Heelstone Foxhound Shrines
Garry Denke
Malmesbury, Wiltshire County, and the surrounding area, have some
astonishing links to the United States, especially when you consider
both the town's size (Pop: 4631), and rural location. Historically
Malmesbury was a center for learning and home to Malmesbury Abbey.
Once the site of an Iron Age fort, it is the oldest borough in
England.
1. Penns of Pennsylvania – came originally from this district. The
family lived in Minety in 1560 and one of the family members was Law
Clerk of Malmesbury, who died about 1590. Some of the family are
buried in Minety itself. Also one of the older buildings in Minety, a
house called "The Mansells", was the home of the father of the famous
William Penn.
2. Sir Lawrence Washington – one of Malmesbury's earlier and most
respected members of parliament, Lawrence Washington resided in
Garsden Manor. He is an ancestor of George Washington, the first US
President, and is buried in Garsden Church. Of particular interest is
his ownership of Stonehenge, Wiltshire County, for over five decades.
3. Nancy Hanks – the mother of Abraham Lincoln was a Malmesbury woman.
Her family went on to America to settle. Abraham Lincoln got most of
his looks from his mother's side, and some say also his drive and
initiative. The Hanks, some of whom still reside in the area, are one
of the oldest families in Malmesbury, dating back to the Saxon era.
Nine miles (14 km) from Malmesbury towards Washington's Stonehenge is
the 3rd century BC "Hound Lord" dog shrine: hall, hostel, shops, and
priest's house; at Nettleton Shrub, Wiltshire County. After 69 AD it
was dedicated to Apollo Cunomaglus for cult worship. Penns,
Washingtons, and Hanks frequented the Heelstone Foxhound Shrines.
http://northstoke.blogspot.com/2008/01/roman-temple-of-nettleton-scrubb-to-be.html
http://theologica.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=3jex5v58wnokb&month=03&year=2007
Garry Denke