancient church in Aythorpe Roding. There are 8 settlements that take their name from the River Roding, which flows all the way into the Thames and also via Newham. 

The walk is listed in one of our earliest walking books "Walks for Motorists - Essex" by Fred Matthews (by coincidence the name of my Welsh Grandfather/Taid - no known relative). I think we did this walk around 2000 but have no record or memory of it!

It is only 45 minutes drive from East London but there is a real sense of remoteness and we came across no other walkers (even dog walkers). Only a mother leading her daughter on a pony and a few cyclists (apart from one very short stretch of road with some traffic around Hellman's Cross).  Mostly green lanes and super quiet country roads. We disturbed 4 deer who quickly ran off and we could see bird of prey floating in the skies looking for a meal. 

We stopped off at Hellmans Corner for lunch (a handy bench to sit on) and checked out the recreation of the Stocks and whipping posts at this site by the local council. The last "punishment" recorded is for drunkenness in 1860. However, it also mentioned that in 1683 local resident, Elizabeth Abbott, was burnt to death here for witchcraft. I came across this in a previous walk here in 2011.  https://www.johnslabourblog.org/2011/11/elizabeth-abbot-burnt-to-death-for.html

However, it seems that there is little evidence that this particular punishment (aka state murder) actually happened http://willowwinsham.com/uncategorized/elizabeth-abbot-and-dionisia-josselyn-two-essex-witches/#comment-21625

There was a mixture of sunshine and cloud with lots and lots of big Essex skies. No gates or styles. Rolling countryside with no hills or tough climbs. At the end of the walk we went for a drink at the "Axe and Compasses" and enjoyed watching sunset over the nearby windmill (see above). Check out more photos on my Facebook account. 

Hatfield Broad Oak from Takeley walk - Remembering a European Genocide in Hellman's Cross

This picture college is from a lovely sunny and warm walk last month in Essex near Bishop Stortford.

Only 8.75 miles in length and 36 minutes from Newham by car.

Check "Go4Walk" website here https://www.go4awalk.com/walks/walk-search/walk.php?walk=e152 (error on website site that suggests Essex is in Lincolnshire wolds - it is not!)

Quiet, pretty, gentile rolling countryside amongst chocolate box ancient villages. We hardly saw a soul during the walk.

We stopped for lunch at Hellman's Cross, which is now a peaceful rural hamlet but at this spot in  1683, local villager Elizabeth Abbot, was burnt to death as a witch.

We stopped off here on another walk in 2011. I can't find on the internet more information about Elizabeth Abbot but I note this report that :-

"From 1484 until around 1750 some 200,000 witches were tortured, burnt or hanged in Western Europe. Most supposed witches were usually old women, and invariably poor. Any who were unfortunate enough to be ‘crone-like’, snaggle-toothed, sunken cheeked and having a hairy lip were assumed to possess the ‘Evil Eye’ ! 

If they also had a cat this was taken a proof, as witches always had a ‘familiar’, the cat being the most common.

Many unfortunate women were condemned on this sort of evidence and hanged after undergoing appalling torture. The ‘pilnie-winks’ (thumb screws) and iron ‘caspie-claws’ (a form of leg irons heated over a brazier) usually got a confession from the supposed witch.". 

A shameful statistic in our near history which we should remember.