Minster Lovell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Minster Lovell is an English village in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, by the river Windrush.
The nearest station is Charlbury railway station on the Cotswold Line.
[edit] Local Attractions
Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote – The extensive ruins of a 15th century Manor house, once belonging to Lord Lovell. A medieval dovecote is located nearby. It is in ruins and is owned by the National Trust. It is easily accessible from Oxford via taxi or bus. There is a public walkway over private land via "kissing gates" across a pasture.
An anecdote about the manor house regards a wedding mystery. As was custom in the 1500s, a very young bride was wedded to a very young huband in the Minster proper. After the ceremony the younger folks played a game of "Hide and Seek". The bride was to hide and the wedding party to find her. She went missing and was never discovered. Foul play was suggested and the two families left the area quite annoyed with one another. Some time passed and the owners of the manor house decided to relocate to another household.
During the move they were moving the kitchen implements also. In those days there was no regfrigeration so lead lined, tight sealed boxes were used to keep vegetables fresh. Upon moving one of the rarely used boxes the moving crew felt extra weight. Opening the box they discovered the almost perfectly preserved reamins of the bride. It was apparent that when she was getting into the box to hide the heavy lead lined lid fell and struck her in the head, rendering her unconscious. She then suffocated and this is why she was never found.
