Relhan Collection : 168 Haslingfield from White Hill

Relhan, Richard, 1782-1844

Relhan Collection

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>The chapel of St Mary stood on White Hill, the highest point before the drop down to Haslingfield and a river crossing. It had become a pilgrimage site, first recorded 1432, a place of popular devotion where the Virgin Mary’s image was visited at Easter and pilgrims swelled the village’s population until the Reformation. Layer (1586-1640) recorded ‘<i>there was a chapel and the Lady Mary’s picture in it in the memory of man, where there were pilgrimages and many foolish devotions performed</i>’, but no remains of a building were mentioned. Relhan’s view is of Chapel Hill (White Hill Chapel) from Barrington, later adopted as a public road and widened to 40ft as it drops down to Haslingfield on the S side. Ridge and furrow strips with narrow balks and a ripe crop of corn are shown, but it is interesting to note that fields W of the road have no balks to divide it up. Was this already farmed by one owner? This might also explain why a shortcut to the gate could be made through the corn. Haslingfield Hall is seen in the centre of the village, before partial demolition of the Hall. In 2020 the land was arable, within hedged fields, with areas of woodland. </p><p>Palmer 1935; Spain 2013; VCH 1973 </p></p>