← The Unquiet Shire Chapter II of VI · 1 min read

Chapter II · Tichborne · 12th century

The Crawls

Lady Mabella was promised as much land for the poor as she could circle before a torch burned out. Unable to walk, she crawled around some twenty-three acres, then cursed any heir who stopped the bread dole that land paid for.

Place
Tichborne
Grid
SU 571 302
Kind
Curse
Record
Living custom

In the twelfth century, so the story goes, Lady Mabella Tichborne lay dying and asked her husband for land enough to grow bread for the poor of the parish, every year, for ever.

Sir Roger took a burning brand from the hearth. She could have whatever ground she could circle before it went out. Mabella could no longer walk, so she crawled. This chapter is still being written.