Katherine Parr: Prayer book written by queen goes on display
Prayers or Meditations was the first book published by an English woman under her own name and by an English queen, said Justin Croft, a specialist in antiquarian books.
A letter found with the books suggests they were hidden during the reign of Mary I, often nicknamed "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants in an attempt to restore Catholicism in England.
Possession of such items could have been a "death sentence", said the Faversham Society, which runs the Fleur de Lis Museum
The prayer books are in English rather than Latin when it was "new and contentious", said Mr Croft, adding they could have been "dangerous".
"Just a few miles away in Canterbury, Protestants were being burned at the stake for their beliefs, which included the conviction that praying in their mother tongue was part of their faith.
"Whoever owned the Faversham prayer books in the 1550s wouldn't want to advertise the fact - and probably had good reason to hide them."
Faversham Faces: Bob Geldof, Gulliver Immink and Arthur Percival
"As part of Open Faversham, we have got together with some of the resident artists based here at Creek Creative to put on our very first outside pop-up art exhibition to celebrate some of the people and stories from Faversham, past and present. Gulliver Immick Another one of Faversham's unsung heroes,
Gulliver Immick is one Faversham resident who truly gives back to our town. Former businessman, Gulliver is one of the current Trustees for Abbey Physic Gardens, a magical space in the heart of Faversham that helps people to maintain or improve their physical and mental well-being. The gardens are a haven for visitors to relax and enjoy, connect with others and learn new skills. The Abbey Physic Gardens offers a range of services and workshops. To find out more, it's well worth visiting their website here Being a trustee of one charity is pretty much a full-time commitment, but Gulliver isn't afraid of getting stuck in and supporting local causes. Until recently he was also a trustee for Faversham Creek Trust, where he was involved with a number of projects, but he is most passionate about engaging the younger Faversham residents. Often taking Ottor, a half-length replica of the famous Graveney boat that was discovered on Graveney Marshes in the 1970s, into schools for pupils to learn more about the Anglo Saxons and our coastal heritage. His passion for supporting local youth groups and his passion for our maritime heritage meant that Gulliver also volunteered for the Sea Cadets for a number of years, regularly attending events and parades. In addition to this, Gulliver has been an active campaigner for local causes and initiatives, including Faversham's 20's Plenty campaign, undertaking studies into Faversham's air pollution issues, and campaigning against the solar farm at Graveney. It is thanks to people like Gulliver that Faversham is such a lovely town to live and work in, and we hope he enjoys being part of our selection of Faversham Faces.
The Abbey Physic Community Garden was delighted to hold a Wine'd Down Evening on Thurs 17th August as part of the Open Faversham week of events.
Many members of the Community were able to enjoy an evening relaxing in our garden, eating food & drink prepared by our Mindful Kitchen, and listening to the saxophone played by Chris Peters AKA time traveller.
We look forward to being part of Open Faversham 2024.
