[MR] History Blog: 14th C. Wooden Road Found in Belgium

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

So much happened in history today, it was hard to choose what to comment
upon: The Battle of Hastings in 1066, Scotland securing its (temporary)
independence from England at the Battle of Old Byland in 1322, or Mary
Queen of Scots going on Trial in 1586. (Whew!)

But what caught my attention was a History Blog story about a rather
mundane piece of paved road in the Belgian town of Lier. The road was paved
with wooden planks and dates to the 15th century. It was recently
rediscovered when sewer improvements were underway. Over the years modern
paving had been added above the wood, which was then preserved in clay.

The blog poster, Livius, goes on to sketch out the history of Lier and its
growth as a pilgrimage destination, and later a textile center. Good stuff.

Sadly, the wooden road cannot be preserved, but it is being carefully
documented. That's progress for you, but you have to admit that sewers are
pretty important.

The story is here: https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68501 .

More about Lier and its very rich history is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lier,_Belgium .

The History Blog, and the above Wikipedia article, mention "beguines". So
what is a beguine or a beguinage? See for yourself at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beguinage .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing the crusade to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.