Last week I flew to Southern England and had a wonderful time with my son Jedd.
Wedding record for Thomas & Alice, 1619.
This was a roots trip to explore the Goble family history in Southern England. Our research has shown that I’m a descendent of Thomas Goble and Alice Brookman, married in the tiny village of Aldingbourne in 1619. By 1634 they had migrated to America. As Puritans they were looking to make a new life and escape what they saw as impurities in England.
At Heathrow we met my friend Pete Greig. We drove to West Sussex and made our way to Aldingbourne to see the 900+ year old church where my 11x grandparents were married. Gorgeous countryside surrounded the village of 15 or so homes. The church was in remarkably good shape and had a simple beauty that reflected a different age. A very sweet lady was in the church when we arrived. She showed us around and tried her best to share information about the church history. It was fun to see the crosses made by pilgrims at the church entrance (one stroke up/down when leaving for Jerusalem, one stroke left/right when returning, to create the cross). And also the Knights Templar markings in the stone. We noticed a sign on the wall that showed the churchwarden in 1670 to have been an Allan Goble; most likely a brother or nephew of Thomas.
St. Mary the Virgin Church, Aldingbourne, West Sussex
When she left us to ourselves we took a few moments to pray. Pete led the prayer, which was both beautiful and insightful. You’d expect the founder of 24-7 Prayer to offer something special, and he did. Thanks Pete.
None of us really wanted to speak afterward, so we sat in the pews contemplating the meaning of our visit. I missed my father, but I was proud to have my son with me. I thought of the things my foreparents had done to make my life better. I thought of the importance of a foundation in this world, and how fortunate I am to have a rich family history. I gazed at the cross and pondered the significance of my family worshipping the same Savior in more or less the same way for over 400-years. It all made me thankful, humbled, and hopeful.
Pete explaining the damage done to the church.
As we roused ourselves from this moment of awe, I asked Pete to show us something he had mentioned earlier. It was a bit of tangible evidence of religious fractures that led to Thomas and Alice setting off for America. In the front of the church sits the altar, but you can see signs of it having been ripped out of the church during the English Civil War. The religious tensions of that time was a decade away when Thomas and Alice left, but perhaps they saw the day coming when differences in how we express our faith would lead to violence. I’m glad they were not part of it.
Interior of the church, decorated for the wedding.
A few days later we returned to Aldingbourne and found the church decorated with flowers for a wedding. Remembering that I am here because of a wedding in 1619, it was wonderful to see the church so beautiful. Made me wonder if Grandma Alice would have decorated it the same way. I mentioned this to one of the dear women doing the decorating, and she said, “Of course. The flowers we are using are all local and would have been readily available in 1619.” How very cool.
So that is how our trip began, and I hope to share more over the next few days. If you want to see more photos of Aldingbourne, click here.