Introduction
In 1165, a priest came all the way to Durham from Lixtune (possibly Lytham) on the west coast. He told Reginald of Durham a number of remarkable stories about miracles performed by St Cuthbert, patron saint of his church, and the bond with his beloved birds called ‘St Cuthbert’s Peace’.
ONE hazy summer’s day, the priest of St Cuthbert’s church in Lytham despatched his servant to shoo some birds from the kitchen garden.* Passing through the churchyard, the servant noticed a sparrow darting to and fro, and further investigation where the grass was thickest revealed a nest and a little chick. At once, he forgot everything except catching the mother.
The poor bird took refuge in the church porch, but he easily reached her. “Much good has Cuthbert done you”, he chuckled gleefully, walking off with his prize.* Yet the path through the churchyard seemed longer than he remembered. Much longer. He was still stumbling through an apparently never-ending churchyard as dusk fell.
There the priest found him, almost witless. “What’s that in your hand?” he cried. “A bird,” came the dazed reply. “She claimed Cuthbert’s Peace. I don’t know where I am or what I’m doing.” The priest led him inside the church to hear his confession, before sending him home quite well.
Reginald located the church in ‘Lixtune’, which has often been taken to be Lytham in modern-day Lancashire. He describes it as a village on the west coast, at the far northern point of ‘Chester lands’, either mediaeval Cheshire or the Diocese of Chester. Reginald included the story in a section dedicated to events in Copeland, at the southwest corner of Cumbria.
The servant was defying St Cuthbert’s Peace, the promise made to the birds of the Farne Islands by St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, before his death in 687. See posts tagged St Cuthbert’s Peace (4).
Précis
Some imp prompted a parishioner at St Cuthbert’s in mediaeval Lytham to take a mother sparrow from her chick, even though the bird sought sanctuary in the church. The saint, however, doomed the heartless man to wander helplessly in the churchyard for hours on end, until the priest rescued him and heard his confession. (54 / 60 words)
Some imp prompted a parishioner at St Cuthbert’s in mediaeval Lytham to take a mother sparrow from her chick, even though the bird sought sanctuary in the church. The saint, however, doomed the heartless man to wander helplessly in the churchyard for hours on end, until the priest rescued him and heard his confession.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, besides, if, may, must, not, ought, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Everything. Walk. Yet.
2 Garden. Pass. Servant.
3 Before. Church. Fell.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Post Box.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
