Burford

Yes, okay. I know I didn't post these photos "tomorrow" as I had promised. Yes I'm a slacker. What are you gonna do about it!?

Aaanyawys, now we're on to Burford, our second stop in our Oxford/Cotswold day.

It's a tiny little town, quite close to Minster Lovell, and about the same size, as you can see:

This is the church of St. John the Baptist. It was built (parts of it) in 1175 and it's pretty cool.

It's even got a graveyard, although most of the tombstones that could be read were dated around the 18oo's.
Here's a brief history of the chuch, thanks to their website:

• The building of the church is believed to have started around 1175, possibly on a site already used for worship
  
• The church was altered and enlarged over three hundred years, funded by rich fleece merchants. North and south transepts were added, along with a south aisle and the separate Guild Chapel
  
• In 1495, wool merchants built the soaring tower and wealthy tradesmen added the grand porch and chapels either side of the chancel, with the Chapel of St Thomas above a bone crypt
  
• The Guild Chapel was finally incorporated into the church and re-named The Lady Chapel
  
• In 1649, the church became a temporary prison for 340 rebel Cromwell soldiers, known as the Levellers, three of whom were executed in the churchyard.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the Levellers:
"The Levellers were a political movement during the English Civil Wars which emphasised popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law, and religious tolerance, all of which were expressed in the manifesto "Agreement of the People". They were one of the largest factions on the Parliamentarian side during the English Civil Wars."

"It was May 1649, the end of the English Civil War. A mass of troops were being disbanded in Salisbury without pay and with little prospect of getting what they had been fighting for. Eight hundred troops sacked their officers, elected new ones and marched north, over several days, to Burford, with Cromwell on their heels. Despite his promise of peaceful negotiations the following day, Cromwell charged into the town at midnight with 2,000 horsemen.

340 of the Levellers were rounded up and imprisoned in Burford church, where carvings from the incarcerated soldiers can still be seen to this day.

Next morning three of the leading Leveller soldiers were summarily executed against the church wall, where you can still see the bullet holes.

The folloing night Cromwell was treated to a slap-up banquet and awarded an honorary degree at Magdalen College Oxford. The last thing Cromwell wanted was democracy."

And that's what eventually led to this plaque:

And this is how you enter the church. I went in, and it was quite lovely inside, although I didn't take any pictures - I'm not sure what the little old man guarding the church would've said.
After the cathedral I spent most of the free time wandering down main street, where they keep everything exciting. I spent some time in a local bakery where I had a lovely little pasty for lunch and contemplated buying a little wooden doorstop with a plump carved chicken on it. I didn't. But I sure thought about it.
See? Awfully pretty view.
There's even random little signs everywhere to remind you where you are. Isn't that nice? They are so considerate there.

All in all Burford was a lovely little town. Hope you enjoyed these photos.

I won't promise and say that I'll put the Oxford photos up tomorrow, because I might not. I'm a hooligan like that - you'll just have to deal with it. They'll be up eventually!