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Oldest example of written English discovered in church
Telegraph ^ | 01 Mar 2010 | Telegraph

Posted on 03/02/2010 6:23:06 AM PST by Palter

What is believed to be the first ever example of English in a British church has been discovered.

It was written half a millennia ago and its message was serious enough to be painted carefully on the wall of England's finest cathedral.

But now it seems no one can quite decipher exactly what the inscription on the wall of Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire actually says.

It was hidden for 350 years behind a monument to a local aristocrat who was 'martyred' in the English Civil War for his support of King Charles I but rediscovered in January by astonished conservators.

And baffled experts have resorted to asking members of the public with a keen eye for deciphering puzzles to have a look at the text, and a computer-enhanced version, to see if they can help out.

Tim Tatton Brown, the cathedral's consultant archaeologist, explained: "The Cathedral's conservators quite unexpectedly found some beautifully written English text behind the Henry Hyde Monument on the cathedral's south aisle wall when the monument was temporarily removed as part of the on-going schedule of work.

"I had originally surmised the text date from the 16th century, bearing in mind that the monument was erected soon after 1660. However, our researchers now suggest it was written a century earlier and therefore pre-dates the Reformation.

"My colleague Dr John Crook has made a comprehensive detailed photographic record of the script and subsequently enhanced the letter forms on his computer," he added.


The writing was carefully painted onto a wall at Salisbury Cathedral

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: church; english; godsgravesglyphs; language
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To: Vigilanteman

From the news article....

“And what the experts now think is that this could be the first example of English written in a church context - scholars were executed for translating the bible into English at that tune.”


21 posted on 03/02/2010 6:42:38 AM PST by outpostinmass2
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To: Palter

From what i can make out it says

OMG.....Cuthefene...something something...We are the world...


22 posted on 03/02/2010 6:43:49 AM PST by squarebarb
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To: PowderMonkey

23 posted on 03/02/2010 6:44:41 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: outpostinmass2

Okay, I stand corrected.

First example of English in a church context, ‘name that tune’.


24 posted on 03/02/2010 6:44:50 AM PST by squarebarb
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To: outpostinmass2

assuming it predates Henry VIII .. Salisbury is
a Catholic cathedral is it not?


25 posted on 03/02/2010 6:46:23 AM PST by rahbert
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To: Palter
...written half a millennia ago...

...when they knew the difference between millennia and millennium.

26 posted on 03/02/2010 6:48:23 AM PST by Paine in the Neck (Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Hot tea dripping down my chin. Thanks a lot :).


27 posted on 03/02/2010 6:48:33 AM PST by Spudx7
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To: Palter

“He who writes on church house walls...”


28 posted on 03/02/2010 6:48:42 AM PST by decimon
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To: rahbert

They were all Catholic cathederals in England. Even when they became the Church of England Latin was still the spoken language up until recently.


29 posted on 03/02/2010 6:50:09 AM PST by outpostinmass2
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To: outpostinmass2
"scholars were executed for translating the bible into English at that tune.”

Sounds like the work of...
spanishinquisition
30 posted on 03/02/2010 6:52:54 AM PST by PowderMonkey
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To: Palter

31 posted on 03/02/2010 7:05:14 AM PST by paulycy (Demand Constitutionality.)
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To: Dr. Ursus
Isn't the long word in the third line, "cthulhu?" And thanks for reminding me of this.
32 posted on 03/02/2010 7:05:16 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: Palter
It says....."How's that hopey, changy thing workin' out for ye."

Leni

33 posted on 03/02/2010 7:21:00 AM PST by MinuteGal (Bill O'Reilly: 9/8/09: "Communism is not a threat to us anymore"-10/20/09: "Obama is not a Marxist")
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To: flowerplough

I’m with you. First word is ‘ethylene’.


34 posted on 03/02/2010 7:32:37 AM PST by bboop (We don't need no stinkin' VAT)
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To: flowerplough

“Center right, I see ‘ethylene’”

Hah! So did I!


35 posted on 03/02/2010 7:33:30 AM PST by paterfamilias
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To: outpostinmass2
You are, of course, correct in the context of that day for religious writings in English. John Tyndale, one of the greatest names in Christiandom, was executed for publishing a landmark bible in English.
36 posted on 03/02/2010 8:11:25 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: outpostinmass2
Make that William Tyndale. My memory was probably confusing him with John Wycliffe, who did it first.
37 posted on 03/02/2010 8:15:00 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Palter

“Bingo has been moved to Tuesday nights.”


38 posted on 03/02/2010 8:56:57 AM PST by dangerdoc
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To: dangerdoc

LOL!


39 posted on 03/02/2010 9:07:38 AM PST by T Minus Four (I already have a Savior. It's a President I'm looking for.)
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To: flowerplough
Center right, I see “ethylene”, so the word to follow must be “glycol”.

Great deduction, Sherlock. Those old alchemists were more advanced than we ever thought. We may further deduce that the ethylene glycol was the main ingredient for anti-freeze even back then. I wait breathlessly for news that archeologists have dug up the first automobile.

40 posted on 03/02/2010 11:05:26 AM PST by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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