The tomb of Judge Clenche

in Holbrook Parish Church. The judge who sentenced Margaret Clitherow to death. The woman is not his wife, but his daughter-in- law. This fact adds credibility to the legend that he was reluctant to sentence Margaret to death for being a Catholic, because his wife was secretly Catholic. He was the first judge of Ipswich& had the favour with Elizabeth I, He moved on to bigger things & was important enough for on of the 3 south facing windows to be removed to make way for his tomb. Nothing but reports from travelling visitors remain of the Clenche mansion & gardens on Fish Pond Lane, where visitors were elaborotely treated, other than the remnants of an ice house in the woods.

Coffee Mates had a tour of the Holbrook Parish church tonight. I did it before, but it is always worth a repeat. The building of the main part of the church can dated to 1275. Not too long ago (about 100 years or so) they found a cannister with a human heart, believed to be the heart of the wife of the founder of the church. Her body is buried in Grey Friars, but her heart next to her husband in the church. These English are crazy!