ROLL CALL TO ALL MEMBERS !!!!

[Diane Amberg]

Whitby Abby is that the one in North Yorkshire and the ruins sit right on the coast? We have friends up in Consett, near Durham, and we have driven all over that area including the beautiful city of York.
A nun from that Abby must be a neat character to portray. Was she a real person or is she fictional? How do you research the costumes?
  If you go 'way back my mom's family was from Kilmarnock Scotland. Dean Castle is still there. Unfortunately my ancestor fought with Bonnie Prince Charlie and lost his head over it at the Tower of London.
I don't know much about St. Bridget. Share when you have time.

[farmgal67357]

Whitby Abby is that the one in North Yorkshire and the ruins sit right on the coast? We have friends up in Consett, near Durham, and we have driven all over that area including the beautiful city of York.
A nun from that Abby must be a neat character to portray. Was she a real person or is she fictional? How do you research the costumes?
  If you go 'way back my mom's family was from Kilmarnock Scotland. Dean Castle is still there. Unfortunately my ancestor fought with Bonnie Prince Charlie and lost his head over it at the Tower of London.
I don't know much about St. Bridget. Share when you have time.

Aethelthritha is fictional. We aren't allowed to use historical, real people as persona's. A lot of costume research is done by simply looking at the art work of the time you are interested in. And of course there are libraries and online resources too.

Here's a biography of St. Brigid/Bridget:

Saint Brigid, "the Mary of the Gael," was born around 450 in Faughart, about two miles from Dundalk in County Louth. According to Tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was Brocessa (Broiseach), one of his slaves.

Even as a child, she was known for her compassion for the poor. She would give away food, clothing, and even her father's possessions to the poor. One day he took Brigid to the king's court, leaving her outside to wait for him. He asked the king to buy his daughter from him, since her excessive generosity made her too expensive for him to keep. The king asked to see the girl, so Dubthach led him outside. They were just in time to see her give away her father's sword to a beggar. This sword had been presented to Dubthach by the king, who said, "I cannot buy a girl who holds us so cheap."

St Brigid received monastic tonsure at the hands of St Mael of Ardagh (February 6). Soon after this, she established a monastery on land given to her by the King of Leinster. The land was called Cill Dara (Kildare), or "the church of the oak." This was the beginning of women's cenobitic monasticism in Ireland.

The miracles performed by St Brigid are too numerous to relate here, but perhaps one story will suffice. One evening the holy abbess was sitting with the blind nun Dara. From sunset to sunrise they spoke of the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the love of Christ, losing all track of time. St Brigid was struck by the beauty of the earth and sky in the morning light. Realizing that Sister Dara was unable to appreciate this beauty, she became very sad. Then she prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over Dara's eyes. All at once, the blind nun's eyes were opened and she saw the sun in the east, and the trees and flowers sparkling with dew. She looked for a while, then turned to St Brigid and said, "Close my eyes again, dear Mother, for when the world is visible to the eyes, then God is seen less clearly by the soul." St Brigid prayed again, and Dara became blind once more.

St Brigid fell asleep in the Lord in the year 523 after receiving Holy Communion from St Ninnidh of Inismacsaint (January 18). She was buried at Kildare, but her relics were transferred to Downpatrick during the Viking invasions. It is believed that she was buried in the same grave with St Patrick (March 17) and St Columba of Iona (June 9).

Late in the thirteenth century, her head was brought to Portugal by three Irish knights on their way to fight in the Holy Land. They left this holy relic in the parish church of Lumiar, about three miles from Lisbon. Portions of the relic were brought back to Ireland in 1929 and placed in a new church of St Brigid in Dublin.

The relics of St Brigid in Ireland were destroyed in the sixteenth century by Lord Grey during the reign of Henry VIII.

The tradition of making St Brigid's crosses from rushes and hanging them in the home is still followed in Ireland, where devotion to her is still strong. She is also venerated in northern Italy, France, and Wales.

[Diane Amberg]

Thank you.That's very interesting.

[farmgal67357]

You are very welcome! I like the part about her giving all her dad's stuff away! That's just funny to me.  Dad just didn't get it.....

Lisa

[upoladeb]

with all the new members i thought they might like a chance to introduce their selves,Hello and welcome in advance.

[tom_mcglashen]

Thomas McGlashen
My Great grandfather William McGlashen founded Longton KS after the Civil War
with William Hoffman (my Great Grandfather on the mathernal side).

William McGlashen born in 1841 in Scotland and came to the US in 1863 just
in time for the Civil War.
William McGlashen born 1841 Kilmainock , immigrated to US 1860,
Probably through Boston Salem MA , then took the Railroad to Illinious
AYRSHIRE, KILMAINOCK, SCOTLAND (P. O. Longton KS, was born in Scotland in 1841

He is buried in the GAR Cemetary in Prowlers County Colorado.

I live in San Jose California and am a software engineer age 71.

I have a lot of photos of the Dunlops, McGlashens, Hoffmans etc.
Should goto the historical society.

There is some confusion as after 1860 Elk was divided
Into 2 counties and the original names of towns county
Must be mapped to the current county, town, ply.

tom_mcglashen@yahoo.com

[Teresa]

What an interesting chap you sound to be.. LOL 
Welcome!
Everyone here loves History and pictures.. ~~ so we"ll be excited to see what you have 

[Mom70x7]

Just wandered down memory lane - we've had some terrific people on this forum. Thanks! 

[Diane Amberg]

I agree. It's a shame that some with ulterior motives had to grab the forum and create political factions out of everything.