Back to the Myddle: Day Four of an Ancestral Adventure

Back to Myddle: Day Four of an Ancestral Adventure

Following up on a tip from some locals at the Red Lion last night (yes, I did manage to tempt my children back out of the Lodge, with the promise of treats from the dessert menu!), I meet up with my Uncle, and pay a visit to a long-lost Myddle cousin, a first cousin once-removed, and – very likely the only person remaining in the village today, with whom I share any proven genetic connections!

Fortunately, a kindly lady offers to escort us to our destination, which is just as well, because the last time I met this relative was when I was about five years old, and I know she won’t recognise the middle-aged eccentric I have been transformed into. But, after a few confused moments, she identifies my Uncle and lots of smiles and hugs are had all round. This meeting leads to the exciting identification of an old tumble-down house, once lived in by my Grandad and his numerous siblings, and to the location of his second abode, his sister’s house in the Gullet, at the foot of Myddle Rock, now with a new-build in its place.

I’m on a high now, because I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a Kirsty, my favourite TV presenter on ‘Location, Location, Location’, and I’m all for buying up the old tumble-down and fixing it up. But, alas, I haven’t yet had my Lottery win, so that will have to wait. Sorry, Kirsty! So, we all say our farewells, and move on to my next, just slightly-more ambitious location – Ludlow Castle!
Why drive for an hour to Ludlow, when there are so many great locations still to hunt down in Myddle? Well, I’m fond of caves and tumble-down cottages, but I’m a great believer in aiming for the top – for a hand-me-down from my 28th Great Uncle, Walter de Lacy!

I stand, swaying in strong winds, hemming myself into a corner of the ramparts in the heights of one of my many ancestral homes. I try to imagine Uncle Walter, escorting my 27th Great Grandmother, his daughter, Agnes de Lacy across these same ramparts, perhaps to meet her suitor, Geoffrey Talbot. But it’s difficult to conjure up an image of a pristine and well-groomed medieval lady, when my hair is threatening to break free from my scalp and my son is shouting, “Come away from there, Mum! Come away from that wall, and don’t look down! Come on – you’re scaring me!” I suppose it does, at least, show that he cares. Did old Walter care for his daughter, Agnes? Was Geoffrey Talbot a looker? Or was it just a marriage of convenience, an arrangement, to set Walter up with a suitably non-threatening son-in-law – to avoid any alternative usurpers?

A further gust of wind reminds me that Walter fell to his death in 1085, during a foolhardy investigation of some building work. Time to listen to my son, and move on! I’ve been told that Ludlow boasts some find coffee shops, so I gather up my issue to investigate.

“Costa Coffee, Mum! Look, Costa Coffee! Let’s go to Costa Coffee!”

I’m easily persuaded. Although, seemingly, an expensive coffee shop back home, Costa is easily the cheapest location for a drink in Ludlow. Besides which, the children’s Cappuccino drinks are only 50p and they come with marshmallows. Sold.

Marshmallows. Ludlow. Lady of Ludlow. Bookshop. Bus. Park and Ride. Myddle. Back. Again.
Disclaimer: Please refer to the ‘Who is Jay Cool?’ post for details.