Mavis Enderby
Encyclopedia
Mavis Enderby, the unusual name for a tiny hamlet nestling in the rolling hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds
, east of Horncastle, is a corruption of Malbis Enderby, probably taken from the name of 14th century French landholders. Around the time of Domesday Book
, it was called Endrebi.
, it was the family seat of John of Gaunt, whose son became Henry IV, or Henry Bolingbroke. The 1643 Battle of Winceby
was fought four miles to the south.
The modern village has a population of less than 100.
Mavis Enderby church is dedicated to St Michael. Set into the floor near the nave
is an 18th century Italian black marble memorial slab to Thomas Skepper.
's poem "High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire 1571". According to "The High Tide" this was a tune was rung as an alarm.
Douglas Adams
used the name "Mavis Enderby" in his spoof dictionary "of things that there aren't any words for yet", The Meaning of Liff
. Adams assigned meanings to placenames based what he imagined them to mean.
Helen Fielding
also used the name "Mavis Enderby" in her 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary
.
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a range of hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and the highest area of land in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent...
, east of Horncastle, is a corruption of Malbis Enderby, probably taken from the name of 14th century French landholders. Around the time of Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, it was called Endrebi.
History
Standing just north-east of Old BolingbrokeBolingbroke, Lincolnshire
Bolingbroke, now called Old Bolingbroke, is a village near Spilsby in Lincolnshire, England. The village of New Bolingbroke lies to the south-west.The Prime Meridian passes to the west of Old Bolingbroke.-Bolingbroke Castle:...
, it was the family seat of John of Gaunt, whose son became Henry IV, or Henry Bolingbroke. The 1643 Battle of Winceby
Battle of Winceby
The Battle of Winceby took place on 11 October 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about 4 miles east of Horncastle.-Prelude:...
was fought four miles to the south.
The modern village has a population of less than 100.
Mavis Enderby church is dedicated to St Michael. Set into the floor near the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
is an 18th century Italian black marble memorial slab to Thomas Skepper.
Literary references
Mavis Enderby has also had a peal of bells named after it, called "The Brides of Enderby" which is mentioned in Jean IngelowJean Ingelow
Jean Ingelow , was an English poet and novelist.- Early life and education :Born at Boston, Lincolnshire, she was the daughter of William Ingelow, a banker...
's poem "High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire 1571". According to "The High Tide" this was a tune was rung as an alarm.
Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
used the name "Mavis Enderby" in his spoof dictionary "of things that there aren't any words for yet", The Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff is a humorous dictionary of toponymy and etymology, written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, published in the United Kingdom in 1983, and the USA in 1984....
. Adams assigned meanings to placenames based what he imagined them to mean.
- MAVIS ENDERBY (n.)
- The almost-completely-forgotten girlfriend from your distant past for
- whom your wife has a completely irrational jealousy and hatred.
Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, a sequence of novels and films that chronicle the life of a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life and love.Her novels Bridget Jones's...
also used the name "Mavis Enderby" in her 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding. Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic...
.