New UK Mary Garden
The Church of St Mary de Haura
New Shoreham, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, Sussex, UK
04 Dec 2003, Paula Mucha to John Stokes, Mary's Gardens
Have you seen this?
http://www.stmarydehaura.org.uk/gardens.html
(JS Note: click-link to web site added)
05 Dec 2002, www.stmarydehaura.org.uk/gardens.html
Church of St Mary de Haura, New Shoreham, Shoreham-by-Sea, West
Sussex, UK
MEDIEVAL GARDENS
Established as part of the St Mary de Haura 900th Anniversary
Celebrations, May 2003
The Mary Garden
In medieval times, a garden could have a symbolic and spiritual
dimension. The hortus conclusus or 'enclosed garden' was a sacred
area which might represent the Christian soul, enclosed in the
body, or the Church, formed of the body of the faithful. It was
also, in the late Middle Ages, an image of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, identified with the bride in the Song of Songs in the Old
Testament. In the 15th century, depictions of the Virgin in a
Paradise Garden were frequent, in particular in Flemish and German
painting. In these images, the flowers all have a symbolic
meaning, representing Mary's virtues.
By growing these flowers outside our own church dedicated to St
Mary, we have created an area of colour and interest, and also
linked ourselves with the medieval inhabitants of Shoreham, who
would have understood very well the spiritual significance of
these lovely plants:
Christmas Rose said to have flowered on Christmas Day to honour
the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, son of Mary
Cowslip 'Our Lady's Keys'. In medieval times, St Mary was often
referred to as 'Our Lady'
Daisy symbolic of purity and simplicity, it is widely portrayed
in the 'flowery mead' or meadow in medieval paintings
Forget-Me-Not 'Our Lady's Eyes'
Foxglove 'Our Lady's Gloves'
Heartsease known as 'Herb Trinity' because of its white, yellow
and purple colouring. Common in medieval paintings of Mary
Iris compared to the Virgin in mystic devotion. The blade-shaped
foliage denotes the sorrows which 'pierced her heart' in
accordance with Simeon's prophecy at the Presentation of Christ in
the Temple
Lady's Mantle 'Our Lady's Mantle'. The leaves are covered with
fine silky hairs on which raindrops can settle without wetting the
leaf. Possibly because of this it was likened to a cloak for the
Blessed Virgin
Lily regularly appeared in paintings of the Annunciation, when
the angel Gabriel greeted Mary with the joyful news that she was
to be the mother of Jesus, the Saviour of the World. The Venerable
Bede, the great 8th-century chronicler of the English Church and
people, claimed that the whiteness of the petals represented her
physical purity, and the golden anthers the radiant light of her
soul
Lily of the Valley 'Our Lady's Tears'. It was said to have grown
where she wept, and was one of the flowers used to decorate the
Lady Chapels of churches. It is shown growing in the grass beneath
Mary's feet in paintings by Jan Van Eyck
Lungwort 'Mary's Tears'. The white spots on the leaves are her
tear stains, and the changing colour of the flowers from pink to
blue represent her blue eyes reddened with weeping. Lungwort is
also known as 'Mary and Joseph'
Marigold 'Mary's Gold'. The flowers were used as a gold-coloured
die for wool, and may have been thought to symbolise Our Lady's
simplicity and domesticity
Peony gloriously rich medieval flower which featured in many
paintings and tapestries
Periwinkle 'The Virgin's Flower', probably because of its blue,
star-like flowers. Mary was often referred to as Stella Maris,
'Star of the Sea', as may be seen illustrated on our main church
notice board
Pinks also known as the 'Gilly Flower', they are considered a
symbol of the Virgin Mary
Primrose was used to decorate church altars in May, 'the month
of Mary'
Rose symbolises the Virgin herself, who was sometimes known as
the 'Mystic Rose'. Here we are growing two antique roses: Rosa
Gallica (the 'apothecary's rose') and Rosa Alba, both supplied by
Peter Beales Roses of Norfolk, a Gold Medal winner at the 2003
Chelsea Flower Show. The Gallica is thought to be the oldest
cultivated rose, the ancestor of all European medieval roses
Rosemary the pale blue flowers are said to have taken their
colour from Mary's veil when she spread it over a rosemary bush
Snowdrop 'Our Lady's Bells'. Snowdrops flower at Candlemas (The
Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, also known as
The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin), which falls on
February 2nd
Star of Bethlehem a reminder of Jesus' birth at Christmas
Violet 'Our Lady's Modesty'. The violet's delicacy, colour,
sweet scent and heart-shaped leaves refer to Mary's constancy,
modesty and innocence
Wild Strawberry designated as the fruit of the Virgin Mary and
of blessed souls in heaven. They are depicted growing in the grass
beneath Mary's feet in paintings by Jan Van Eyck
o O o
The Hospitallers' Garden
The Knights of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem,
more commonly known as the Knights Hospitallers, were a religious
order whose origin may be traced back to a hospital for pilgrims
in Jerusalem established in c.1080, shortly before the founding of
St Maryıs Church.
The Order greatly developed after the successes of the Crusaders
in 1099. Its original concern was the care of the sick poor, and
its ideas of treating the poor as 'lords' and the medical
practices in its hospitals were to have a significant influence in
medieval Europe. From the early 12th century onwards, the Order
was being granted properties in Western Europe and one such was
established here in Shoreham, although the exact date of its
foundation cannot be ascertained.
Henry Cheal, in his Story of Shoreham (1921) tells us:
"The Knights Hospitallers and Knights Templars had a contemporary
existence in the town. There is ample proof that the
establishments of both these Orders were situated on land south of
the present High Street, but long since swallowed up by the sea,
before the shingle beach was formed and the river forced to take
its present eastward course. The Adur, therefore, runs over the
site of the Conventual buildings and the shingle bank covers up
much of the land with which both Hospitallers and Templars were
endowed". He continues: "You will find in the street nomenclature
of the town, John Street probably a faint echo of those far-off
days when the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem
flourished in the town".
A further connection between St Mary's Church and the Knights
Hospitallers has been suggested by E.F. Salmon in an article
'Masons' and Other Incised Marks in New Shoreham Church' in Sussex
Archaeological Collections vol. 48 (1905), who writes as follows:
"On the south face of a pillar on the north side of the church is
a well-drawn and deeply-cut cross of a type sometimes called a
Grand Master's Cross; it has been described as a Consecration
Cross. This, however, it can hardly be, as it is not of sufficient
height from the floor-level. It was, one may well assume,
sculptured to mark an important event in the history of the
church, viz., the presence at the consecration of the newly-built
choir, on or about the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed
Virgin in the year AD 1185 of the Patriarch of Jerusalem,
Heraclius, together with Roger, the Grand Master of the Knights
Hospitallers. As is well known, His Holiness came to England at
this time to solicit the King, Henry II, concerning another
crusade, and in the absence of other evidence, Shoreham being the
chief port for the continental route, the inference that Heraclius
came by any other is extremely improbable."
From the earliest records, gardens have been associated with
religious houses. The Hospitallers in Shoreham would have needed a
constant supply of healing herbs to treat the sick, and we know
from illustrated manuscripts of the time that herb gardens were
small, neatly-ordered areas of narrow fenced beds, separated by
paths. Many plants were described as 'medicinal', and they were
relied upon for hundreds of years to provide cures or alleviations
for even the most serious illnesses and wounds; their special
properties were singled out by observation and experiment.
Our herb garden has only been established this summer, but we hope
that you will enjoy the fragrances of the plants as they mature,
and also feel a sense of continuity with the history of this
ancient town.
Planting the Hospitallers' Garden, May 2003
The following herbs may be found in the Hospitallers' Garden:
Alecost (Costmary)
Borage
Catmint
Chamomile
Clary Sage
Fennel
Feverfew
Heartsease
Houseleek
Hyssop
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Mallow
Marjoram
Parsley
Rue
Sage
St John's Wort
Southernwood
Spearmint
Sweet Cecily
Tansy
Valerian
Woodruff
Wormwood
Yarrow
Dec 6, 2003, John Stokes to The Revd Victor Standing
We were pleased recently to be informed of and to visit your new
The Church of St Mary de Haura Medieval Gardens website page at
http://www.stmarydehaura.org.uk/gardens.html
We at Mary's Gardens in Philadelphia USA have been researching the
medieval Flowers of Our Lady and assisting in their planting in
Mary Gardens since 1950, as a not-for-profit spare time religious
work - inspired by the Garden of Our Lady planted beside the
Angelus Tower of St. Joseph's RC Church in Woods Hole,
Massachusetts in 1932; and this since 1995 through our website at
www.mgardens.org.
Frances Crane Lillie, donor of the St. Josephs' Angelus Tower and
founder of its Mary Garden, informed us that her inspiration for
the garden came from "English monastery Gardens", and in particular
from Judith Smith's book, "The Mary Calendar", printed at St
Dominic's Press, Ditchling, in 1930 (see /JUS-MC.html on our
website).
A paradox of our work has been that despite its English roots,
including some 160 UK Flowers of Our Lady listed in:
- Britten & Holland, "Dictionary of English Plant Names"
- Oxford English Dictionary: "Lady", in the names of
flowers
- Dowling, "Flora of the Sacred Nativity"
- Smith, "The Mary Calendar"
- Grigson, "The Englishman's Flora"
we were able to learn of only one actual present day public UK Mary
Garden planting - in the Lincoln Cathedral cloister garden. This
was a disappointment as we had expected to find numerous UK Mary
Gardens, incorporating all the traditional expertise and beauty of
UK garden design and cultivation.
There was even forwarded to us, for reply from the US, a copy of a
letter to the London "Church Times" inquiring about Mary Gardens.
Then in 1984 we wrote, on request, an Article, "Flowers of the
Virgin Mary" for the magazine "Ave" of the Anglican Society of Mary,
following which the late Horace Keast of "Ave" wrote several
further articles on these flowers. Our overall accounts of what
we could learn about the Flowers of Our Lady and Mary Garden
tradition and planting in the UK are to be found on our website at
/NATFOLMG-UK.html and /C-UK-QU-LM-970517.html
We are therefore highly delighted to learn of your Mary Garden at
The Church of St Mary de Haura, and ask if you will postal mail us
a copy of the Mary Garden leaflet, and some some color photos we
can with your permission post to our website, with a link to yours;
and also the leaflet and some photos for the Hospitallers' Garden,
to:
Mary's Gardens
Box 30290
Philadelphia, PA 19103
USA
(Postal address not for publication - can't keep up. 500 - 1,000
website "self-service" accesses per day, from an aggregate of over
100 countries.)
Also, any further research references, and addresses of any other
UK Mary Gardens, which you may be able to provide.
With appreciation for your Mary garden, and thanks for any further
information you can provide, I remain,
Repectfully yours,
PS to Paula Mucha - Thanks for letting me know about this UK
Mary Garden - JS
Jan 30, 2004, Marion Standing
We were delighted to hear from you just before Christmas and
apologise for not replying sooner.
We shall be pleased to send you information about our Mary Garden
and some photos taken last summer (our first year).
Hoping to keep in touch with you,
Best wishes,
Feb 9, 2004, John Stokes
Thank you for your message of 30 Jan telling that you will be
pleased to send information about the St. Mary de Haura Mary Garden
and some photos taken last summer.
This is to alert you of a search we have been making for many years
for the full set of lovely Flowers of Our Lady holy Cards published
in England by the Medeci Press some 50 or more years ago - Medeci
evidently no longer being in business, nor archived.
Photos of four of these cards are viewable on our www.mgardens.org
Internet website via
OVERVIEW > Flower Cards
which tells of our search.
They surely exist in some personal or religious institution
libraries, but how to find them?
Anyone possesing these treasures would no doubt not wish to part
with them, but we would like to obtain color photos of them all to
share with others on our website.
Also, if you do not have copies for your own parish library, you
will want to obtain copies for it of:
"The Mary Calendar", Judith Smith, St. Dominic's Press,
Ditchling, 1930
(limited hand printed edition, hard to find)
and
"The Flora of the Sacred Nativity", Alfred E. P. Dowling,
Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd, London, 1900 - republished
by Kegan Paul International, London, 2002
Prayerful best wishes,