﻿THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OF 
  ENGLAND 
  IN 
  A 
  CAXOE 
  

  

  483 
  

  

  miles 
  were 
  manufacturing 
  towns, 
  full 
  of 
  

   busy 
  people. 
  Here 
  everything 
  betokened 
  

   peace 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  man. 
  

  

  EVESHAM, 
  WHERE 
  SIMON 
  DE 
  MONTEORT 
  

   EEEE 
  

  

  Evesham 
  has 
  a 
  fine 
  position 
  in 
  a 
  loop 
  

   of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  is 
  specially 
  famous 
  for 
  

   its 
  orchards. 
  Lying 
  in 
  a 
  sheltered 
  dis- 
  

   trict 
  called 
  the 
  "Golden 
  Valley," 
  its 
  fruit 
  

   rivals 
  that 
  of 
  Kent, 
  and 
  in 
  springtime 
  the 
  

   miles 
  and 
  miles 
  of 
  pink 
  and 
  white 
  blos- 
  

   soms, 
  filling 
  the 
  air 
  with 
  their 
  fragrance, 
  

   make 
  a 
  sight 
  not 
  easily 
  forgotten. 
  

  

  Historically 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  the 
  de- 
  

   cisive 
  battle 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  great 
  popular 
  

   leader, 
  Simon 
  de 
  Montfort, 
  the 
  first 
  man 
  

   to 
  summon 
  a 
  representative 
  Parliament 
  

   in 
  England, 
  was 
  killed, 
  on 
  August 
  4, 
  1265. 
  

   The 
  victor 
  was 
  Prince 
  Edward, 
  after- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  great 
  warrior-statesman, 
  Ed- 
  

   ward 
  I, 
  who, 
  as 
  he 
  himself 
  said, 
  learnt 
  

   much 
  from 
  the 
  career 
  of 
  his 
  rival. 
  

  

  Montfort's 
  words 
  before 
  the 
  battle 
  are 
  

   immortal. 
  Seeing 
  the 
  Prince's 
  army 
  de- 
  

   scending 
  the 
  hill, 
  and 
  so 
  trapping 
  him 
  in 
  

   the 
  river 
  bend, 
  he 
  turned 
  to 
  his 
  son 
  with 
  

   the 
  remark, 
  "Let 
  us 
  commend 
  our 
  souls 
  

   to 
  God, 
  for 
  our 
  bodies 
  are 
  Prince 
  Ed- 
  

   ward's." 
  So 
  perished 
  a 
  gallant 
  gentle- 
  

   man. 
  

  

  The 
  town 
  itself 
  is 
  disappointing. 
  There 
  

   are 
  two 
  churches 
  sharing 
  one 
  church- 
  

   yard 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  "restored," 
  and 
  

   so 
  robbed 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  interest. 
  Near 
  

   by 
  is 
  the 
  Bell 
  Tower, 
  a 
  beautiful 
  Perpen- 
  

   dicular 
  structure 
  standing 
  quite 
  alone, 
  an 
  

   unusual 
  feature 
  in 
  England, 
  and 
  forming 
  

   a 
  landmark 
  for 
  miles 
  around. 
  

  

  CANAE 
  EOCKS 
  PROVE 
  A 
  TRIAE 
  

  

  Below 
  Evesham 
  the 
  river 
  widens, 
  but 
  

   still 
  keeps 
  its 
  air 
  of 
  quietness. 
  We 
  pad- 
  

   dled 
  down 
  reach 
  after 
  reach, 
  all 
  invested 
  

   with 
  the 
  same 
  spirit 
  of 
  remoteness 
  from 
  

   man 
  and 
  his 
  doings 
  and 
  all 
  beautiful 
  with 
  

   the 
  beauty 
  of 
  English 
  meadowland 
  and 
  

   woods. 
  

  

  The 
  locks, 
  which 
  below 
  Evesham 
  have 
  

   not 
  been 
  taken 
  away, 
  taxed 
  our 
  ingenuity 
  

   and 
  patience 
  very 
  highly. 
  At 
  Chadbury, 
  

   after 
  a 
  specially 
  vigorous 
  struggle, 
  we 
  

   were 
  told 
  by 
  a 
  contemplative 
  old 
  man, 
  

   who 
  watched 
  us 
  with 
  great 
  interest 
  and 
  

   amusement, 
  that 
  that 
  particular 
  lock 
  had 
  

   not 
  been 
  opened 
  for 
  two 
  years, 
  but 
  that 
  

  

  it 
  was 
  much 
  better 
  than 
  the 
  next 
  one, 
  at 
  

   Fladbury 
  (see 
  page 
  484). 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  right. 
  Fladbury 
  was 
  our 
  

   Waterloo. 
  By 
  great 
  efforts 
  we 
  succeeded 
  

   in 
  shutting 
  the 
  bottom 
  gates 
  and 
  opening 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  sluices 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  lock 
  then 
  re- 
  

   fused 
  to 
  fill, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  numerous 
  

   leaks 
  ; 
  so 
  that, 
  after 
  all, 
  we 
  were 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  to 
  portage 
  the 
  canoe 
  to 
  a 
  spot 
  

   nearly 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  below. 
  

  

  This 
  done, 
  we 
  soon 
  arrived 
  at 
  Per- 
  

   shore, 
  where 
  we 
  spent 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  ex- 
  

   ploring 
  the 
  little 
  town, 
  which 
  on 
  the 
  hot 
  

   summer 
  afternoon 
  seemed 
  wrapped 
  in 
  

   slumber, 
  before 
  tackling 
  Pershore 
  lock. 
  

   Fortunately, 
  this 
  was 
  in 
  comparatively 
  

   good 
  condition, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  managed 
  to 
  

   push 
  on 
  to 
  Tewkesbury 
  without 
  much 
  

   delay. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  few 
  miles 
  were 
  through 
  mo- 
  

   notonous 
  country, 
  though 
  we 
  might 
  have 
  

   seen 
  more 
  beauty 
  in 
  it 
  if 
  there 
  had 
  not 
  

   been 
  a 
  strong 
  head 
  wind 
  which 
  taxed 
  our 
  

   temper 
  and 
  delayed 
  our 
  progress. 
  

  

  WHERE 
  RICHARD 
  CROOKBACK 
  SEEW 
  THE 
  

   EANCASTRIAN 
  PRINCE 
  

  

  Tewkesbury 
  stands 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  

   the 
  Avon 
  and 
  Severn, 
  and 
  so 
  has 
  always 
  

   been 
  an 
  important 
  route 
  town. 
  The 
  

   greatest 
  day 
  in 
  its 
  history 
  was 
  May 
  4, 
  

   1471, 
  when, 
  at 
  Bloody 
  Meadow, 
  between 
  

   the 
  two 
  rivers, 
  the 
  Yorkist 
  King 
  Edward 
  

   IV 
  defeated 
  the 
  Lancastrians 
  under 
  

   Queen 
  Margaret 
  and 
  her 
  son 
  Edward, 
  

   both 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  captured. 
  

  

  Tradition 
  points 
  out 
  the 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  

   Avon 
  bridge 
  near 
  by 
  on 
  which 
  Richard 
  

   Crookback, 
  brother 
  of 
  the 
  king, 
  slew 
  the 
  

   Lancastrian 
  prince 
  in 
  cold 
  blood 
  after 
  the 
  

   battle. 
  

  

  The 
  town 
  itself 
  has 
  many 
  interesting 
  

   old 
  houses, 
  including 
  the 
  Hop 
  Pole 
  Inn. 
  

   at 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Pickwick 
  dined 
  on 
  his 
  

   memorable 
  journey 
  from 
  Bristol 
  to 
  Bir- 
  

   mingham, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Ben 
  

   Allen 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Bob 
  Sawyer. 
  

  

  The 
  old 
  Norman 
  Abbey 
  Church 
  is 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  stateliest 
  buildings 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  

   Country, 
  and 
  contains 
  the 
  tombs 
  of 
  many 
  

   great 
  men, 
  including 
  that 
  of 
  George. 
  

   Duke 
  of 
  Clarence, 
  who, 
  condemned 
  to 
  

   death 
  for 
  high 
  treason, 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   choose 
  the 
  form 
  his 
  end 
  should 
  take. 
  and. 
  

   in 
  accordance 
  with 
  his 
  choice, 
  was 
  

   drowned 
  in 
  a 
  butt 
  of 
  malmsey 
  wine 
  — 
  or 
  

   so 
  tradition 
  says. 
  

  

  