Lundi limerick #95

I really don’t know how I feel

about a young lady from Keele

her past is a mystery

she majored in history

whilst riding a Catherine wheel

 

During the middle ages, Keele was a major route from the North-West to London for laden packhorses and caravans alike. Keele Preceptory was granted to the Knights Templar sometime between 1168-69 by King Henry II. The Knights Templars, a military order and later rivals Knights Hospitallers, would charge incoming traffic to pass through their lands. This would supplement rental income from farming tenants.

Keele lies about four miles away from where I was born and has a Motorway service station, built in 1963, which was a veritable metropolis compared to anything we had seen before.

 

 

 

 

Lundi limerick #94

In Leicester a man of renown

wore nothing but khaki and brown

He always seemed drunk

on his head wore a skunk

which he thought was a beautiful crown

 

Leicester features prominently in the news at the moment, being one of the areas in the UK that has had a significant increase in cases of Covid-19 cases and, as a result, has not had any easing of lockdown regulations.

At the end of the War of the Roses, King Richard III was buried in Leicester’s Greyfriars Church a Franciscan Friary and Church which was demolished after its dissolution in 1538. The site of that church is now covered by more modern buildings and a car park. There was a legend his corpse had been cast into the river, while some historians argued his tomb and remains were destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. However, in September 2012, an archaeological investigation of the car park revealed a skeleton which DNA testing helped verify to be related to two descendants of Richard III’s sister. It was concluded that the skeleton was that of Richard III because of the DNA evidence and the shape of the spine. In 2015 Richard III was reburied in pride of place near the high altar in Leicester Cathedral. Perhaps Richard is the subject of my limerick?

 

Lundi limerick #93

A small Cornish village called Maker

has neither a priest nor a baker

It does have pub

but ay there’s the rub

for everyone there is a Quaker

 

The village exists but is not, and never has been, predominantly Quaker

You can learn a little about the village here.

Although not all Quakers (also known as Friends) are teetotal, many do practice abstinence. It is a fascinating religion and, indeed, some choose to lead a Quaker way of life but are non-theist.

Members of the various Quaker movements are all generally united by their belief in the ability of each human being to experientially access the light within, or “that of God in every one”.

I know that at least one of my readers is a Friend.

 

 

 

 

Lundi limerick #92

Knickers in Norwich are said

to be orange, or yellow, or red

No wives ever roam

when the soldiers come home

you will find they are waiting in bed

 

Over recent weeks I have given a brief description of where the town is, what it’s famous for, and other trivia associated with the place. This week you’re not getting that. Tough! You’ll have to look up wikipedia on this link! 

Instead, a brief explanation of the verse above:

During the Second World War servicemen were allowed to send Forces Mail home free of charge but they were restricted in what they could write. They could not say where they were (most did not know anyway!), what they were doing, and they were mostly only allowed to send a pre formatted and part pre printed military postal form. This meant they had to be brief in what they wrote.

This led to a much used shorthand to impart what they wanted to say.  Many will know of the acronym SWALK which meant “sealed with a loving kiss”. Other acronyms can be found here. 

NORWICH was (K)nickers off ready when I come home!

 

 

 

Lundi limerick #91

Mary who hailed from Over

pursued lots of boys through the clover

She caught them quite fast

and married the last

a lad that they called the wild rover

 

Over, is a large village in Cambridgeshire, that is destined to become bigger and bigger as it becomes more of a satellite of Cambridge and Huntingdon. It has a population approaching 3,000.

Its roots are in the 17^th century when the Great Fen in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk was drained in the 1630s.

Over is mentioned in the poem “The Old Vicarage, Grantchester“, by Rupert Brooke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lundi limerick #90

Penny from Poole in Dorset

was found up a tree in her corset

but where was her dress?

it was anyone’s guess

perhaps it was lost as a forfeit

 

Poole was a wealthy trading port and by the early 18th century had more ships trading with North America than any other English port. The resulting prosperity supported much of the development which now characterises the Old Town where there are many Georgian mansions and terraced housing.

Poole has a Sheriff, created by the town’s charter of 1568. The post is one of only 16 in England and Wales. Currently the post is held by a lady. Perhaps she may be able to solve the mystery of the missing dress!

 

 

Lundi limerick #89

A lady called Betty from Quorn

whose hips were incredibly worn

laid blame on her dancing

and all of the prancing

encountered whilst working in porn

 

I have shamelessly copied the following from the wikipedia entry for  Quorn:

The first known evidence of the village is in the Lincoln Episcopal Registers for 1209–1235, as Quernendon. Other variations of the village name over the centuries include Querne, Quendon, Querendon, Quarendon, Qaryndon, Querinden, Querondon, and Quernedon.

The quarrying of stone in Quorn began at a very early age at Buddon Wood, on the edge of the parish. Granite millstones were quarried in the early Iron Age, and under the Romans stone was quarried for building in Leicester. Some of the larger millstones can still be seen in the area, however these days they are either used as garden ornaments, or worked into seats or slabs.

Quorn Hall, off Meynell Road on the eastern edge of the village, was built for the Farnham family in about 1680. It became the home of renowned fox hunter Hugo Meynell in 1753. He established his pack of hounds there, where it continued under later masters until 1905, thus giving a name to the famous Quorn Hunt. Three Royal Navy ships have been named HMS Quorn after the hunt.

The meat substitute Quorn derives its name from this village, and began production in 1985.

 

 

Lundi limerick #88

A rich girl who hails from Rhyl

forever was seeking a thrill

she had many ploys

to meet all the boys

I think you will find her there still!

 

 

Rhyl (rhymes with HILL) is a seaside resort in the Welsh county of Denbighshire. Once an elegant Victorian resort, it declined sharply by 1990, but has since been improved by major regeneration investments. Several million pounds of European funding has been spent on developing the seafront. What happens to Rhyl, and many more places in decline, now we have left the EU, is anyone’s guess!

 

 

 

 

 

Lundi limerick #87

Rita from Richmond in Surrey

ate nothing but cabbage and curry

her stomach was loaded

it sadly exploded

she’s now just a bucket of slurry

 

The borough of Richmond was abolished in 1965 when it was replaced by the larger London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and Surrey County Council was replaced here by Greater London local government institutions, at which time the ceremonial county also changed.

Richmond is definitely a place I could never afford to live and, in  any case, I much prefer Richmond in Yorkshire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lundi limerick #86

A lady from Stoke-upon-Trent

was never quite sure where she went

She often got lost

at great personal cost

but said it was worth every cent

 

Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke, is a component town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England.

The town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1874.  In 1888, the six towns (Hanley, Burslem, Fenton, Longton, Stoke-upon-Trent, and Tunstall.) lobbied the government to become recognised as a county of “Staffordshire Potteries” but the bid failed.

In 1910 it became one of the six towns that federated to become the County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent and later the City of Stoke-on-Trent. Since federation in 1910 it has the seat of the city’s council, though Stoke-on-Trent’s city centre is usually regarded as being the nearby town of Hanley which, since federation, has been the most commercially important of the six towns.

Owing to the confusion between the town of Stoke and the larger city, there have been various calls, mainly amongst business leaders and academics, to rename either the town or the larger city. Proposals for the renamed town include Old Stoke, Stoke Minster and Stoke Town.