Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-29
GLASTONBURY ABBEY
No Place in All England Said
to Be So Historic.
ACTUAL AND LEGENDARY
Fear Among British That Some Ameri-
can Will Buy It.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA LEGEND
Interesting Traditions and Associa-
lions About the Old English Town.
Its Former Magnihcence.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA LEGEND

Special CaSlegram to The Star.
LONDON, June %, 1907
Great fear has been expressed lest Glas-
tonbury Abbey, which was sold at auc-
tion recently should be acquired ty an
American. / understand that an Ameri-
can OFFER for 1t was refused by the owner.
who would not consent even to an ar
rangement similar to that by which ex-
Mayor Grace of New York has como into
temporary possession of another OF Eng
lands great historic places--Battle Abb
hey. Glastonbury was sold few days
ago to an Englishman who wishes to
cultivate the surrounding district with
view Of getting into parliament. There
is no place in England with such an
ancient history. both actual and legend
ary as Glastonbury.
The small towns and hamlets that dot
the face of the West Country are not as
the great centers of the Midlands and the
North-places of mean streets and smoke
and squalor. Rather they add to the
beauty of the landscape. and with their
Gothic shrines-they possess a glory Of
their own. OF these small country towns
of the west none is more delightful than
Glastonbury. Once a great name in the
ecclesiastical world 1t now stands aside
from the turmoil Of the twentieth CEN
fury. hidden away among the rolling
hills of Somerset. Not only has the town
Itself witnessed the making Of history.
but the country all around Is also filled
with the ghosts Of the past-with memo
Sles of Arthur and Guinevere. of the luck
less Duke of Monmouth. crushed few
miles away at Sedgemoor; of the &C.
clesiastical jealousies which used TO CEN
ter around the Cathedral of Wells, six
miles away: of the sanity Ken: Of Field
ing, born at Sharpham. close by.
Founded First Christian Church.
The glory of Glastonbury was its abbey.
of which only the ruins remain. The legend
is that Joseph of Arimathea came hither
and founded the first Christian church In
Britain. He planted his pilgrims staff on
Wearyall Hill, and there the staff took root
and grew into the holy thorn, which bios
somed every Christmas eve. The thorn nat
urally attracted pilgrims from all parts, but
after the reformation 1t was cut down by
Puritan.
Here also was ST. Joseph buried, but not
until he had, according to tradition. depos-
tied for safe keeping In hiding place In
one of the hills adjacent to the town the
sacred cup from which our Lord drank at
His Last Supper, the mystic Holy Grail,
venerated and extolled in story and poem.
The great St Patrick, too, came from Ire
land to Glastonbury, and is said to have
lived and ended his days at the monastery
which he largely assisted to found. The
great hero of legend, King Arthur himself,
isle of Avalon" where he was to rest In
peace until the time appointed, when he
was destined to return and deliver his peo-
pie from their heather oppressors But
nevermore did he return, and later his
bones and those of his beautiful but erring
wife, Queen Guinevere. were found buried
in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey.
Many Stories Told.
Many stories are told of the time when
the famous ST. Dunstan held sway as the
Abbot of Glastonbury. and not the least
well known of these is the fantastic tale OF
his interview with the devil himself whom
ST. Dunstan seized by the nose with pair
of red-hot -incers. In addition to those
notable persons already mentioned, per-
feet host Of English kings and illustrious
statesmen and scholars have left traces or
their connection with Glastonbury and Its
abbey, during the time when 1t hour1shed as
one of the most mighty and powerful insti-
tutions of it's kind down to the date OF the
dissolution Of the monasteries In the reign
of Henry VIII
OF its former magnifcence 1t can be truly
said that its treasures of gold and silver.
its miracle-working relies, Its stores or
written learning were known the world
over, and devout Christians made pilgrim
ages to Glastonbury from the uttermost
ends of the earth. Now its glories are
faded, but enough remains to show what
has once been, and those whose travels
have taken them the world over have said
that what now remains of this one-tlme
great. abbey is not to be surpassed in SYM
metry of architectural design and loftiness
of conception by any existing remains OF
past or present civilization.
Old Clock Made by Monk.
There used to be an old clock at the
abbey made by Peter Lightfobt. one Of
the monks in 1885. The hours ard min
utes were marked in separate circles on
the dial, one within the other, and the
hands moved separately, each around Its
own circle. The clock remained in the
abbey until the dissolution of the mon
asteries, when it was removed to Wells
Cathedral
In Wells it remained for $50 years, and
then. after lying idle in the crypt for
some time, the mechanism was removed
to South Kensington, where 1t is. or was
until few years ago. still working, after
a life of over 500 years But II the
mechanism has gone. the outward ap-
purtenances of the clock still remain in
Wells Cathedral.
A brave figure of a man, locally known
at Jack Blandiver, kicks a bell at each
quarter, and at the hour four horsemen
gallop furiously around circular course,
one OF their number being felled in each
encounter ny his antagonists.