In Episode 3, Audrey (and Mrs Poo) told Richard the walls of the small parish church were adorned with plaques dedicated to members of the fforbes-Hamilton family. As I'm less acquainted with English history than its literature, the family name that jumped out to me, when my wife and I toured the St Thomas church, was not Nelson, but Bronte. In subsequent research, I've learned that Bronte, in this case, refers to a duchy, which English naval hero Horatio Nelson (and his descendants) was awarded for the pivotal role he played in several battles. So there's apparently no connection with writer Charlotte Bronte, whose novel Jane Eyre I read last year, after visiting her hometown of Haworth back in 2012.
Still, Peter Spence would have visited the St Thomas church regularly, as his in-laws owned the manor house and surrounding estate when he was creating To The Manor Born. He would have studied all the plaques dedicated to the Nelson family. As a writer, he would also have noted the Bronte name, as the novels of the three sisters--Anne, Emily, and Charlotte--are regarded as some of the most important in western literature.
I don't know what literature English teachers assign to students in English schools, but as Haworth is one of the most visited literary shrines (second only to William Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon), I'm guessing he would have read some of the Bronte sisters' stories in his youth. If he hadn't, it wouldn't surprise me to learn he read their novels before or while he wrote To The Manor Born. Such novels as Wuthering Heights by Emily, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte all speak of the demands placed upon the aristocratic families, and how dealing with those weighty responsibilities shaped the characters of the rich and powerful. What I find even more striking is how those novels resonate today with people across races, religions, and social strata. Here were three women who grew up poor, who never wielded an ounce of real power in their lives, yet their stories dealt so truthfully not only with those (like Richard and Audrey) who wielded power, and those like estate worker Old Ned and the butler Brabinger who worked for them.
Is it reasonable to assume that Horatio Nelson, and the Nelson dukes and duchesses who succeeded him, led Peter Spence to create the rich tapestry of the fforbes-Hamilton family, which Audrey continually cites in To The Manor Born? Is it likely that the repeated mention of the Bronte name helped Spence create more than just an ordinary sitcom, but also a romance that attracted some of the highest viewing figures for any show of its era? Is it likely those plaques inside the St Thomas Church, in their small way, helped him create a saga still beloved around the world, and deemed one of the most important British sitcoms ever?
Well, they couldn't have hurt, could they?
Dragon Dave
In the final scene of Episode 3, "The Rhythms of the Earth," the following Sunday morning service ends, and Richard leaves the church with Marjory Frobisher. The Vicar thanks him for reading the Bible lesson, and Marjory gushes that Richard read it beautifully. Then Audrey arrives, confused that the service is over. "Ah," the Vicar replies, "there's always one on the day the clocks go forward."
Poor old Ned. While fixing Audrey's clock, he forgot to adjust for the spring time change!
With a grin, Richard suggests that this is the first Sunday in the long history of the church in which a fforbes-Hamilton hasn't attended a service. Nonplussed, Audrey counters, "If you look at the walls inside our little church, I'm sure you'll find that lots of fforbes-Hamiltons were there this morning."
As my wife and I toured St Thomas Church, we saw several plaques dedicated to one family. With apologies to Audrey, it wasn't the fforbes-Hamilton family that adorned the sanctuary walls. Instead, it was the prestigious family of Horatio Nelson.
Horatio Nelson was an eighteenth century naval officer whose tactics and strategies helped defend England during the Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded as single-handedly saving Britain time and again. Perhaps, had he been less bold or brilliant, Britain might be part of France today.
His statue adorns a pillar that towers above London's Trafalgar Square, and he is still celebrated for his inspiration and leadership.
I'm not an expert on English history, but I've visited Trafalgar Square twice now. I'm guessing that, by the height of the pillar atop which they've placed him, the English regard Horatio Nelson as one of their greatest military heroes.
I don't know about you, but I never would have expected to find the name of Horatio Nelson, let alone those of his descendants, gracing a small, country church in Cricket St. Thomas.
But then, sometimes you find the greatest treasures in the most unlikely places.
Dragon Dave
In Episode Three, "The Rhythms of the Earth," we hear the chimes on the church tower ring, and the organ playing. As the rector walks outside, followed by his parishioners, we realize that the Sunday morning service has just ended.
Here he shakes hands with old Ned, who has kindly agreed to perform some maintenance on the large church clock. Audrey and her friend Marjory are happy to see old Ned, but Audrey in particular has noticed the absence of Richard Devere, the new lord of the manor.
So after asking old Ned to call by the old Lodge, and take a look at her grandfather clock, she heads off to the manor, to acquaint Richard with his lordly duties.
There she informs him that there is no time for him to gradually grow accustomed to life in the country. Spring has arrived, and there are any number of tasks he must get started on immediately.
On the day we arrived at St. Thomas Church, the clock on the church tower was keeping accurate time. It was good to see that Old Ned, or his successor, still kept the clock in good repair.
One thing I never realized was how far the entrance is from the church door. I love the way the covered entryway extends out, and the masonry opens outward, ushering you to step in out of the elements, before entering the covered walkway. This gives the church a nice welcoming feeling, which I always sensed before when I saw it on TV. Now I know why.
Spring had well and truly arrived at the manor when we visited, and the landscape looked beautifully maintained. Evidently Audrey's pep talk to Richard proved profitable. Grantleigh Manor always looked like such a beautiful place to visit on TV. I was pleased to find it even more beautiful than I had imagined.
Dragon Dave
