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Pilgrims Way


The Pilgrims' Way is about 190km (120 miles) long and runs from Winchester to Canterbury or London to Canterbury depending on which route you take and what you think of as being 'official'. The route from Winchester to Canterbury can, from Farnham, be walked along the North Downs Way.



The Pilgrimage can about after the death of Thomas Becket (canonized in February 1173) and the site is now considered to be the most holy in Britain.





Becket was born to Gilbert and Matilda into a prosperous family in Cheapside London in 1118 and was educated at Merton Priory and then Paris and London before entering business and was soon a part of the retinue of the Archbishop of Canterbury (named Theobald) and went to Rome and studied canon law at Bologna.



In 1155 King Henry the second made him Chancellor of England and the two were close friends who hunted, joked, feasted and debated together and reformed the Kingdom after Stephen's reign.

Becket lived a lavish lifestyle (although in private was said to lead a chaste and austere life) and increased taxes particularly upon the Church.



Henry convinced a reluctant Becket to become the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 and expected his help in all things particularly in the matter of 'benefit of clergy' whereby anyone who could read and write, whether or not they were ordained, could, if accused of a crime, be tried by the Church courts without involving the King (or his laws). Henry wanted clergy convicted by the Church Courts to be handed over to him as well as a formal say in bishops' elections. Becket refused both of these desires which caused him to be mocked in Court.



This situation made Becket ill and on 2nd November 1164 he went into exile. Henry responded to this was the banishment of Becket's friends, servants and family.



Becket managed to rally the Pope to his who threatened to excommunicate Henry as well as France's King. Because of this a reconciliation was arranged in France and Becket returned to Canterbury in 1170 to the rejoicing of much of the population.



Becket had not changed his mind about anything though and was further angered in June when the archbishop of York with the bishops of Salisbury and London crowned Henry the Young King in York which broke Canterbury's right of Coronation causing Becket to excommunicate all three a punishment he gave to several other of his enemies in the Church.



Becket seemed to be aware that death may be forthcoming and some reports suggest he was eager to become a martyr.



Henry's courtier's got him into such an anger about Becket that he uttered the words, 'What cowards have I about me, that none will rid me from this turbulent low-born Priest?' Four knights heard these words: Fitzurse, de Morville, de Tracy and le Breton who all left for England and Canterbury.



On December 29th the four, and de Broc, delivered an ultimatum to Becket for him to appear at Court to answer for his misconduct. There was a violent argument and the knights left, got their swords from where they had left them under a tree and tried to force entry into the archbishop's chamber but terrified monks pulled Becket into the sanctuary of the Church.



At around five o clock the five men burst into the cathedral and called for Becket to surrender and attempted to pull him from the Sanctuary but Becket, and Brother Grim, resisted. Becket was attacked and was reported by Grim to have said, 'For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.' Becket was killed after which his skull was crushed.



Soon miracles began to occur and Becket was canonized in February 1173 By Pope Alexander III.



Henry was in trouble, fighting his son in Normandy and powerless against the king of the Scots, William the Lion, and so decided upon an act of penance by undertaking a pilgrimage to Canterbury arriving barefoot, blood streaming from his feet. He fell at his knees before Becket's tomb and prayed, sobbing as he did so. Then he restored the Church's rights and paid for candles at the shrine before submitting to a public beating: five times by each abbot and bishop and three from the eighty monks. He then kept a night-long vigil at the tomb.



The Knights were never punished by the King but were excommunicated by the Pope who ordered them to serve as knights in the Holy Land for 14 years if they wanted forgiveness.



Many Pilgrims have since taken this Way and the Pilgrimage to Rome, the via Francigena, is now said to start from Canterbury.


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