Nothing remarkable about that I hear you cry. Nothing remarkable about the walk either. Called at the local pharmacy to pick up a prescription but the real reason for walking was to continue my attempt to complete 1,500 miles in 2022.
I kept thinking how much easier it was during lockdown.
During lockdown there wasn't a lot to do other than attend zoom meetings, catch up on various things and go for a walk (remember those days of one walk a day in a local area with only somebody from your bubble for company - no parties unless you were the Prime Minister and avoiding anyone coming the other way. Remember too days of trying to work out what was meant by the phrase your local area). I actually got criticised for driving into Norwich which some considered not to be my local area despite the fact it's only five miles away at most.
But now all those restrictions are gone. Our hectic lives are back with a vengeance and that means it's a bit of a chore to have to go out every day to do four miles. Actually I don't have to do four miles every day as some days I put some mileage in the reserve tank by doing eight or nine.
Having said all that I'm still well on target. I have completed just under 651 miles at an average of four and a half miles per day and am on target to complete 1,650 miles in the year - well over my target. There is only one day this year when I haven't managed a walk of any kind.
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Now that's out of the way I can return to a subject I may have seriously under egged a few days ago. I like that phrase under and over egged. Not sure if I made it up or whether it's a well known phrase. I think it's probably the latter.
So I must return to Wiveton - not literally but in my mind.
There was something that triggered a thought. Mooching around the church made me think that there was something important about this small village in North Norfolk. In 2011 it had a population of just 127 people. In the 2001 census this was 158, so over the 10 year period the population had diminished. So how could this have been an important place?
A bit of research gave the answer. You see Wiveton is on the River Glaven and, until the 17th century, the Glaven was navigable and Wiveton was a port. Apparently the outline of the former harbour can be seen in the fields between Wiveton and Cley. Large transport barges used to use the port. This scarcely seems credible today in what is little more than a sleepy hamlet.
It says on the Internet that Wiveton made the national news in 1779 (was there any national news outlets in 1779?). James Hackman the newly appointed rector, was hanged for the murder of Martha Ray.
Martha Ray was a singer who had an affair with John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. She lived with him from the age of 17 while his wife was suffering from mental illness. Whilst his mistress she found time to follow a successful singing career. Ray was introduced by Sandwich to a soldier by the name of James Hackman. Hackman fell in love with Ray and proposed marriage on a number of occasions, being continually turned down.
Hackman left the army to join the church and it is likely that Hackman and Ray did have a short-lived affair. Hackman started to become a stalker, being completely infatuated by Ray. On April 7th, 1779, Ray was attending an opera in London. She was followed by Hackman to Covent Garden where he murdered her. Hackman attempted to kill himself but only managed to wound himself with a shotgun and he was arrested. He was subsequently hanged at Tyburn.
There's a photo of Martha Ray with this blog.