Wold Newton Begins Space Exploration!
It’s true! It all happened on Dec 13th, 1795 in a field near Wold Cottage.
CHURCHESHISTORYFEATURED
A shepherd, John Shipley, who lived at Foxholes and was a connection of the Shipleys of Highfield Farm, Wold Newton, was out in the field when a 56 lb. meteorite hurtled to the Earth.
He must have been extremely shocked, because he was within 150 yards of it when it landed and was covered in mud and grass. Another labourer also saw the descent of the rock (which is now in the Natural History Museum in London) and Mr. Edward Topham, Magistrate, who lived at Wold Cottage, put both their observations together and proved for the very first time that objects came from what could only be outer space. And so it began.
The place the meteorite landed is marked by a monument near Wold Cottage.
John Shipley became the 1st person to be buried at All Saints’ church, Wold Newton when it became licenced for burial. His grave is by the porch and is the nearest to the church. He had obviously been deeply affected by his experience and his gravestone reads as follows:-
John Shipley
Died May 17th 1829
Aged 51 years
All you that do behold this stone,
Think how quickly I was gone,
Death does not always warning give,
Therefore be careful how you live.